Summer

Top tips from Doctor Flute

Hey all! I’m on vacation this week, so I thought I would share a great online resource for flutists of all ages, from a professional flutist and educator, Doctor Flute–also known as Dr. Angela McBrearty. Dr. McBrearty received her DMA in Music Education from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Her dissertation addressed flute pedagogy as it pertains to the beginner flute. Previously, she earned her MM in Flute Performance from Binghamton University and an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Houghton College. Her website, doctorflute.com, is a wealth of knowledge about everything from making your first sound to advance techniques. Here are a few of my favorite informational articles/videos:Relax Your Embochure to Improve Your Tone Live Flute Lesson on Beginner Vibrato Double Tonguing Troubleshooting Happy learning, and I’ll see you next week!

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Jul 25, 2022 No Comments

Back to school special

I can hardly believe I’m typing this, but it’s time for a bunch of local schools to start thinking about heading back for the upcoming semester! Whether you’re totally jazzed or have the end of summer scaries, we have a great deal for you if you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an intermediate or professional model instrument: a free flute or piccolo stand! The Indy Flute Shop has 4 options available for this special offer, all by K&M: your choice of a flute or piccolo stand, with either a 4-leg compact base or a larger base with 3 legs. I personally use the 4 leg compact flute stand because the legs fold up and store inside itself, making it super compact to throw in my purse or better yet, Fluterscooter bag! You can receive one of these free stands with an eligible upgrade of a flute or piccolo from the Indy Flute Shop–just click here to make an appointment to come test some out! See you soon!

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Jul 21, 2022 No Comments

A History of Piccolo’s Greatest Hit

I hope everyone has fun plans that keep you safe–and cool!–for the 4th of July holiday next week. In honor of the holiday, I thought I would pass along some history on piccolo’s most famous solo: The Stars and Stripes Forever, by John Philip Sousa. Even if you don’t know it by name, you probably recognize the famous piccolo part at the end. “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on Christmas Day, 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent death of David Blakely, the manager of the Sousa Band. He composed the march in his head and committed the notes to paper on arrival in the United States. It was first performed at Willow Grove Park, just outside Philadelphia, on May 14, 1897, and was immediately greeted with enthusiasm. Sousa explained to the

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Jun 30, 2022 No Comments

Summer practice musings

Last week, I offered some suggestions for books to expand your playing repertoire this summer, but let’s be honest–after the year we’ve had, some of us are still trying to get back into the swing of things! That being said, how should we approach our playing while school is out? Let’s talk about it! First of all, just play. Play something–anything! That’s the first step…just pick up your instrument and make some noise. Whether you’ve just finished your first year or your 21st year of flute playing, it’s easy to get into a rut if you don’t have daily or weekly assignments to work towards. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always fine to take some time off…as long as “some time” doesn’t turn into all summer! Dr. Tammy Evans Yonce says, “When school is over and we’re off on summer adventures, we often don’t have the benefit of regularly scheduled lessons with our teacher. The frequent encouragement and support received during those lessons is absent, and that can have an effect on our motivation. There is also much less accountability; if we know we won’t have the opportunity to check in with someone, the temptation to delay practicing is there.

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Jun 8, 2021 No Comments

Expanding your repertoire this summer

While it isn’t officially summer yet, it certainly has felt like it the past few days! Schools are finishing up, the days are getting longer and warmer, and we are continuing to cautiously emerge out into the world! I know many people took the opportunity that the pandemic forced upon them while staying at home to hunker down and practice, while others (hi, it me) found the idea too daunting and tiring and playing went to the wayside. Regardless of what field you were in, I know we could all use a little refresh and reboot. This season is sure to be one of rebirth and growth for so many of us, and in that spirit, I wanted to give some suggestions for summer playing and expanding your repertoire, no matter your ability level. If you’re a first year player (or have one at home) looking to expand your horizons beyond your band method book, “Forty Little Pieces (In Progressive Order for Beginning Flutists)” is my go-to suggestion. Just as the title suggests, these pieces start quite simple but still melodic and musically pleasing, and gradually expand to solos that could be played by perhaps a second-year student. Composers such

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May 25, 2021 No Comments

August Sale

Whether you or your student are going back to school virtually, in-person, or some combination of the two, you’re going to want to make sure to take advantage of our sale this month. When you upgrade your flute with the Indy Flute Shop during the month of August, you will receive a free flute stand or premium music stand! We have several easy, convenient, and safe ways to do this. When you step up your flute this August, your upgrade will include your choice of a K & M 3-leg or 4-leg flute stand. The 3-leg stand has a wide, sturdy base, and the 4-leg is a great compact option that folds down for easy carrying in a gig bag or purse. If you don’t need a flute stand, you can also choose a premium music stand. Step-up flutes can be either purchased outright or rented with our easy, hassle-free rent-to-own plan. When you rent an instrument from Paige’s Music and the Indy Flute Shop, all of your payments go towards ownership, and you can always pay off early for a discount. There is no long-term commitment to the rental, so no worries if your student changes their mind. And

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Aug 11, 2020 No Comments

Getting started this year

Let’s get right to it–there is a LOT of uncertainty right now in regards to what the start of this school year is going to look like. If you have a student who is starting an instrumental music program this year, this uncertainty is even greater–what is their beginning program going to look like? Will they be able to learn a new instrument with virtual instruction? What should I do about getting their instrument? I’m going to tackle these questions and more. And while this blog is dedicated to flute players, please know that this advice can be used for any beginning band or orchestra student. First and foremost, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is the following: if your student expressed interest in beginning band last spring, move forward with that plan. If you haven’t signed up to rent an instrument from Paige’s Music, go ahead and do so online. You can choose to pick up the instrument in our store, using our contact-free curbside service, or have the instrument delivered to your child’s school. As of today, we still have a scheduled date and time to deliver instruments to beginning school music programs; the date

