Dd1 started playing the flute at the end of Year 4 after trying piano and deciding it wasn't for her. She has now started secondary school and hasn't even taken Grade 1 yet.
A bit of background: she was having private 30 mins lessons at school but unfortunately there was a high turnover of teachers. She had 3 different teachers whilst at primary school. The second teacher was the best one and there was talk of her preparing for grade 1 but then she left and teacher no 3 didn't pick up where she left off.
Fast forward to her new school - I did ask her new flute teacher if she could skip the early grades and go in at Gr 3 but he wants her to start at gr 1 so she's started to learn the pieces and scales. But she's finding learning v slow and difficult/ frustrating. I keep reading on here about dc getting through the grades quite quickly and I'm wondering what we're doing wrong. Does it really require hours and hours of practice? Dd is quite busy with other things but she usually manages to practice 4 times a week. Is this enough? I do have to remind/nag her though and the enjoyment seems to have gone and it's more like a chore.
I don't want to push her too hard but at the same time having learnt an instrument myself as a child, practising IS hard work and the reward often doesn't come till later.
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Flute, very slow progress and frustrating, advice please
Dancergirl · 11/11/2012 15:49
Another update: wow, what a change in dd! We've gone from me nagging her to practice 3x a week to her picking up her flute and playing for pleasure every day! In fact her flute is rarely put back in its box!
Scales are coming on well too.
I bought making the grade and dd loves it. We play eidleweiss together (me on piano) and oom-pa-pa and Joseph.
I have found a lovely teacher who comes home and I didn't see any reason to delay her starting. Unfortunately I am locked in to the schools lessons for another term so she won't be able to give those up till Easter 
I did ask the school but they won't let me off the terms notice. And dd is really not enjoying the school lessons. She's a bit scared of the teacher, he tells her off if she hasn't practiced the right things and she's bored playing studies all the time. So I've asked the school to allocate her a different teacher next term while we ride out the notice. It's not ideal but while dds so enthused and likes the new teacher I don't want to rock the boat.
DS's school currently has a 'first study' recorder player, and they are quietly excited about him. He is rather good (and also rather beautiful, and a dancer -- apparently he was bullied out of his previous school partly for these reasons 
).
Grima did you not see the recorder player who won the woodwind section of YMotY this year? Look on YouTube - I can't link (phone). I'm definitely not the only grade 8+ MN recorder player, and DD1 is definitely not the only MN spawn ;) who is or has been in NYRO. Theas has kids who have been in NYRO, for sure. There may be others. DD1 isn't even the only MN spawn who is currently hoping to have recorder as her first study at conservatoire, either.... I think I might be the only MNetter who regularly plays in an adult recorder orchestra though (if you check out the orchestra in a field website you'll see photos of my orchestra playing at this year's festival).
Recorder exams have been around for >30 years with Trinity board, ABRSM started offering them some time after - the Trinity exams are still better regarded I think but mainly because most specialist teachers did them when they were kids and so have brand loyalty. Many woodwind teachers will offer tuition for the early grades, I think you need a specialist for the later ones and post grade 8 diploma levels. There are some amazing recorder players out there. Check YouTube for Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet, Chris Orton, Pamela Thorby - some amazing performances. 
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Yes, we went through Greensleeves (Hot Chilli for the List B - she scraped a Merit so I guess that worked OK)
... a couple more weeks of the March Militaire to go. I can't stop internally singing that song, you know, '...he could play the big bass drum'...
The examiners (and teachers) must get pretty sick of the same few tunes for several years at a time, mustn't they.
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