Foundations for Superior Performance: Warm-ups and Technique for Band : Flute

This is a standard book used in the schools at which I give private flute lessons. All the kids receive it in middle school and are expected to use it through high school. It has some really good scale exercises. It has some good warm-up exercises, including a limited amount of harmonic exercises. These exercises are as important for flutists as they are for brass, since we don’t have an octave key to change registers. I was also surprised to see the fingering chart at the beginning actually gives correct fingerings and alternate fingerings. When I first saw the fingering chart, I was looking at a student’s book. I got my pencil, ready to make corrections to fingerings, but found I didn’t need to! What a pleasant surprise! The book even has the Circle of 5ths! No more having to pull out one of my other books and copy it for students!I do have some complaints. First, because it’s centered on bands, the exercises given for keys with sharps are limited. I understand bands usually play in flats but, as musicians, we really need to learn in all keys. 2nd is actually a problem with its usage in the schools. Band directors usually only use the pages that have all the scales and the warm-up exercises. If they use any other parts, it’s only the actual scales on the other pages. Students aren’t even aware of the exercises on each scale. Since it’s a universal fact students hate to practice scales, getting them to try the exercises they won’t ever be tested on can be nearly impossible. However, this is a problem with the usage of the book, not the book, itself.My biggest suggestion for improvement would be to put some sort of huge explanatory page at the beginning of the book about the scale exercises. Add something that neither students nor directors could miss that explains what type of scale exercises are provided, how to use them, and how beneficial they could be. Maybe even hint some way that teachers could use the exercises to, ahem, TEST their students ability. The books might be used more productively then.(This is my 2nd copy of this book, btw. I accidentally left my first copy on a stand in a practice room and it disappeared into the wild blue yonder.)

This was purchased for my daughters band class. It is the book the teacher asked us to buy. It arrived nice and new. It is just what I expected. Thanks.

I had to buy this for band. Obviously. It's an adult community band so they are not supplied. It was exactly what I ordered and as expected. New. No complaints.

It’s new and full of practice scales, techniques and a fingering chart which is nice for upper upper staff notes I don’t use that often and tend to forget.

Kid is getting better, so practice with this appears to work

Good buy... essential music theory and fundamentals. I feel guilty that I put a local mom and pop music shop out of business by buying this from Amazon.

My son needed this for band. Found it here for a good price, shipped quickly, was exactly what we needed!

IF you play a wind instrument, you should own this book. Essential.