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Jul 21, 2020 No Comments

Summer Super Sale

Thursday, July 23rd through Saturday, July 25thIf you have been a customer of Paige’s Music or the Indy Flute Shop for a while, you are probably familiar with our two annual sales in March and November. Since we had to close our doors in March, and we didn’t want you to miss out on these “super” savings, we have decided to host a Super Sale event in July! Here’s how you can save:Visit the shop Thursday, July 23rd through Saturday, July 25th and draw a ticket worth 5%-50% off! This ticket is applicable to any outright purchase of an upgrade flute or piccolo. If you’d prefer to rent, we’ve got you covered there too. Each coupon also has an offer for up to four months off our rent-to-own program. Payments made on a beginning flute from Paige’s can be transferred to a step-up flute from the Indy Flute Shop, outfitting your student with the perfect “forever” instrument for them at a price that can’t be beat! We hope you’ll join us as we’ve greatly missed seeing and making music with you! We have made adjustments at our store to keep both our customers and employees safe. All instrument testing is

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Jul 6, 2020 No Comments

Summer instrument repair

“School’s out for summer!” That phrase seems so nebulous these days, doesn’t it? What has school looked like for the past 3 months? What is “out,” exactly? And what is summer, and beyond, going to look like for us? There are still so many uncertainties that we face, but we here at the Indy Flute Shop and Paige’s Music want to make sure that your instruments are well taken care of over the summer as you practice and prepare for whatever next school year may bring. For many of you, summer is the perfect time to get your instrument serviced, so here is some information on how to go about getting that done. One option to get your instrument repaired this summer is to simply visit our showroom in Indianapolis and drop your instrument off. We are also still offering curbside service. You will leave your instrument with our knowledgeable repair staff, they will contact you after a brief quarantine period with a free, no-obligation repair estimate if  you do not have a rental or service policy with us, and most repairs are completed within a week. Loaners are free if you are renting from us, or you may rent

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May 28, 2020 2 Comments

Successful beginnings (repost)

Around the beginning of every school year, it gets crazy busy here at the Indy Flute Shop. Since I am a Paige’s Music employee, I also help beginning customers start their students on brand new instruments, which always comes with lots of questions! In between phone calls and lines of customers, though, I always find myself thinking about all those new flute students and how important it is to get them started properly. There’s so much to think about, and it can be difficult to decide what to focus on. For band directors who start multiple students on different instruments, this is even more challenging. Below are some suggestions from Carolyn Keyes, educator and clinician for creating good habits in your beginning flute students, along with some of my own input. Holding the Flute Holding the flute properly is one of the most critical habits to instill in beginners. Techniques such as embouchure and headjoint placement are all for naught if the instrument is not being held correctly. For example, is impossible to produce a good tone if the flute is slipping every few seconds. It is also impossible to play fast passages if the hands are tensed or if

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Aug 6, 2019 No Comments

New band parents info

For many of you, it is just about time to begin the exciting journey of starting your student on an instrument for beginning band! If you have come to this site looking for information about renting a beginning flute, first of all–welcome! You and your student are about to embark on a wonderful, fulfilling journey of flute playing. At the Indy Flute Shop, in partnership with Paige’s Music, we have partnered with many schools throughout the state to become the supplier of school band and orchestra instruments. The Indy Flute Shop carries instruments at the intermediate to advanced level, which most families choose to pursue after their student has been playing for a year or two. For many families, the easiest option is to rent. Renting with Paige’s Music is a great opportunity to participate in music-making. We make rental easy and convenient and provide you with peace of mind. All of our band and orchestra rentals include free repair and replacement, free deliveries and pick-up, exchange, return, and early purchase discount options. We have several convenient options for renting an instrument on our Debut Rental plan. The most convenient option for renting an instrument is our online Option. First,

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Jul 16, 2019 No Comments

A Summer Practice Guide for Middle School Band and Orchestra Students

The article below is written by Mr. Alex Keim, band director, at Noblesville East Middle School. When we asked him if we could post it here, he mentioned “It is geared toward 6th grade band, but it is definitely applicable to all middle school students returning to 7th or 8th grade.”  We felt like it was great advice that all middle school band and orchestra students could benefit from.

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Jun 18, 2019 No Comments

Care Tips for Summer

We’ve had mild weather so far this season, but those hot, humid days are right around the corner. Many of you are out of school for the summer, and perhaps taking advantage of some opportunities to perform or practice outside. Many community bands in the area host outdoor concert series, which is great, but it does come with some extra necessities as far as taking care of your instrument. Here are a few tips to ensure that your instrument doesn’t suffer in the heat. 1. Always make sure to store your instrument away from heat and direct sunlight. In the summertime, this means avoiding leaving it in your car for long periods of time. Car interiors can get very hot, and while short times exposed to heat might not make a big difference, over time it can actually start to melt the glue that holds the flute pads in place. They may come unseated or fall out completely. As you probably know, having new pads installed in a flute is quite expensive, so avoiding temperature extremes will definitely save you money in the long run. 2. Keep a polishing cloth handy. When the temperature rises, we sweat, and when we

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Jun 11, 2019 No Comments
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