Start a Flute Choir
Are you a band director with so many flutes that you often joke that they’re “a dime a dozen”? Starting a flute choir might be the answer to this problem.
Flutes are one of the most flexible musical instruments in your band. The soprano flute’s range alone covers more than three octaves. Add in some lower-range harmony flutes, such as alto and bass flutes, and that range can be increased even more.
Flute choirs can help balance your band’s pyramid of sound and provide extracurricular music opportunities that engage your students while promoting your ensembles as a whole. This specialized ensemble can play scores that were originally designed for full orchestras, choirs or wind ensembles, which is nothing short of amazing! Plus, you only need a handful of flutists — six or more — to get started.
Buying Instruments
I’ll be honest, flute choirs can be expensive — alto and bass flutes have pretty high price tags. Most of the information below is about the lower-range harmony flutes because many schools have a selection or easy access to higher-range melody flutes (piccolos and soprano flutes).
Once you stock your closet with harmony flutes, you’ll be able to play band pieces with small flute choirs as well. This means that your band can now perform dozens of gorgeous contemporary pieces that would otherwise be off limits. The mysterious “Frozen Cathedral” by John Mackey features alto and bass flute solos. Another excellent piece for winds with harmony flutes is “Kings Go Forth” by Edward Gregson for symphonic wind band.
To get your flute choir started, you will need:
- 1 Piccolo
- 3 Soprano flutes
- at least 2 Alto flutes
- at least 2 Bass flutes
This 8-person setup will be enough to get you going.
If you have a well-established band, you won’t need to purchase many sopranos or piccolos. And while there is such a thing as a flute d’amour (a flute between the soprano and the alto), this flute’s range will be covered by the combination of soprano and alto flutes, so it isn’t necessary.
The two lowest harmony flutes are the contra-alto (an octave below the alto) and the contrabass flute. If you have a very large group interested in joining the flute choir, consider getting one more low voice — I recommend the contra-alto, which looks surprisingly like a contrabass clarinet (you can listen to one here). This instrument is very pricey — most start at $20,000 — so if you are set on getting one, prepare for a lot of fundraising.
Curved vs. Straight Headjoints
Most flutes come with the option of a curved headjoint. While this is often an adjustment made on soprano flutes for younger students, having a curved headjoint becomes increasingly more common as the flute gets lower. Watch flutist Gina Luciani weigh the pros and cons of straight and curved headjoints.
As Luciani mentions, curved headjoints allow students with smaller hands and shorter fingers to reach all the keys with ease. A curved headjoint also changes where the heaviest part of the flute is, meaning that it shifts most of the weight toward the player’s face, whereas with a straight headjoint, more weight is in the middle of the instrument, near the player’s arms.
Do a trial of different harmony flutes to best determine which type of alto or bass flute — and which headjoint — will best suit your students.
Harmony Flute Accessories
Thumb Rests: I recommend thumb rests for bass and heavier flutes. Bass flutes often have metal thumb or hand rests that help players balance the extra weight. These are especially handy for students who will be playing for a long period of time but do not plan on playing with a stand.
Bass Flute Stand: If you are adding a bass flute to your ensemble, get a stand. These flutes weigh approximately 5 pounds, which is twice the weight of an alto.
Woodwind Stand: Having a few woodwind stands with pegs for soprano flutes and piccolos with also help out flute doublers.
Harmony Flute Materials
Don’t shy away from all nickel harmony flutes. Solid-silver alto and bass flutes simply aren’t within most school’s budgets. Here are three common types of materials that you will see in harmony flutes.
Copper Alloy: These flutes have a warm and brilliant sound. They are typically made with 70% to 85% copper and have a silver lip plate.
Nickel Silver: This material is an alloy of silver, zinc and nickel. Alto flutes are commonly made of solid nickel silver. This material produces a dark timbre. Oftentimes, nickel silver flutes are silver plated, which better protects against corrosion, but they are usually more expensive. The lip-plate is the most important part to protect against wear, so if you plan on getting a nickel silver flute, try to get one with a silver-plated lip-plate or headjoint.
Black Nickel: This material is used in jazz saxophones, but you can also find it in flutes! Black nickel is simply a plating on the outside of an instrument that makes it look darker. While many woodwind aficionados will claim that lacquer makes a huge difference in the sound, I believe the internal build of the instrument to be much more important.
