2022-23 UVIC FLUTE LESSON SYLLABUS

MUS 1-2-3-440, 3-4-545

Instructor: Dr. Suzanne Snizek

Preferred contact method: email: ssnizek@uvic.ca

Office B075 #250-721-7920          

Welcome to the UVic Flute Studio! I am looking forward to working with each one of you. I will be your flute instructor and artistic mentor during your studies at the UVic School of Music.

Required Materials 

All flute students are required to obtain the following:

1. 24 Petite Melodies by Marcel Moyse https://www.amazon.com/Moyse-24-Little-Melodic-Studies/dp/B00006M2QH

2. Taffanel and Gaubert “17 Daily Exercises” https://www.amazon.com/Exercises-Jounaliers-Mecanisme-Ejercicios-Mechanismo/dp/B01N9NVNEK/ref=pd_sbs_7?pd_rd_w=DGHqG&pf_rd_p=2419a049-62bf-452e-b0d0-ca5b7e35a7b4&pf_rd_r=G81XV0DSHVKYY7741W0Q&pd_rd_r=ec41c34c-e483-49f3-934f-b341d304ddcb&pd_rd_wg=zCnmM&pd_rd_i=B01N9NVNEK&psc=1

3. Trevor Wye’s (please be sure to get the Omnibus edition) “Practice Book for the flute” https://www.amazon.com/Trevor-Wye-Practice-Flute-Omnibus/dp/1783054255

4. “The Flutists Vade Mecum” by Walfrid Kujala (second edition) http://progress-press.com/publications/the-flutists-vade-mecum-of-scales-arpeggios-trills-and-fingering-technique

5. Phillipe Bernold’s “Technique de L’embouchure”  https://www.justflutes.com/shop/product/la-technique-dembouchure-philippe-bernold


In addition, and only for those fully participating in MC, please obtain the following two items:

1. Walfrid Kujala’s Orchestral Techniques for flute and piccolo: An Audition Guide:  http://www.progress-press.com/publications/orchestral-techniques-for-flute-and-piccolo

• Orchestral Excerpts for flute by Jeanne Baxtresser: https://www.amazon.com/Orchestral-Excerpts-Flute-Jeanne-Baxtresser/dp/093400997X

In addition, I will be making individually tailored recommendations, and students will be expected to obtain additional music. Please note that we have an excellent flute music collection in the main library. Many of the solo pieces you will be studying are available for free (!) and can be checked out from the library. I strongly encourage you to utilise our fine library collection!

Every undergraduate student will prepare a weekly etude, in addition to tonal study, technical work and repertoire. In addition, every student will perform at least three times as a soloist in each term. This may take the form of a combination of studio recital performances, Friday music performances, Tuesday music performances, degree required solo recitals and/or masterclass performances.

Graduate students will generally be expected to complete a greater volume of significantly more advanced repertoire more quickly. The predominant focus of graduate lessons will naturally be on preparing the degree required recital. This focus will shift following completion of the recital, towards orchestral repertoire, competitions and festival audition preparation.

Course objectives:

1. to develop and nurture each flute student’s tonal/technical control and skills
2.  to develop and nurture musical expressiveness, using those aforementioned skills, to the highest individual degree possible
3.  to build performance confidence and abilities based on experiential performance experiences (e.g., through studio recitals, Tuesday music, Friday music, graduation recitals)
4.  to support development of a physically and emotionally healthy and sustainable performance practice (i.e., building awareness of HOW to approach your individual work in the practice room to increase productivity and satisfaction, not only WHAT to do on the flute)

A few words regarding weekly masterclass: every year there is a different pedagogical focus in master class. This year we will be primarily focussing on orchestral excerpt development. All students are strongly encouraged to attend masterclass and all masterclass sessions are open to all flute students. However, since masterclass is a component of 245, 345, 445 and 545, it is only required for students enrolled in these courses.

If any health-related concerns arise through the course of the year please inform me, and I will extend the same courtesy to you. We will accommodate the situation as needed.

All students will be provided a weekly assigned time for their lesson. You will also be provided, in a separate document, the overall masterclass schedule.

If you require flute-related assistance/advice outside of your lesson, please request an appointment via email.

