Sounds great, let me know if you run into any trouble between now and getting lessons - I have a lot of tips and tricks in my bag. :D That's a great oboe price, I wish I could find one for that price nowadays!! I'm hoping to buy an oboe from a friend/colleague of mine. His is a Buffet, so I'm not sure how much he's going to ask... I'm sure it'll be way more than $400, hahaha. It would be nice to have one of my own, though, instead of having to borrow one every time I play in a pit orchestra.

You'll be relieved to know that flutes are usually waaaaaaaay less expensive than oboes! :D

I would run from Bundy, especially a used one. Armstrong can be hit or miss, but considering that you're looking at used, I would avoid those as well. It is frustrating enough to learn to create a consistent, beautiful tone on the flute without having to fight the instrument. Flutes really do not get better with age at all, and what seems like small, subtle problems can really wreak havoc on tone production (and a young player's confidence).

How wonderful, Beth! I'll send you a PM.

Ohhh I haven't looked into Alfred in a ridiculously long time, I'll have to check out the Premier course! I've been teaching out of PA for so long, I'm kind of getting bored with it, you know? Yep, they do! It sounds like they are a lot like the Alfred you mentioned above (with pictures showing correct technique and such). :lol: I totally agree! Melissa, a quick tip on technique since you won't have a teacher at first - it really just needs to be natural and relaxed. I have all of my students do a quick little exercise that I learned from a fellow piano teacher (and this works with my flutists and harpists, too - and I have a friend who teaches all of the woodwinds who does this very same thing). When sitting, rest your hands on your knees (palms on the kneecaps). Now, simply lift both hands up off of your knees. See that natural, relaxed curve of your hands/fingers? That's your basic hand position right there. :D

Same here. My real name, first name only; the abbreviation DH, and a nickname for DD. Our DD's name is very uncommon so I don't really want the blog to be so searchable (although I don't mind if people I know stumble upon it).

Oh I totally fell for it, I forgot that it's April 1st! hahahaha

I'm a professional flutist and I completely agree with the previous posters about Yamaha. They are solid flutes with a beautiful sound, and can last a good, long time. The headjoint that comes standard with their flutes is nice and free-blowing, so it's easy to create a lovely sound. I had a student go all the way through her first year of college on a bottom-line Yamaha (200 series) - it was just that good of an instrument (and of course, well-cared for). Jupiters, Gemeinhardts, and Pearl flutes can be very nice choices for beginners, too.

Your local chapter of Music Teachers National Association (http://www.mtna.org) is a good place to start. You're in California, right? Try the state chapter's website to find info on the chapter closest to you: http://www.capmt.org

Ester Maria, I'm excited to find this thread where you replied with specific books/authors. I have a couple of them, but you listed much more than I know of. This will really help me fill in my own gaps! I was just about to place another big order with IBS, too. Thanks! :D

I really appreciate when my Italian is corrected! I always appreciate it on online forums or my blog (especially my blog, since grammar is one of my weaknesses and I use that blog specifically for practice). I appreciate it in conversation too, although my situation is more set up for that - I don't have a native speaker to talk to in "real life", just a few Skype friends. We are chat buddies specifically for language exchange/learning.

Hi Ester Maria, thanks for the reply! I speak to her in mostly standard Italian (any dialect that is in the mix is Neapolitan, I think). I'm not a native speaker, but lived there as a kid and was pretty much fluent when we moved away. I learned a good bit of Italian in school; and outside of school, all of our neighbors and most of my friends were Italian (and did not speak any English). Once back in the States though, I didn't really have anyone to practice with on a regular basis, and forgot a LOT. So now, I'm relearning it, but properly this time (and with help from native speakers). I'm hoping to stay well ahead of DD the whole time. :001_smile: So, exposure is 99% standard Italian. DD hears Italian a good part of the day, and I read to her a lot in Italian (she especially loves La mucca Moka!). I'd like her to pick it up as naturally as possible in these early years. Now that she's starting to talk, it's really exciting to hear words in both languages! I'm pretty sure we're going to model our school after an American system... I am still reading a lot about various homeschooling methods in general, so nothing is concrete on this front. ETA: I probably should say upfront that at this point, we're not leaning toward a classical route, but I love a lot of what I see on the WTM site and who knows, by the time DD is kindergarten age I may feel differently about what will suit her best. :) I guess my main concern is, if I'm the one responsible for speaking to DD in Italian, AND I'm the main person in charge of her studies, then don't I need to cover some subjects in Italian in order to keep up her Italian language skills? (I hope this question makes sense) Once DH gets home we tend to speak in English only, so I want to make sure we have a good balance between the two languages.

I'm new to the forums, and I have to say, seeing this board was what made me join! My DD is almost 2, but we are planning to homeschool. We've been raising her bilingually, Italian and English, since she was born. I'm wondering how that's going to work as she gets older, if we'll just do certain subjects in Italian, others in English, then switch it up, or what. But anyhow, very glad to find a homeschool board with a whole section dedicated to bilingual education! :thumbup:

I'm a piano teacher, and if you want a method that really helps you along as the teacher, the Faber's Piano Adventures series is really great. There are plenty of easy-to-understand instructions on each page, it introduces new ideas slowly (but not too slow!), everything is spelled out very clearly. The lessons in each book line up with each other, and there are page numbers in the margins to help you know which page you should work on in the other books (lesson, theory, performance, etc.). If you don't play piano, the technique book would probably be useful (as a pianist, I skip it and just teach technique independently). :001_smile: Oh, and for anyone with kids ages 5-6, they have My First Piano Adventure which is a lot of fun. I hear a lot of great things about Alfred's Music for Little Mozarts, too, but I haven't looked into it much. I might when my DD is a bit older, though. (This series is for 4-6 year olds but I figured I'd mention it in case others with younger children come to this thread) Hope this helps!