Ways to Make Ends Meet
Even entry-level harmony flutes are not very economical. The lower in range you go means there is more tubing, and thus, the higher the price. Here are some tips on how to make a flute choir without having to drain the band boosters’ account:
- Recruit string members from the orchestra: Instead of purchasing lower-range harmony flutes, have double bass and cellos cover the lowest parts. Of course, by adding strings, your ensemble won’t be a true flute choir, but you will still have an extremely unique chamber ensemble with a beautiful sound
- Get second-hand instruments: You might find alto flutes and sometimes even bass flutes on Facebook pages designed for classical flute players, such as Flutes for Sale or The Flute Classifieds.
- Arrange the music yourself or have your upperclassmen try their hand at composition: After-school chamber ensembles are the perfect space to start experimenting. If you know a senior who plans to major in music education or composition, have them take the reins and try arranging or composing a piece for the choir. Specialty chamber music can get expensive. Since it is for educational purposes, you can arrange otherwise copyrighted material and perform it with your flute choir.
The students have fallen in love with the event, too. “I have students who will buy a suit just for jazz night. They get all dressed up, and they’re super pumped,” Pohland says. “It’s turned into way more than I could ever have imagined.”
Having open, honest conversations isn’t only beneficial with his own family. Pohland has also found that building personal connections with students helps the program gain a sense of camaraderie. He says that one of the keys to building a trusting relationship with students includes “sharing my stories — sharing why I’m passionate, why I’m energetic about music.”
While a close-knit musical family may sound like a dream come true, maintaining a music program in a small, rural town comes with its own unique challenges. Some students may struggle to make it to every rehearsal when they have other commitments at home like working on their parents’ farm. Other students may struggle to get to rehearsal on time when driving to school takes 30 minutes or when Minnesota weather rears its destructive head.
Communication goes hand in hand with community outreach. One of the benefits of building a music program in a small community is the ability to get students directly involved with community performances.
You cannot be a wallflower music teacher and expect kids to flock to your class. Be bubbly and personable. Show kids that you are committed to them and that you see and hear them. Make them laugh. Truth be told, I gauge my effectiveness each day based on whether I can get my students to laugh.
While I recognize there is enormous value in practicing instruments outside your primary instrument, as an ensemble director, I simply do not have the time to devote to preparing quality demonstrations on a variety of instruments. Instead, I call upon my colleagues, music major friends from college or, in some cases, former or current students to showcase their talents on various instruments.
Unison playing in an ensemble is necessary when students first begin learning a musical instrument. Because novice students’ audiation and tone production are developing, it helps to have everyone play the same melody together for reference. Additionally, playing in unison helps alleviate some of the anxiety students might experience from playing something incorrectly or thinking they sound bad. After all, how many of us sing more quietly in the car once the radio is turned down?
If you are tasked with developing beginner instrumentalists to eventually feed your top ensemble(s), promote students based on their demonstration of mastery, NOT on the instrument they play. As someone who spends the majority of his day teaching band classes, I know this can be a tough pill to swallow. Remember though, our role as music educators is NOT to teach a piece of music, but to teach musical concepts and skills. The pieces we program are simply vehicles to determine the extent to which students understand and can demonstrate these musical concepts and skills. This is why your learning objectives and success criteria based on the standards found in your curriculum are so important!
Most ensemble directors have a social media account for their music programs. This is a terrific way to share your students’ accolades with the world. That said, don’t devote the bulk of your social media posts to celebrating only the achievements of your top ensemble(s). Earning a superior rating at a festival is great news worth celebrating — but so is the first time your beginning brass students learn how to buzz! When every student feels celebrated in your program, word travels fast.
The music department at Tennessee State University has a rich legacy and a storied history. From our world-famous 
With the “Grow Your Own” funds, we have enhanced our curricula in numerous ways. We now offer a Praxis review course, which provides students with a formal class setting that prepares them to pass both the Praxis Core test, as well as the content-specific Praxis Music test.
Schoolland first created her open-door band room policy while working at an inner-city school in Colorado. Many of her low-income students struggled with the logistical side of practicing their instruments, such as transporting their instruments to and from school or not having space at home to practice. “I had one student who lived in their car,” she says. “He couldn’t practice trombone in his back seat. That’s where the idea of keeping the band room open after school took root — from the knowledge that not every kid has a safe place to practice outside of school.”
A growing music program requires mutual trust between students and teachers if it’s going to thrive and flourish. Getting students motivated to practice during their free periods or after school also requires that they gain self-confidence in their own musical abilities.
Being a small community worked in Metlakatla’s favor. “We literally know where everyone lives,” Schoolland says. “When we were shut down for more than a couple days at a time, staff members from the school volunteered to help deliver instruments. We were able to get instruments in kids’ hands pretty quickly.”
Instead of lamenting on the small budget, Taylor went to work to find outside funding and has received nearly $20,000 in donations in the past four years.