If you require undergraduate course or degree advising, please make an appointment with Ms. Sarah Riecken who oversees undergraduate advising for the music dept. If you require graduate course or degree advising, please either see me or consult with the graduate advisor Dr. Joe Salem @ musigrad@uvic.ca

Process General announcements will be posted throughout the year on the UVic flute blog: https://finearts.uvic.ca/music/flute/

Please keep a close eye on the blog for news and stay tuned to your UVic email address as you will receive important updates and details. Consistent and open lines of communication will significantly support your success.

Scheduling: I strive to keep my teaching schedule the same in second term but changes might be necessary. If you require a new lesson time for second term, please first try to switch with another student and then inform me via email. If this does not work, we will find another time. The schedule (using student initials) will be posted on the flute blog by the second week of classes. Please note my schedule will sometimes need to fluctuate. Thank you, in advance, for your flexibility.

Lesson expectations: Each lesson is 50 minutes in length. All students are expected to be punctual, ‘warmed up’ and fully prepared for each lesson, including having all necessary materials: all required music, pencil, combined metronome/tuner, and your lesson notebook. Please maintain detailed notes regarding assignments, goals and my suggestions and observations. Organisation is a key ingredient in musical development as well as academic success.

Course requirements:

1. Each student is required to successfully complete a year-end jury or a degree required recital.
2. Each undergraduate student is required to successfully complete the technical exam (administered in February), while each graduate student is required to demonstrate significant progress on individually assigned orchestral excerpts (as outlined in the MC schedule & distributed in the first week of each term).
3. All undergraduate non-performance majors are required to perform at least once each term (Tuesday music, Friday music, studio recitals and/or master classes). All MMUS students and undergraduate performance majors are required to perform at least three times in each term in the above possible venues.
4. Individual lesson attendance is required, unless excused for medical or academic concession reasons (the new 2022-23 University policy regarding academic concessions is outlined in link below).
5. For all performance majors and graduate students: Master class attendance and full participation is required.

Attendance policy

1. Unexcused missed lessons will not be made up.
2. If you know in advance you need to reschedule a lesson (for any reason at all) please arrange this directly with another willing student via email. After the change is confirmed with the other student, inform me by email ssnizek@uvic.ca (while cc’ing the other student).
3. If you have to miss a lesson because of illness, please email me, with as much advance notice as possible, at the above address. Generally, I require 24 hrs. advance notice in order to reschedule a lesson.

Master Class will typically meet Wednesdays from 1:30 to 2:20. On rare occasions we might have master class at other times, in order to accommodate visiting guest artists or when we participate in a special campus or faculty wide event such as “Ideafest.” These dates are always set well in advance and are listed in our Masterclass schedule (which you will receive by the first week of class each term). If you cannot attend one of the irregularly scheduled guest MC’s due to a class conflict, please simply inform me in advance.

For performance majors (all MMus and BMus 245, 345 and 445): quality of participation, degree of attentiveness and musical preparedness will be the determining factors in the assessment of your participation in master class. Specific repertoire and themes will change every term; specifics will be detailed in the aforementioned masterclass document.

Undergraduate Jury exam 

At the end of the school year, there will be a juried performance exam of 15 minutes duration for all undergraduate performance stream students and 10 minutes for all other undergraduate degree streams. All students will be expected to perform two contrasting works (drawn from the works you studied throughout the academic year) in addition to technical materials (drawn from the technical exam administered during your lesson in the first week of February; requirements outlined below). There may be sight reading as part of the jury for performance majors. A juried performance exam missed for any reason (other than a genuinely serious and unavoidable true emergency) cannot be rescheduled.

Undergraduate Technical exam (administered during your first lesson in February)

The following are required materials for the exam in February 2023:

1. All major and minor scales, in 16^th notes, in the standard articulations of 2t 2s; 2s2t; 2s2s; all t, all s, 3s1t, 1t3s. Scales must be memorised and performed at a speed selected in prior consultation with each individual student in September.
2. All major and minor arpeggios in 16^th notes in the standard articulations of 2t 2s; 2s2t; 2s2s; all t, all s, 3s1t, 1t3s (memorised and at individual speed, as determined above).
3. T & G exercise # 11 broken arpeggios, in all articulation patterns #1 through #10 (individual speed again determined as above). Feel free to use book for this portion of exam, memorisation optional.

