Have You Got the Right Mouthpiece Set-up?

Have you considered that you may not be getting the most our of your instrument? Have you outgrown your student mouthpiece? Signs to watch out for are overblowing, difficulty reaching the upper register (which can also mean you have outgrown your student instrument), and stuffiness of sound.

All of these symptoms will mean that your progress may be slower than expected, and can result in the development of bad habits such overblowing and physical tension.

The solution? We specialise in identifying the correct setup for wind and brass players, whether you've been playing for 6 months or 6 years. We can ensure that you get the very best response from your instrument. Don't be fooled by the "one size fits all" theory.

If you're not sure you're not getting the best out of your instrument, simply give us a call and book your free consultation now.

Student Violins Now Available

Budget Violins for beginners
Contact us for details

Address: Shop 3, 158 Parramatta Road, Camperdown NSW Sydney, Australia [Map] Tel: (02) 9557 4588 Fax: (02) 9557 4722 Email:

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Designing A Practise Programme for Practising the Flute

A realistic programme for practising the flute should
be outlined to each student from their first lessons.
Each student will have different reasons for playing
the flute so an individual practise programme is
essential if practise is to become a natural part of
their day to day life. Different levels of playing
requires varying degrees of discipline. The outline
below is one of the most satisfactory practise
programmes I have devised with my students:

The basic programme:

• 5 days a week practise, one lesson day and one
  day off .
  
• Five suitable times are chosen for the five
  practise days. Some students need the
  regularity of practising at the same time each day
  while others have to work out a programme
  around other activities.
  
• Do discuss favourite television shows or
  activities with each student. Don’t have false
  expectations – students will rarely choose their
  flute practise over a “must do” activity no matter
  how much they love playing the flute. Therefore
  it is just as important to establish times that are
  unsuitable for practising as it is to decide on
  times that are!
  
• Be prepared to divide some days into morning and
  afternoon sessions if time commitments are high
  
• Discourage not practising on any of the five days
  no matter what the circumstances are (within
  reason). Encourage 5 minutes here and there,
  outlining the benefits of short focused practice.
  Often students have never considered that five or
  ten minutes playing is better than no playing at all.
  
• Encourage students to keep a practise record in
  their exercise books for the first few weeks so
  that you can discuss, and assess, their practise
  patterns together. It is very important that you
  encourage them to accurately log their times.
  There is no benefit to either you, or them, if they
  are only writing down times that they believe you
  want to see. These weekly entries become your
  guide to improving their time management and
  practise skills.
  
• Always be flexible and show alternative options.
  

By Rosemary Haldane from her book The Games Teachers Play visit her website for more details about her books

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