While the school provides students with the larger and more expensive instruments, such as French horns, baritones, tubas and oboes, families are typically expected to rent more popular and smaller instruments like flutes, clarinets and saxophones. However, Taylor says that situation created equity and balance problems.
Taylor initiated her wish list with requests for mouthpieces, reeds, neck straps, valve oil, cork grease and lessons books. She would always attach a picture of her with the students. “Having an action photo with kids playing instruments tended to grab people’s attention,” she says.
Taylor is also active with 
Of greater impact, Taylor was the Eastern Division recipient of the 2021 
Taylor says that her biggest recruitment methods are the fun activities within the program itself. Her 5th-grade band students learn “The Star-Spangled Banner” and perform at a 
Take dynamic markings, for instance. It’s important for students to understand the purpose of volume in music. It can create tension, lead to resolution or release tension. Volume also is used to highlight musical layers within sections of music.
Write the sentence “You must leave now” on the board and ask students to read it aloud.
Other important musical concepts for students to understand are melody, accompaniment and counter melody. One example that helps students understand how the elements of melody and accompaniment work together is to watch a movie scene that focuses on one character but has other characters in the background. The main character is usually in tight focus, while the others are not as much. You might also point out that it is the presence of the other characters that fills in the scene. The background elements that are not characters also help to define a sense of place or time. In this way, students can come to understand how background elements of accompaniment and harmonic structure are important to establish the character of a section of music, while at the same time supporting the main character, or the melody.
One of the most obvious ways to reach students is through the act of making music. Often, we get stuck in the nuts and bolts of rehearsals or stress of prepping for a concert, but it’s essential to take a step back and make sure to spend time each day when students (and you) revel in the joy of music.
4. Always Have Chocolate
Music educators often need to take a breath and consider the context of a situation. It’s easy during concert season to get caught up in the nitty gritty of the technical aspects of the music or the details of an upcoming performance. As a young teacher, I used to get frustrated at students who forgot their bow tie for our state assessment. But I learned to remind myself that 1) we are all human, 2) there may be important context as to why that student did not have their bow tie, 3) it’s not the end of the world and 4) always pack extra bow ties. These apply during concert season but it’s important to have similar reminders for daily rehearsals.
There’s a mentality that we have to “get back to normal” now that COVID-19 is abating (fingers crossed). All music educators suffered playing through the pandemic, losing some great players and seeing a reduction in participation. It’s essential to remember that the work you are doing right now each and every day will probably see a return in several years, not in a few weeks. Like the stock market performance over the past 100 years, we need to be visionaries and focus on the next 10, 25 and 100 years of music education.
If you have lost some motivation or feel frustrated about your job, you are experiencing a low point — it happens to all of us. This is precisely the time to find some extra time and resources and make an investment for YOURSELF. I recommend taking a professional development class. I teach online classes at VanderCook College of Music, and I assure you that there is a relevant, thought-provoking course for you that will light a fire in your musical soul. Check out 
If you feel like you need help in a particular area, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are countless online groups that you could consult, or you can reach out to your local music educators association. Another great resource is your local music store/supplier who likely knows great people for you to connect with, but you have to ask!
Each mode can be split into left, right or both hands. The grade is presented in a fraction of correct notes over possible notes and is color-coded for quick visual assessment.
“Free Play” is a great space to explore the labels that Synthesia offers. Students can choose to have the keys on the screen labeled with the note’s letter, solfege (fixed or movable) or scale degree. The same labels can be applied to the moving squares, allowing students to mix and match. A great way to relate fixed Do and letter names would be to have the keys labeled with letters and the moving squares to be labeled with solfege. Students could then explore the relationship in a low-risk environment.
Creating Classroom Play-Along Videos
This step takes time to complete. I like using the Goldilocks approach to get it just right. Think of three BIG ideas that can fuel your plan. One way of thinking about this is to go back to your mission. Generally, your mission can be pared down to three or four big ideas. Use those as the backbone for your overarching goals. For me, they are creating great musicians, developing a community within the program and its ensembles, and to serve others through what we do. Written as strategic goals, they read:
My specialties include communications, financial management, booster club, calendar and facilities, travel arrangements, student leadership and serving as department chair and vertical team lead.
I first became familiar with 
Let’s think about how children learn language. First, they absorb through listening then they babble — nonsense syllables at first and then slowly, through imitation, a real word or two start to emerge. Even when the sounds are unclear, adults or older children give clarity and meaning to those words. Words turn into sentences, and soon, the child is thinking fully through language and holding conversations with other people. After years of practicing how to listen and talk, we then teach the child how to read and write.
