How to Demonstrate the Flute for Children
Teaching children to play the flute can be a rewarding experience. As a teacher, you gain the satisfaction of introducing children to music, teaching them valuable skills and helping them learn self-discipline. For children, learning to play the flute can be fun and increase their confidence as they master new techniques. To successfully teach the flute, you need to keep kids interested, explain techniques and musical concepts in a child-friendly manner and give them the confidence they need to overcome their obstacles.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Spark the children's interest in the flute. Play some music they might be familiar with from popular musicians, movies or TV shows. You can also perform a classical piece.
-
2
Get to know the children and their personalities. This helps you gain their trust and develop good relationships. Understanding their personalities might also help you determine how to approach your lessons.
-
-
3
Involve parents in the first lesson. Tell parents about the importance of encouraging their children to practice at home and provide them with a list of essential learning materials, such as sheet music, recommended listening, beginners' books and a music stand.
-
4
Test each child's flute before the first lesson. Check that each flute is tuned and set up properly. Lessons are more enjoyable when an instrument sounds its best.
-
5
Demonstrate the proper way to care for a flute. Show children how to take the instrument apart, put it together and clean it.
-
6
Show the children how to hold the flute. Show them how to hold up their arms and where to put their fingers.
-
7
Demonstrate the correct posture for sitting and standing. Provide comfortable chairs that promote upright posture. Chairs shouldn't turn or lean forward or backward. Children should be able to place both feet firmly on the ground while sitting.
-
8
Tell children about bad habits to watch out for, such as elbows that are held straight out and tense fingers. Try to demonstrate bad and good habits in a fun way. For example, you can play a game where you hold the flute in different ways and ask the children to yell a word or make a sound when you're doing the wrong thing. If a child tells you what you did wrong or right, she gets a star or a point.
-
9
Engage the children in group breathing exercises before each lesson. Stretching out and learning to breathe deeply are important.
-
10
Explain and demonstrate how to blow into the flute's opening to create a continuous sound. It might be fun to have children blow into bottles first, since a similar technique is used for the flute. Walk around the room and listen to each child to ensure she's using the correct technique. Provide assistance to children who are struggling.
-
11
Practice timing by using a metronome. Clap or stomp your feet with the children to teach them about keeping a steady beat. Kids might also enjoy singing a song to the beat.
-
12
Teach the children how to read a flute fingering chart. Charts that show notation and fingering help children understand three concepts at once: fingering, note names and music notation. Teach easy notes first, such as D, E and F.
-
13
Create songs that consist of three or four notes and last no more than two minutes. Use simple rhythms that are easy to memorize and get the kids to tap their feet to the rhythm as they play.
-
14
Take breaks during lessons. Kids will have more fun if they have a chance to talk to each other. Additionally, long sessions without breaks may feel grueling, decreasing their willingness to learn.
-
15
Encourage children to have fun with the flute. Tell them to experiment with its sound and practice each day. Since children tend to have short attention spans, three 10-minute practice sessions at home may be better than one 30-minute session.
-
16
Provide positive and constructive feedback to increase each child's confidence and improve their skills. You might want to give stickers and achievement badges to help children track their progress. When providing constructive criticism, it may be helpful to address the situation with a "let's," rather than a "you." For example, "Let's put our fingers on these keys" sounds friendlier than "You need to put your fingers on those keys."
-
17
Play musical games. Kids generally enjoy games. If you can turn learning into a game, they might be more receptive to what you teach.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you're teaching children below the age of 5, a fife might be better than a flute because of its small size.
Show parents basic flute skills and how to set up a music stand, so they can help their children learn.
Create an inviting and colorful learning space.
Children may not learn if lessons progress too quickly or slowly.
Long lessons without breaks may tire the children out and reduce their ability to learn new skills.
Lessons that only focus on work and don't incorporate fun activities, like games and singing, may lose the children's interest.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
