State of the Art: A Sampling of Twenty-First-Century American Baroque Flute Pedagogy

Authors

Tamara Tanner, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

John Bailey

Date of this Version

4-2018

Document Type

Article

Comments

A Doctoral Document Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts, Major: Flute Performance, Under the Supervision of Professor John R. Bailey. Lincoln, Nebraska: April, 2018

Copyright 2018 Tamara J. Tanner

Abstract

During the Baroque flute revival in 1970s Europe, American modern flute instructors who were interested in studying Baroque flute traveled to Europe to work with professional instructors. They then transmitted that knowledge to their students upon returning to America, furthering the modern study of Baroque flute in America. Now, thanks to their efforts and those of academic institutions and professional organizations such as the National Flute Association, there are many opportunities in America to hear performances by dynamic Baroque flutists, to perform and compete on Baroque flute, and to learn from respected Baroque flute instructors. There are also numerous texts and methods books on Baroque flute that give single-author perspectives on learning the instrument.

There are, however, few comparisons of modern pedagogical approaches to teaching Baroque flute. Thus, through a detailed, topic-by-topic summary and comparison of eight modern American Baroque flute educators’ backgrounds and pedagogical methodologies (gathered through personal interviews and observations), this document is intended to capture a snapshot of Baroque flute pedagogy in twenty-first century America, identifying common experiences, practices, and philosophies and significant differences. It is hoped that this information can serve as a resource for those interested in researching or learning to play the Baroque flute, especially those without access to an instructor or who seek to compare pedagogical approaches. It is also hoped that this study further contributes to the increasing interest in modern Baroque flute study.

Advisor: John R. Bailey