Next, I give my students a chance to babble or talk on their own and improvise at the piano in 3/4 meter. I will keep the parameters simple: Put both hands on a D pentascale and improvise a piece in 3/4. I usually allow students to play on their own before I add an accompaniment pattern. Again, if my students stay in 3/4, I know they understand and are audiating triple meter. If they are struggling to play with consistent macro- and microbeats, we will spend more time listening and moving.
Experimental music will excite the audience in ways that classical-era pieces simply can’t: My dad isn’t the biggest fan of classical music. So, when one of my ensembles put on a spooky modern Halloween concert instead of a traditional concert with “
This piece by 
As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t stumble upon “
Sometimes we can get in a rut of making sure all pitches and rhythms are correct before adding the expressive layers of dynamics, articulation and other interpretative devices. However, if we wait until the final stages of learning, it can be too late. By this time, our students’ habits for a particular piece are already ingrained in their minds and muscle memory, and they may not be able to make the changes consistently and successfully to their playing.
Prior to asking students to “drill” a passage a certain number of times, make sure they can play it accurately and independently. A helpful way to make sure this happens is by assisting them with mental study. Create a copy of their score and then have them use colored pencils, markers or digital ink to annotate the music and highlight certain score details that they may easily forget. By having the students write in the scores themselves, they are more likely to remember those specific musical markings. By using different colors, there is a higher chance they will accurately visualize the score without having the physical book in front of them.
The Sponsoring Organization
When we opened 
Reagan also had a logistical team called SCORE, which stood for Student Care of Resources and Equipment. This team included 10 to 15 students who were dedicated to keeping the band hall clean, setting up for rehearsals and managing events. Line leaders and section leaders were often members of SCORE as well. The Reagan students were so motivated to serve the program, and because they had a voice in the process, they took ownership of all tasks, big and small.
Students in appointed positions apply each spring and submit a resume, portfolio and teacher references, and they go through an interview process and teaching audition. Drum major candidates also complete a conducting audition. Appointed positions are selected by a committee that includes band directors from the high school and middle school, private lesson teachers, former student leaders and several guest panel members, including marching techs or visitors from another district school.
Execution and Pacing — In our teaching workshops, student leaders break into groups of 10 to 12 to practice teaching with one another. Each student will inform the others in the group what he or she plans to do, take them through the lesson and then receive feedback from a director or coach on improving the lesson. Student leaders learn pacing, time management and how their peers respond to feedback. This is where directors work with student leaders to develop patience, kindness, compassion and confidence. Topics we focus on during this process:
Broken/Old Drumsticks: I’ve used these for everything from removing stuck slides to rolling out small dents on a brass instrument. Sand down any rough edges before using.
Eyeglass Screwdrivers: A set of small screwdrivers are always helpful in a pinch. I also have some longer screwdrivers on hand, which can help to loosen some stuck screws. Warning: Don’t force screws too much because a stripped head is a more significant repair.
Would you consider donating to our program if you have any of the items below in your garage, basement or workroom?
Explore Other Options
Why then, do so many people equate music reading with note naming?
When students are focused on note-naming, they would look at the notes to the right and say, “C, E, G.” That is three bits of information that really serve no musical purpose. When we emphasize intervallic reading, the student recognizes that these three notes, built up in skips, create a C major chord — one bit of information. The student can audiate that chord, the hand automatically knows what shape to create to play the chord and the knowledge is easily transferable to other keys.
At the beginning of my career, I contacted a few well-known directors and asked if I could observe an evening rehearsal. The response was almost always a “yes” or a “yes, but would another time of year work?” Bring a notebook, jot down some thoughts and just take it all in. The next day, try something new in your classroom that you observed the night before. It might work or it might not — but it’s another tool in your bag.
Figure Out What You Need First
My general rule for a new technique or approach is to try it for 30 days. Sometimes, I record our first day trying out the new suggestion out, and then compare it to how the band sounds 30 days later. If I followed the technique correctly, and the group sounds better, we kept it.
My mentors are great overall, but some excel in specific areas. When I have a marching band question, I contact a particular person. When I have a question concerning a situation specific to my school, I reach out to a friend who also works in a low-income/underserved school. I have another friend who doesn’t even work in music but who has been incredibly helpful with financial advice.
