Allison W  
Instruments: Flute, Recorder, Piccolo
Styles: Classical, Marching Band

I have been teaching since 2007, and have worked with nearly all levels -- from the ultra beginners who have never held a flute to the advanced flutist who has gone on to place in competitions or won collegiate scholarships. I've had 6-year-old students and 60-year-old students. In addition, I also have given workshops on topics such as stage presence, vibrato, and intonation, and have conducted three different flute choirs. I always try to gear lessons to individual needs; for those who want to enjoy playing, I can provide fun as well as structure to lead improvement -- and for those who wish to be competitive musicians, I can provide the necessary framework to help you reach your goals.

For my beginning young students, I generally start them on a book called "The Potential Contender" by Rebecca Simonfalvi. It is a wonderful book that will have the student playing a major scale in as little as a week! From there, I tend to gravitate towards the Rubank series, as they are often what's most used in schools for auditions, and covers several levels of playing. Rubank also has several collections of solos for young flutists to try. I always encourage students to find contemporary books with fun songs to try out, like a Disney series or pop songs. In addition, for those who are in school band, I highly recommend they bring in their materials at the beginning and have a lesson or two on them, especially if they have any solos or auditions pending. As the student advances, so do the materials. At the intermediate to advanced level, we will explore more technically engaging solos, and focus a lot on etude and scale work. At this level, students are also highly encouraged to enter competitions. Even so, student engagement is always a priority, and it is always a goal of mine to leave a student excited for the next lesson. At the end of every year, I would like to do a showcase, where every student gets performance experience playing a solo.