Music from the inside Out: Singing through the Flute

Science Center A254

The purpose of this research is to scrutinize standard flute pedagogy, focusing on the information regarding sound production, injury prevention, and the involvement of the respiratory system, using classical voice pedagogy as a case study. Current flute pedagogical methods focus mainly on the embouchure as a means of producing/controlling the sound, but my research attempts to draw attention to the similarities between sound production for classical flute and classical voice, thereby demonstrating that the methods used to enhance and refine sound for classical singers can be applied to classical flutists. My research also explores the attention to health and wellness that is integral to the education of a classical singer and its possible benefits for preventing injury in a classical flutist. This research answers the question of whether the use of classical voice pedagogy aids a flutist in sound production and prevention of injury, using foundational and empirical research methods and later putting the research into practice using myself as a test subject. I hypothesize that this research will show a decrease in injury and an increase in resonance of the sound when the research is applied to a subject.