In addition to above, aspiring performance majors will also prepare:

1. “La Scala Kujala” patterns p. 38-41
2. 3 orchestral excerpts of your choice, drawn from the orchestral excerpt materials covered in MC before February 2023

Private lesson mark will be determined as follows:

1/3 of mark:

1. Weekly private lesson, including all assigned readings/summaries AND
2. Weekly master class, if a MMus student or performance major/aspiring performance major

This part of your mark assesses your degree of weekly preparedness, as well as your attitude, attendance and punctuality (for undergraduate declared performance majors, this includes IPS attendance and participation).

1/3 of mark:

1. For Undergraduates (first term): Your work towards the technical exam, as evidenced by regular check-ins during your lessons. For Undergraduates (second term): A technical exam (administered first lesson in February). All undergraduate students will be assessed in a technical exam. Fluency, accuracy, tonal homogeneity and speed will be assessed and given a percentage mark. Details regarding content and expectations will be provided in a separate document prior to October 2021.
2. For Graduate students (in both terms): orchestral excerpts as assigned in both MC and lessons.

AND 1/3 of mark (first term): Quality of performances (which might include Tues and Fri music, studio recitals and/or masterclasses). Please note, as outlined in the aforementioned course requirements: every student is required to perform at least once per term, with performance majors and MMus students expected to perform at least three times each term.

OR

1/3 of mark (second term): Jury or graduating recital

Please note: in every category listed above, a student’s attitude towards learning, consistency of effort, (weekly preparation), openness to trying new approaches/concepts, and evidence of improvement, attentiveness and conscientious effort are important factors in your overall success.

For performance majors: IPS is a requirement for all undergraduate performance Majors. IPS assessment is based on attendance and participation in the seminar as indicated by IPS attendance sheets and performance notes completed by IPS faculty. Note that IPS is no longer required for graduate students but remains strongly encouraged.

Readings and summaries Four short written reflections (between 250 and 300 words) on required readings are required as part of this course. 

You may complete your assigned readings/summaries in any order that works best for you, however the first is due by 1 October; the second by 1 December, the third by 31 January and the last by 1 March. 

This pragmatic assignment is intended to heighten your awareness of the context of performing and to expand your thinking about performance issues. I would like each student to apply these texts to their own playing. To that end, please focus in your summaries on three specific examples of how you have applied information, sourced directly from the text, to your own practice.

Important: Please submit your summary in an email with “Student Name: 2022-23 Reading Summary #X” in subject line.  Please note: late assignments will not be accepted, though you may submit early.

Readings 

I encourage you to purchase these items for your own library. If you have already read one of the suggested readings for your year, simply choose another title from this list that especially interests you.

For first year students: 

1. The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green
2. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
3. Playing (Less) Hurt by Janet Horvath
4. Body Mapping for Flutists by Lea Parsons

For second year students:

1. The Creativity Habit by Twyla Tharp
2. The Proper Flutist by Trevor Wye or Music and the Flute by Thomas Nyfenger
3. Casals and the Art of Interpretation by David Blum
4. Mastering Creative Anxiety by Eric Maisel OR Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland

For third year students:

1. Kincaidiana by John Krell
2. The Notation is Not the Music by Barthold Kuijken
3. Making your Creative Mark: Nine Keys to Achieving your Artistic Goals by Eric Maisel
4. The Early Flute by Rachel Brown

For fourth year students:

1. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. Arrau on Music Performance by Joseph Horowitz
3. The Proper Flutist by Trevor Wye or Flute by James Galway
4. On the Art of Playing the Flute by Quantz

For all graduate students: Please consult with me (at the beginning of the academic year) in choosing four readings from the above list.

Practice 

I suggest daily practice be proportioned as follows:

25% tone (usually the best place to begin a practice session…i.e., SLOWLY)

25% technique

25% etudes

25% repertoire

Attending concerts, performing, listening to recordings, reading relevant texts and physical exercise/stretching (yoga is excellent, as is swimming!) are all important activities. These should constitute a regular part of your ‘out of the practice room’ practice. In addition to studio recitals, all flute students are expected to attend their professor’s and student flutist’s degree required solo recitals.

Materials 

I will be making individually tailored recommendations for all students. Students will be expected to purchase music as determined by instructor.  Every undergraduate will prepare a weekly etude, in addition to tonal study, technical work and repertoire. Graduate students will generally be expected to complete a greater volume of more advanced repertoire more quickly.

