Laasonen, J; Rahivaara-Tarkka, R :: Colour Flute (Book A)

This delightful method uses colors, solmisation, and an abundance of folk music material. Inspired by the Colorstrings method, Colour Flute takes as its starting point the character of the instrument and the world of the child. It aims at a flexible and versatile control of the instrument as well as improvisation skills, ensemble playing, and overall musicianship.

Special features of the Colour Flute method

Colors - Colored notes appeal to children more than black-and-white ones. Colors are an aid to learning, arouse interest, and sustain motivation. They make learning enjoyable and profound. In the Colour Flute method each key has its own color, but so that the parallel major and minor are the same color. The colors thus help the child to visualise scales and the intervals within them and to assimilate the principle of relative solmisation in playing the flute.

Pictures - Rhythms, keys, and other musical concepts are expressed and explained by means of pictures. This presents the grammar of music in a format the child can understand.

Technique - Each piece studies a new technical point. The technical progress is logical and controlled and aims far into the future. The Colour Flute method also teaches coordination over the long term using the exercises in the teacher s handbook (to be published later).

Integrated Learning - In addition to teaching how to play, the Colour Flute method simultaneously promotes musical listening (solfa), cognitive skills (theory), and emotional development all elements that should always be mutually balanced.

Book A teaches C, G, D, F, B flat and their parallel natural minors. It does not include additional parts for the teacher. Instead, all the music is designed for the child to play. Two-part music is added with a view to developing the ear; accompanying notes at a third or a sixth are thus avoided at the beginning of the book because their intonation is still very difficult for children at this stage. The pieces in this book do not have any modulations or chromatic notes.