Hi,
I’ll be going to Willie Clancy Summer School this year to study flute. The list of flute teachers is fairly long and includes many whose playing I’ve heard and admire, so I’m finding myself a bit overwhelmed by the choices, and hoping to get some input from you chiff board folks. Who your favorite flute teachers?
Thanks,
Ben
By the way, here’s the list of the list of flute and whistle teachers on the website (should be up to date for this year):
Mary Bergin, Paul McGrattan, June McCormack, Conal Ó Gráda, Gary Hastings, Seán Potts, Anne Sheehy, Seán Ryan, Fintan Vallely, Mick Crehan, Brid O’Donohue, Billy Clifford, Mick Hand, Róisín Nic Dhonncha, Louise Mulcahy, Tara Diamond, Eamon Cotter, Mick O’Connor, Marcas Ó Murchú, Kevin Crawford, Marion McCarthy, Maureen McGrattan, Eibhlín de Paor, Ciarán Somers, Adrian McCarron, Catherine McEvoy, Geraldine Cotter, Peter Phelan, Aoife Granville, Siobhán Hogan.
You’re going to be deluged with recommendations. If popularity matters why not start a poll?
What style do you like- puffy and dynamic (Paul McGrattan, Conal Ó Gráda, Gary Hastings) or fluid ( June McCormack, Catherine McEvoy) or lovely and “simple” (Tara Diamond, Louise Mulcahy) ? Even this latter question will generate some controversy, no doubt.
And no matter- whomever you take from you will learn enough to last you until next summer and maybe the summer after that as well. They all have something to teach you.
At the moment I’m most interested in the first kind of style you mention - McGrattan and Hastings are two that I’m leaning towards - although I took a class with Catherine and she’s great, and I love Tara Diamond’s playing as well. You’re right, I’m sure I will have plenty to go on for a while whichever class I take. Anyway, I’ll welcome the deluge and see where it goes.
hello Ben,
you won’t be choosing a teacher. There will be a grading, you have to play a bit and then Fintan Vallely will assign you to a teacher. But I think it is possible to change classes later if you don’t like your teacher or class.
Have fun!
Hi, as Claudine says, each teacher will take either a beginner, intermediate or advanced class (probably 10 of them teaching whistle) and stay with the same class every morning for the week, (maybe 10 students). You might get to choose whether you put yourself up for intermediate or advanced level (for the whistle classes, being able to play any tune twice round probably constitutes ‘intermediate’ - and some of the experienced teachers like to teach the beginner classes). You then get graded by parading once or twice on a tune of your choice in a room jam full of other people bustling to do the same (somewhat reminiscent of being at a horse fair). Having had your musical fetlocks measued up against all those frighteningly talented 8 year olds, you trot off with your new owner and cram into someone’s living room or the school toilets for your class. By the time you’ve sat up till 3, 4, 5, 6am in some legendary session or fallen asleep under the table you’ll then miss most of your early morning classes anyway. However, you will have an absolute ball and learn loads. Don’t worry too much about it, just enjoy
Interesting - thanks for the info, Claudine and Mark. I guess that solves my problem. I hope I don’t end up in the toilet class. Although, I love the sound of the flute in the bathroom…
I’m exaggerating in jest, it’s not that bad. Go and register the day before if you have time. See if you can find out who’s teaching which classes and maybe ask around who’s likely to be teaching by ear or with crib sheets (and the best known player isn’t always going to be the best teacher). If you have a preference then say so the next morning at the selection. Be honest about your ability and don’t necessary parade perfection on your ‘best’ tune. You’ll have more fun keeping up with a good class at your level than sitting there bewildered in one that’s too challenging. If you’re not happy on on the first day say so (nicely) and you can probably change (I did). Take full advantage of your free entry to any recitals and lectures that look useful. Catch a few sessions. Whatever way it’s unbelievably good value for money. Wish I was going. Other people here may have other experiences to share. There’s some threads from previous years that’ll give you more info… and one going on over here just now…
Hands down, if you have only one week to devote to the cause and if you want to guarantee that you’ll emerge from the week a better flute player than you were when you entered, then Marcas O Murchu is the teacher you should be after. Don’t get me wrong. All of the teachers are good, and there is plenty to be learned from any of them. But Marcas O Murchu is the only one I’ve seen who can completely transform a flute player in the space of a few days.
I figured someone would ask me what makes Marcas O Murchu so great as a teacher. I think I would boil it down to two words: hands on. Literally. While most teachers will show you how to do something, some teachers (not enough of them, though, IMHO) will ask you to play for them and offer suggestions on how to improve, Marcas will have you play and physically manipulate your body and/or your flute while you’re playing to show you how to improve your sound. (He of course does let you know beforehand that he’s going to do this, and it definitely requires a certain degree of trust on the part of the student for his approach to work.) While all teachers use tunes as their medium for teaching, and most teachers (not enough of them, though, IMHO) will go beyond mere call-and-response teacher-student parroting when they do so, Marcas is the only teacher I’ve encountered who will take a common, bog standard tune that everyone already knows and stick with it for an entire class or even a couple of days at a time. He doesn’t do this to explore the nuances of the tune, but rather to present the nuances of playing the flute and allow the students to physically experience how it’s done. As a result, if a student buys into this approach and can maintain focus, it’s possible for the lightbulb to click and for them to “get it” in a very short period of time, less time than it would typically take with other teachers. Of course the onus as always is still on the student to retain what they’ve learned over the long haul, but as I said if you’ve only got a short time to spend with any particular teacher then Marcas is the best choice you could make for that.
I’ve done workshops and/or lessons with several teachers.
The only one on that list of amazing fluters I’ve worked with
is Catherine McEvoy–at the St. Louis Tional this year.
I thought she was a fine teacher, a lovely person,
very down to earth,
and I learned a lot from her. It was also extraordinary
to be three feet away from the most lovely fluting
I’d ever heard (IMO). Can’t compare her to the others on the list,
but I think she’s the best teacher I’ve had.
I hope I don’t end up in the toilet class. Although, I love the sound of the flute in the bathroom…