We will strive to cover all genres (early music, classical, Romantic/French salon, twentieth-century and avant-garde contemporary music) and address any perceived repertoire weaknesses.

Piccolo, Alto and Bass study are all encouraged. We are fortunate to have an excellent new Burkhart professional piccolo, and a very recently purchased beautiful alto flute in addition to the rare “bass flute.” All of these instruments can be borrowed with instructor permission. Students who require these instruments for school ensemble use will have priority, and Covid safety regulations will be stringently observed.

Online Conduct: Please note the following important information regarding online conduct for all students: The University of Victoria is committed to promoting critical academic discourse while providing a respectful and supportive learning environment. All members of the university community have the right to this experience and the responsibility to help create such an environment. The University will not tolerate racism, sexualized violence, or any form of discrimination, bullying or harassment. Please be advised that, by logging into UVic’s learning systems and interacting with online resources, you are engaging in a University activity. All interactions within this environment are subject to the University expectations and policies. Any concerns about student conduct may be reviewed and responded to in accordance with the appropriate University policy. To report concerns about online student conduct: onlineconduct@uvic.ca

Studio policies

1. I do not photocopy any music or lend any music (parts, scores or recordings) from my personal library to students. As with any academic course, all students are required to secure their own materials. If financially necessary, you may borrow materials from the MacPherson library. We have an outstanding and comprehensive existing collection! I can also request the library purchase new items if they do not happen to have an item we need. However, it is important to develop your own music library for your eventual professional artistic practice.
2. Performances represent the work we do together in the studio, as well as your own individual practice. Therefore, when I feel a work is ready to be performed, I will suggest either a concert venue/opportunity or a recording project to be posted online.
3. I approve concert requests after I have heard the material successfully and confidently presented in a polished manner, and as it is to be presented publicly (i.e., in its entirety). Performance permission slips will not be signed in anticipation of a student’s later work. Please plan ahead.
4. Please consult with me before scheduling degree-required solo recitals. Please note that according to current wind section requirements, all graduating recitals need to be presented before 7 March.

Finally, for any in person classes, please note the following additional point:

I have significant sensitivities to many artificial scents. Please avoid any scented products (perfume, hairspray, strongly scented shampoo or soap) for all in-person flute classes. Please note: most professional orchestras and other ensembles have a “no scent” policy. It is therefore wise to adopt a no-scent approach in your classes and student ensembles.

I am looking forward to a very productive and enjoyable ‘musical journey’ with all of you! Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our new students!

Supportive information and links

Regarding undergraduate marking at UVic:

https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/undergrad/index.php#/policies?group=Undergraduate%20Academic%20Regulations

Regarding graduate marking at UVIc: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/grad/index.php#/policy/B13jeiMdE?bc=true&bcCurrent=07%20-%20Grading&bcGroup=Faculty%20Academic%20Regulations&bcItemType=policies

For UVic academic calendar:

https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/undergrad/index.php#/home

For UVic’s undergraduate academic policy https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/undergrad/index.php#/policies

For UVic’s graduate student academic policy: https://www.uvic.ca/calendar/future/grad/index.php#/policies?group=Faculty%20Academic%20Regulations

Please also note the new (2022-23) academic concession regulations: https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/notices/2022+notice-academic-concessions-aug2022+notice

For information on academic supports available to all Uvic students:  https://www.uvic.ca/orientation/new-student-handbook/academic-support/index.php

Please see below link for important Wellness and Safety information:

https://www.uvic.ca/residence/parents-guardians/wellness-and-safety/index.php

Counselling Services – Counselling Services can help you make the most of your university experience. They offer free (!), professional, confidential, inclusive support to currently registered UVic students.

https://www.uvic.ca/student-wellness/index.php

Health Services – University Health Services (UHS) provides a full-service primary health clinic for students, and coordinates healthy student and campus initiatives.

https://www.uvic.ca/services/health/

Centre for Accessible Learning – The CAL staff are available by appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals and arrange appropriate learning accommodations. Please refer to below link for details.

https://www.uvic.ca/services/cal/. The sooner you let them know your needs, the quicker they can assist you in achieving your learning goals in this course.

Elders’ Voices – The Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement (IACE) has the privilege of assembling a group of Elders from local communities to guide students, staff, faculty and administration in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. https://www.uvic.ca/services/indigenous/students/programming/elders/index.php