Flute Zoo (book 1)

Flute Zoo Book 1 – The Fun and Inspiring, Comprehensive Method Book for Learning to Play the Flute by Kathy Blocki

The Flute Zoo Books are fun, exciting, and engaging books that allow a slower walk through the award-winning Blocki Flute Method Book 1. These books, with their bright colors and cheerful imagery, were written with young flute students in mind, although we older children love the fun songs and activities as well! After working through all four Flute Zoo books, students will be ready to start in Blocki Flute Method Book 2. The Blocki Flute method was designed to give the beginner an excellent foundation in beautiful tone, embouchure flexibility, rhythm and technique. This comprehensive and step-by-step approach was written to ensure success and includes theory and composition projects.

Book One begins with head joint exercises to establish a great tonal foundation. Irrestibly fun songs encourage playing in both the high and low registers, first on the head joint and then with the whole flute.  The accompaniment tracks begin with  energetic drum tracks to encourage keeping a steady beat.  The new flutist begins with the simple finger changes B A and G so that it easier to concentrate on laying a great tonal foundation before introducing more difficult finger changes in Flute Zoo Book 2.   While beginning on the head joint, the student will simultaneously begin a fun key click song with accompaniment.  With the Froggie Key Clicks song, students learn fingering and cooridination before playing with the whole flute.  Once  students have mastered this and are playing well on the head joint they are ready to successful put everything together to begin playing with the whole flute.  By the end of Flute Zoo Book 1, students have learned the fingering for five notes, but since they can play in both the low and high registers, they are actually playing 10 notes.   In addition, students love the many trills which develop smooth finger movement and balance.   Tonguing is also mastered through pieces like the ever popular Baby Shark!   The last page of Flute Zoo is a certificate of accomplishment that students can proudly display.  Many of the songs also have a second part available in the Flute Zoo Duet Book.  All the accompaniment tracks are available on YouTube.

The Flute Zoo Advantage

Tone:  With Flute Zoo books students learn both high and low notes on the head joint.  Playing in the high and low octave continues when students begin with the whole flute.  This gives the new flutist an enormous advantage and teaches embouchure flexibility which is vital for becoming a great flute player.  Teaching flute is not like teaching trumpet in which the high notes are more difficult. High notes become difficult when students only play in the low and middle octaves for as much as one year. The students then have trouble with embouchure flexibility, and the ability to form a smaller lip opening.  Listen to this young beginner “accidentally” playing in three octaves!

Rhythm:   Flute Zoo books 1-3 and the Five-Note Fun Sticker Book work together to insure a solid rhythmic foundation.  Towards the end of Flute Zoo Book 2 students are reading rhythms that may appear simple, but imply more difficult rhythms. They learn how to play rhythms like a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth long before they actually read it.  In Flute Zoo Book 3, students use the rhythm cards in the back of their book to first play these rhythms with tied eighth notes. Then the card is flipped over to reveal how the rhythm would be written without tied notes.

The Five-Note Fun Sticker Book helps to instill the ability to move between beat levels with ease. This foundation is essential for playing the complex rhythms they will encounter in Blocki Flute Method Book 3.

Creative Composing:  These projects develop creativity and highlight the new concepts being learned.  Each Flute Zoo Book contains several engaging composition activities.

What is the difference between Blocki Flute Method Book 1 and the Flute Zoo Book?

The content in the Blocki Flute Method Book 1 equals Flute Zoo Books 1, 2 and 3.  The Flute Zoo books move at a slightly slower pace and are shorter giving a sense of accomplishment as they finish each book more quickly.   The Flute Zoo Five-Note Fun Sticker Book is essential to the Flute Zoo series but can also be used with the Blocki Flute Method Book 1.

After working through all four Flute Zoo books, students will be ready to start in Blocki Flute Method Book 2. The Blocki Flute method was designed to give the beginner an excellent foundation in beautiful tone, embouchure flexibility, rhythm and technique. This comprehensive and step-by-step approach was written to ensure success and includes theory and composition projects.