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Applications Of French Phonetics To Flute Playing: A Historical Perspective, Mary Margaret Zrull

Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship

When people speak, they shape their mouths differently for different languages. It follows, then, that there are inherent differences in flutists’ playing based on their native language. In the case of teaching syllables—syllables that the flutist “says” while playing in order to achieve a certain articulation or embouchure formation, such as “tu”—this can become confusing. Therefore, it is important for flutists to study the pronunciation systems of foreign languages, in order to know how to correctly produce teaching syllables used by flutists and teachers of other cultures. Flute pedagogy has a strong French tradition, and many modern day, American, English-speaking …