4th Grade Band Flutes Don‛t forget to practice your “Musical Alphabet” forwards and backwards: “A B C D E F G...G F E D C B A”! In thinking about Thanksgiving this week, we listened to a recording of “Variations on a Shaker Theme” by Aaron Copland. The song it is based on is called “Simple Gifts” and is a great Thanksgiving theme. The group playing is the Dallas Wind Symphony. Check it out by clicking here. Here are some things to remember while playing the flute: ● Make sure to keep your bottom lip curled out when playing, like when saying the letter “P” in “pooh”. ● Make sure to keep all your fingers “above” the flute while you play!! ● Use your tongue to start each note, like saying the word “Tah”. Your tongue should touch the roof of your mouth at the start of the note, then move down to allow air to go through the rest of the note.
● Note reminders: ○ G - thumb plus first, second, and third fingers. ○ A - thumb plus first and second fingers ○ B - thumb plus your first finger ○ C - thumb ○ D - thumb plus second and third fingers, all three fingers
“Jingle Bells”
B B B- B B B- B D G A B-- C C C C C B B- B A A B A- D- B B B- B B B- B D G A B-- C C C C C B B- D D C B G---