Lesson Details
Flute
- Levels Taught:
- Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
I work with my students to develop and improve tone quality and pitch control. I guide them through Moyse, De La Sonorite, and Trevor Wye's Practice Book 1 on Tone and note bending exercises. While guiding my students through exercises, etudes and pieces, I strive to sharpen their listening skills by drawing their attention to fuzzy tone, faulty pitch, uneven fingers etc. I use tuners and metronomes in my lessons to encourage these skills and to teach my students how to practice to get great results.
I thoroughly enjoy teaching and playing flute! With over 25 years of experience, I still find teaching to be the most rewarding and fun experience. I always look forward to meeting and working with new students.
Frances teaches
About
- Teaches students:
- Ages 5+
- Teaching since:
- September 1986
Originally from Massachusetts, I have been teaching children and adults flute for over 20 years. I teach from the very beginner student to the very advanced and I have additional training in the Suzuki Method which is especially helpful for beginning young children. I am primarily a classical flute teacher with extensive experience playing in various classical music settings.
My approach is friendly and patient. As I get to know my students, I can better guide them to accomplish the goal of learning flute but, in the process, I never lose sight o the person whom I am teaching. It has to be a pleasant experience as well as challenging. I have learned throughout the years when to relax my expectations of perfection and when to intensify them. I am looking for a good attitude in my students. My students come to me trying their best during the lesson time and also making time in their schedules to practice. Every student is different and has different goals. I consider the differences while I am teaching them. My younger students don't usually know how serious they are about the instrument. For them especially, it has to be fun and interesting. I make every effort to combine my students in small chamber music groups for recitals. Nearly all of my students participate in regular studio recitals with a pianist provided to accompany them.
My private teachers include: Mindy Kaufman of the NYPhil, Stephanie Mortimore of the MET Orchestra, Linda Chesis of the Manhattan School of Music, Bernard Goldberg of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Philip Kaplan and Paul Fried of the Boston Symphony
Experience
Music Partner's Teacher
Oct 2003 - PresentGroup Flute Instruction at various NYC Public Schools fostering life skills of working together, listening and group projects all based around the goal of presenting high level bi-yearly performances.
Private Flute Teacher
Sep 1987 - PresentPrivate Flute, Recorder and Chamber Music Instruction to all levels and ages of students. Audition preparation for College, High School and Middle School. My students have been accepted into New York Youth Symphony, Inter School Orchestras of NYC, La Guardia High School, Lucy Moses Special Music High School, New York University, University of Chicago, McGill University in Canada.
+ Read MoreFlute, Recorder and Music Theory Teacher
Sep 1990 - Dec 2000Worked with young children in weekly private lessons on flute and developed a new class called, Introduction to Instruments Class for 5-7 year old children using the recorder as a step up instrument to their choice of instruments offered at the school. I taught music theory classes and prepared many students for bi-yearly recitals. While there, I performed regularly in The Brooklyn Music School's Concert Series from 1996-1999
+ Read MoreEducation
M.A. Flute Performance
Sep 1999 - May 2002B.M. Flute Performance
Sep 1988 - Jun 1992Diploma in Flute Performance
Sep 1978 - Jun 1982Languages
English
Certifications
Suzuki Level 3
Jun 1999Developing the ability to produce a wide variety of tonal colors and dynamic range necessary to perform Book 3 repertoire. More focus on finger technique and duet playing.
Suzuki Level 1A, 1B
Jun 19971A. Beginner Level. Use of a very specific rice spitting technique to develop the musculature necessary for correct tongue placement and embouchure formation. Playing on the Head Joint alone and listening to beginner songs on C.D.
1B. Advanced Beginner Level. Putting Flute together and Playing the Songs provided by the Suzuki Method Book and continuing listening to C.D. of repertoire.
Suzuki Level 2
Jun 1996Phrasing, Breath Control and more advanced finger and tonguing techniques using Book 2 repertoire.
Awards
Soloist
Mar 1999Artist Fellowship
Jun 1994Affiliations
National Flute Association
Jan 2015The National Flute Association, founded in 1972, is the largest flute organization in the world. Approximately 5,000 members from more than 50 countries join together in person, online, at conventions, informally and in forums, through publications and classrooms, in performance, in friendship and collegiality. Guided by its goals to encourage a higher standard of artistic excellence for the flute, its performers, and its literature, members include leading soloists, orchestral players, jazz and world music performers, teachers, adult amateurs, and students of all ages.
+ Read MoreSuzuki Association of the Americas
Sep 1997The Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) is a coalition of teachers, parents, educators, and others who are interested in making music education available to all children. The SAA provides programs and services to members throughout North and South America.
+ Read MoreSuzuki Association of the Americas, Inc.
Jul 1997The Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc. is the not-for-profit organization officially licensed to support, guide, and promote Suzuki education in North, Central, and South America. The SAA was founded in 1972 and currently has about 8,000 members.
