British Flute Society get Medals
Members of the British Flute Society (BFS) attending the teachers’ symposium on Saturday, 19 February were invited to take part in a Music Medals' repertoire session. The session was lead by Carole Jenner-Timms, herself an experienced flautist and teacher and currently head of the Bath and North East Somerset Music Service, as well as being a mentor for the ABRSM CT course and one of the authors of All Together! A member of staff from ABRSM Publishing was also present to answer questions about Music Medals.
The morning began with an overview of the new material, presented by Carole, followed by an open discussion about group teaching methods and the benefits of ensemble playing. Following a well-deserved coffee break, the delightful setting of Alston Hall, in Longridge, Lancashire, was filled with the sound of flautists playing Music Medals in every corner. Once the teachers were re-assembled, each group took it in turns to play through the pieces of their choice and explain how they would go about teaching those pieces to their students. Some teachers used clapping and chanting rhythms as a tool to introduce the new piece. Others related the chosen piece to a recently learned scale. Much enthusiasm was shown for the newly commissioned music and teachers left the session full of new ideas and raring to go.