The first thing you must do as a new director is to learn about the community, students, stakeholders and the general dynamics of the school. That’s what I did when I accepted the job at 
Perform Often — No matter the age of your students, they should be performing. The typical model of fall, holiday, performance assessment and spring concerts truly doesn’t meet students’ ability to perform. It also leads to performance anxiety. To eliminate this, I try to schedule at least one performance each month after students’ first year of instruction. This could be as simple as a chamber group performing at a nursing home. The more students perform, the better they become at performing, and it increases their music-reading skills. My high school students will perform 12 times in various ensembles from November to January, and only one of those times is a full ensemble concert. These include multiple jazz performances at nursing homes and community events; our marching band performing in the city Christmas parade; and our chamber ensembles performing at the 
Build Your System — The same concept works for music as you develop your own system. Being the only 6-12 director, using the same language from top to bottom makes my life easier. For example, I use the same method book series from beginner band all the way through high school. I also use the same methodology for counting rhythm. Whether you choose to count in the traditional method, Eastman Technique or in any other form, you must make it the same from bottom to the top. I started this process during my first year at SCHS, and now four years down the road, all grade levels count using the same system. Our rhythmic integrity has greatly improved and our students’ abilities have increased. This is part of building your system.
With every big decision I have taken to our administration, I always have a back-up plan. Your administrators are there to support you, not to fight with you, and if they are fighting against you, then you might need to look in the mirror. Your top priority is your program, and you must fight for it. But you must realize that you are just one program at your school. If your plan is rejected, don’t be discouraged. Have a back-up plan or be willing to work with administrators on a revised plan. Or, come back at a later date and say, “Remember when I wanted to do XYZ — what are your thoughts on it now?” You may be shocked, as I have been, at how administrators are more willing to approve, or at least discuss, the original plan. Team-building and collaboration are essential.
String
Popsicle Sticks
Visual Music: Play Dough, Styrofoam Putty and Pipe Cleaners
Sensory Tools
4. Take a Trot
7. Put Down that Book
10. Chew a Piece of Gum
In 2008, 
What excellence looks and sounds like: Consider watching videos or playing audio recordings for students of professional groups, as well as great groups their own age. Students will learn to admire professional recordings, but they can learn as much from listening and watching great examples of their peers performing.
Getting our students to a place where they were excited to be great together and to believe in the journey was a process! It was paramount for us to have the values listed above in place before we ever attempted to improve as musicians and athletes.
Friend Groups Might Change
Students might challenge many of the changes you want to implement. It helps to be aware of the teacher you are replacing and the program’s history. If the program was successful and everyone loved the previous director, don’t change too much at first. If you do, be ready to hear complaints from students and parents. Again, it’s not personal — people tend to think about what they’re losing rather than what they will be gaining. Be patient and guide them through this.
Buyer’s Remorse
Additional tips on questions for the interviewer:
Some Other Thoughts
Have Your Elevator Pitch Ready
Practice, Practice, Practice
Have Someone Look It Over
Brag About Yourself
List Other Relevant Information
Which of your students are extroverts, and which are more introverts? Typically, it’s usually the introverted students who are more visibly shaken by the prospect of performing in public. However, some of my biggest extroverts also become quite openly anxious in the face of performing.
The point I make to my own students is this: I know what is going to happen musically at a performance because we have been preparing and practicing daily. What concerns me is how they will deal with all the unknowns. Will I get well-behaved mogwais or mischievous gremlins on concert night? Lack of familiarity with the performance situation is probably one of the biggest sources of anxiety for even a well-prepared ensemble.
In the article “
Do
Even if you have a standard uniform, many things can go wrong. Consider the following:
In music, the performance is the essay, and students knowing what to do and doing it are two very different things. The knowledge often doesn’t translate. How beautifully and musically our students play hinges on their ability to move from conceptualizing to actualizing, and the gap often appears in the results of their performances. For example:
Guiding students to listen beyond their ears and react to certain stimuli is no different than training students to form an embouchure or take a proper breath. In other words, provide clear information to students, have them practice, give them feedback — then repeat. Keep in mind that students will only fix what bothers them. Until they are as bothered by a problem as their coach, they will be limited in the amount they can improve.
Train your students to respond in one of three ways: “Yes, I think so,” “No, I don’t think so” or “I don’t know” — which may sound surprising.
Breathing to Play vs. Breathing to Live
Rule: Students should avoid breathing in predictable places such as at bar lines.
Tuners and metronomes
The article referenced above contains excerpts from their book, “
In interleaved practice, “a student practices an identified problem area for a brief amount of time, leaving it to begin practicing a different skill area. The performer is alternating and intermixing the practice tasks. The long-term retention is better with interleaved practice, even though the short-term satisfaction isn’t as great.” She illustrates interleaved practice using the letters ABCBACACB. In other words, in interleaved practice, certain material is practiced, then left alone but interspersed with, or revisited back and forth, between other practice material.
A final type of practice is known as mental practice. This kind of practice is undertaken away from our instruments and does not entail any playing whatsoever.
