| 1) Flute CDs (see partial list below) (FW, or check Amazon) 2) Books listed below (FW) 3) Metronome (VM, VV, GS, FW) 4) Tuner (VM, VV, GS, FW) There are many options of metronomes and tuners on the market, including Metronome/Tuner combos in one unit that subdivide the beat, etc. Flute World has a large selection you could browse. Key element: make sure the metronome is loud enough (almost all are). 5) Music Stand (VM, VV, GS, FW) Available in many styles and colors (including rainbow) 6) Flute Stand (FW) Not essential, but can be convenient and nice. 7) An elegant cleaning rod (VM, FW, maybe GS?) 8) A silk cleaning cloth (FW, maybe others) 9) Tote bags with flute designs (FW) 10) Flute World also carries a wide variety of flute jewelry and other miscellaneous gift items you may wish to peruse. |
| Beside each item, you'll see an abbreviation indicating where this item could be purchased. Abbreviations are as follows: VM = Vermont Musical Instrument Repair (East Hill Road, Middlesex - otherwise known as Upper Terrace Street, Montpelier, one mile beyond the city limits) VV = Vermont Violins (above the Drawing Board and the Savoy Theater, Main Street in Montpelier) GS = Guitar Sam (City Center, Montpelier, at the corner of State and Main) FW = Flute World (www.fluteworld.com) (I'm sure there are other locations, but these should get you everything on this list and more.) |
| A Partial List of Flute CDs (These are a few CDs that I own and think could make a great gift. There are too many to list, but here's a start.) Music For Two Flutes: Preston's Pocket play works by J.S. Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Drouet, Kohler Stephen Preston and Lisa Beznosiuk (I bought a very similar LP of Stephen Preston's when I was in high school - it was the first flute recording I really fell in love with. Stephen Preston is a master of the baroque flute - that's the wooden flute that was played in Bach's time, and a great interpreter of the Baroque Flute repertoire. This recording is just gorgeous and continues to inspire me.) French Flute Music of the Eighteenth Century: Monteclair - Blavet - Guignon - Boismortier - Leclair Barthold Kuijken (Another gorgeous Baroque master playing on an authentic Baroque wooden instrument. This one has the Blavet Sonata from Suzuki Book 4, so is a fabulous reference recording for flutists studying, or about to study, Book 4 repertoire) J.S. Bach Orchestral Suites 1-4 Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Mariner conducting William Bennett is the featured flutist on Suite No. 2 in B Minor (This is my favorite interpretation of the B Minor Suite. Movements of this piece are in Suzuki Book 2 - that's the B Minor Minuet and Polonaise, as well as Books 5 and 6. It's well worth owning this CD early in the Suzuki Flutist's playing career. Other pieces on the CD do not feature flute, but are gorgeous and great reference.) Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy Paula Robison with Tokyo Akademiker Ensemble, Fumiki Asazuma conducting (Complete change of style here. Paula Robison has long been my favorite interpreter of the romantic era flute. This CD has the Gluck "Dance of the Blessed Spirits" from Suzuki Books 2 and 3, The Genin "Carnival of Venice Variations" from Books 2 and 5, and Doppler's "Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy" from Book 7. There are so many truly fantastic Paula Robison recordings out there, it's well worth checking for others of her recordings.) Haydn: "London" Trios, Nos. 1-4; Divertissements, Op. 100, Nos. 2&6 Jean-Pierre Rampal, Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich (A current favorite. Beautiful introduction to chamber music.) I'm having great difficulty singling out specific CDs - there are too many that are all wonderful. I'll just continue by listing a few additional flutists to watch for, beyond those above in bold print: Emmanuel Pahud, Jeanne Baxtresser, Fenwick Smith, Mark Sparks, Carol Wincenc, James Galway, Julius Baker Robert Dick ( NOT "easy listening;" he's on the cutting edge of modern flute technique and I love some of his music, but don't tend to listen to a whole CD for enjoyment's sake. All flutists should be aware of his work, and should enjoy at least some of his music. All of it is worth being aware of and studying for an understanding of the possibilities of what the flute, and the flutist, is capable of, and does do in the 20th and 21st centuries. Probably not the perfect choice as an early flute CD except for the very curious and very adventurous avant guard student - in that case, perhaps the perfect choice!) If you like Folk Flute, check out: Joannie Madden, Chris Norman, or Grey Larsen I'll add more over time, but there's a start! |
| A Partial List of Gift Books for Flutists A Modern Guide to Fingerings for the Flute by James Pellerite Extensive coverage of basic and alternate fingerings up to F - that's 2 octaves above the staff, as well as options for trills, tremolos, harmonics, altered fingerings, quarter tones and quarter tone trills, as well as multiphonics and special sonorities. A "must have" for advanced flutists. Recommended for the intermediate flutist. The Other Flute: A Performance Manual Of Contemporary Techniques by Robert Dick All flutists should be familiar with the name of Robert Dick - the leader in modern flute technique. This manual covers 20th century flute technique including Tone Coloration, Microtones, Multiple Sonorities, Flutter Tonguing, Pitch Bending, Singing and Playing Simultaneously, Jet Whistles, and more. A must for advanced flutists, and likely to be of interest to intermediate flutists. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music There are other music dictionaries. This is the one I have and it serves me well. There are others that are geared toward younger musicians. I may add some as I find them. Duet Books: Ensembles for Flute Volume 1: Second and Third Flute Parts for Suzuki Flute School Volumes 1 & 2 published by Summy Birchard (a must have for Suzuki flute students from late Book 1 up) Belwin Master Duets: Flute Easy edited by Keith Snell, published by Belwin Mills (for early Suzuki Book 2) Selected Duets, Volume 1: Easy-Medium (from late Book 2 or early 3 on up) edited by Voxman, published by Rubank Selected Duets, Volume 2: Advanced (around late Book 3 or 4) edited by Voxman, published by Rubank The Most Amazing Duet Book Ever edited by Howard Harrison, published by Boosey & Hawkes (Book 3 or 4 up) I have yet to find the perfect Christmas Carol book for flute that I can recommend unequivocally, but there are many out there that are fine in solo, duet, trio, and quartet form. There are also some for mixed instruments. Do browse at Vermont Violins, Guitar Sam, or Flute World, and see what you find! |