Photos & Videos
11 Reviews
Write a ReviewOur son attended a neighborhood concert and was struck with the idea that he’d like to learn to play the flute. We knew absolutely nothing about flutes at that time, but we consider ourselves so, so fortunate that Frannie came to us by recommendation.
Frannie is fun and has a great sense of humor. She is endlessly patient and relaxed, but also firm when she needs to be. She always keeps the music interesting for him – for example, after a period of working hard on the pieces in the Suzuki Method repertoire, she encourages him to mix it up and play some things just for fun, like the popular themes to Star Wars and Harry Potter.
Our son, now 9, has been studying with Frannie for almost a year now, and I cannot believe how much he has grown and improved in such a short amount of time. Frannie inspires him to play his very best; he works hard to emulate her gorgeous tone. He absolutely loves his weekly lessons, he looks forward to her student recitals, and he is motivated to practice every day.
It is a beautiful thing to watch your child fall in love with making music, and we credit this to Frannie. She has our highest recommendation.
I took lessons with Frannie for more than ten years, starting at age 4 in an introduction to music class at the Brooklyn Music School. Through her I found not just a great love for music but a lens through which I discovered and learned about the world. With Frannie, once a week for nearly my entire childhood, I would learn to practice and work at a piece or phrase, or to interpret and have and opinion on music I played, or to play like I mean every note, and so on endlessly. Those skills were some of the earliest and most important lessons I had about how to live and enjoy my life, and art, and how to work hard, and care about what I do for my own sake and no one else's. And I don't believe just any teacher could have done that for me. Since moving on I have often felt a different excitement and deep understanding of music than many of the peers I met who have spent far more time than me studying music.
I'm still a musician. I graduated recently from Bard College with a degree in music and have since played onstage in a very successful off-broadway musical. I've played in many orchestras including with graduate & conservatory students at Bard, with the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra, and at LaGuardia High School (formerly Music & Art). I have moved on to other instruments, and forms of music, but I credit Frances not just for showing me how much I love music but for teaching me in many ways how to enjoy and get what I want from life. I can't recommend her enough.
My daughter Coco studied with Frances for a number of years. Without question Francis was the best music teacher Coco ever had, and she's had quite a few.
Francis is generous, creative, and inspiring to work with, she has the perfect balance of qualities that a music student needs. She's highly motivating and makes demands of her students which stretch them to achieve their full potential, yet she never pushes past their limits; Coco never felt stressed by her practice but always wanted to fulfill the expectation of excellence which Francis instilled in her. Francis always led by example and was kind, supportive, and a lot of fun to work with. She's also disciplined, reliable, and punctual. I give her the highest recommendation.
Frannie is a great teacher. My son fell in love with flute thanks to Frannie. Her lessons are very productive, she knows her students abilities and leads them to the next level. I would recommend Frannie to anybody.
Frances was my son's musical mentor. Her patience, generosity, amazing technique, knowledge, and inspiring personality all helped make him the musician he is today. She has a tone that is extraordinary that she passed on to my son. As his private teacher from ages 5-16, she was instrumental in helping him become a professional musician and performer.
+ Read MoreShe is the best teacher that you want your child to have, living, supportive, encouraging, but also having high standards and expecting you to work for it! We could not have asked for more and we love her!
Frannie Brodeur taught my daughter to play the flute, read music, join in chamber groups, enjoy band and orchestra opportunities and sail through auditions from third grade through freshman year in college. Her dedication to teaching is huge as is her kindness and thoroughness as a teacher. She is a treasure!
+ Read MoreI was looking for a teacher to learn how to play the flute. I wanted an expert that could put me on track and motivate me to keep doing better. Encouraging me along the way with pointed advice. If you are looking for a terrific flute teacher, you found one .
+ Read MoreFrannie Brodeur has our highest recommendation. Frannie has been teaching our son since he was 7 and thanks to her expert guidance he is, at 15, preparing to audition for Juilliard in a few years. Frannie understands how to work with children and teens: our son always feels encouraged not squashed, respected and appreciated rather than criticized. After 8 years, he still looks forward eagerly to his lessons. Frannie is unfailingly sensitive, patient, and humorous, and it's very clear she enjoys kids. Frannie is also a remarkable flutist, and our son aspires to her gorgeous sound. As a professional musician, Frannie is able to meet students at whatever their skill level.
+ Read MoreFranny is a great teacher. She is good at selecting interesting level-appropriate pieces. She has also been very good with helping me with my difficult school band music (in terms of notes, rhythm, dynamics, articulation, etc.) She is always very personable. Franny has always been worth my time, and I highly recommend her!
+ Read MoreFranny has been great teaching my 7 year old daughter Flute. Lessons are relaxed and my daughter always leaves motivated to play. I like that she teaches in part with the Suzuki Method as well as with standard reading practices. I would highly recommend her to anyone starting out.
+ Read More