Advice for teachers:
Often, teachers who want to teach folk music to children complain that they don’t really know where to turn for advice, and so they prefer not to get involved in fear of getting stuck. They feel that classical flutes are not suitable for playing traditional folk songs and that something is missing. That is why I would like this material to serve as a guide. I would like to encourage anyone who wants to take this up by studying these writings. In essence, I’m trying to make it understandable for people with an average level of knowledge about children, to show some directions that we can start to take with our children!
It is probably worth knowing, as for the former, also to give children a foundation of knowledge that they can use if they want to continue. I also recommend including stylistic elements immediately after the melodies have been elicited, because correct reflexes need to be established early on. This is especially important if the children are already playing the classical flute (recorder). In this case, attention should be paid to the basic differences. These stylistic elements should be distinguished early on, broken down into regions, in theory and practice. Children with such a foundation can learn from data players after a while. In this way, they can grow up and go their own way.
Another important element to teach is rhythm. In my experience this is often neglected by many children who receive classical music education, switching to folk music, this can be one of the major obstacles. It is important to develop accuracy, to do joint rhythm exercises, to learn folk rhythm instruments if possible, and last but not least to learn the rhythm of different folk music dialects.
Last but not least, I also consider playfulness to be important. Based on my experience of teaching kids who learned classical music, I emphasise that this is an instrument that children should not hate. If they achieve this, half the battle is over. The rest comes naturally. Any creative teacher can come up with games that children can use to learn difficult musical formulas in a fun way. Go for it!
Advice for campfire flute players
It is obvious that you are interested in the shepherd’s flute to a level that will keep a group entertained very quickly. Since people like to sing folk songs, it is worth developing your shepherd’s flute to a level where you can play basic stylistic elements. For folk songs this instrument is really suitable. I don’t mean heavy ornamentation, but concentrate on the one note that you occasionally play in, the flavour of it. It’s the way you hold the whistle that gives it its distinctive sound. Then the vibrato. You can also include minor finger technique embellishments, in the manner of the flutes of the Gyimesian and Mezőségian flutes.