Interview by

Anne Hodgson

 

Who are you?  Victoria Hancox nee Osterman

Where did you train? I went to Chetham’s School of Music for sixth form and then the Royal College of Music.

What brought you into teaching the flute? After finishing college, I decided not to play the flute professionally and started teaching while I thought about what to do next. I found that I enjoyed teaching much more than I expected, and twenty years later I’m still doing it and still hugely enjoying it.

Where do you teach now, and what age range do you teach I work for the Brighton and Hove Music Service (Music, Arts and Study Support), teaching students from Year 4 to Year 13. (Although I personally think Year 4 is possibly too young to tackle the flute).

Give us some teaching tips! Make sure your pupils are holding the flute correctly right from the beginning. If the right hand isn’t sorted out, then it leads to all sorts of problems with finger technique and sound due to the flute rolling inwards.

Keep the emphasis on music making, fun and creativity, not doing 3 hours of tone exercises everyday!

And don’t let exam syllabi dominate your teaching.

What’s the best thing about being a flute teacher? When pupils use what they’ve learnt to create their own style of playing and to produce their own music. (One of my former pupils, who was a fantastic classical player, is now playing flute in a commercially and artistically successful rock band - this makes me so much happier than the pupil who ploughs their way dutifully through their grades, gets grade eight distinction then goes to university and never touches the flute again!) 

And the worst?  Parents who aren’t able to encourage and support their children with their playing at home. Children need support at home to succeed with the challenges and disciplines of music making.

Who was your inspiration when you were studying? What was so special about them? I was lucky to be taught by some really inspiring players and teachers at Chethams, particularly Richard Davies, whose passion and dedication to the flute was inspirational. Unfortunately at college, I met some teachers and players who seemed to have a narrower musical outlook and consequently I felt somewhat constrained into playing in a certain way that I felt was not right for me.

What do you think about the way we teach music in the UK? Would you change it, and how?  When I was learning the flute there was a tendency to put all the emphasis on flute technique and classical repertoire and very little introduction to other styles of music and on musical skills such as composing and improvising etc. If you accept that most of your pupils won’t become or want to become professional classical flute players then I think there is a responsibility to prioritize giving them a rounded musical education, introducing them to many different styles and approaches to music making. I also think it is a shame when teachers try to make their students sound and play in exactly the same way as they do. It would be very boring if all musicians had the same sound or interpreted pieces in exactly the same way. There’s not a definitively right or wrong way to play something!

What more can the BFS do for flute teaching? An online resource centre for flute music, especially ensemble arrangements would be fantastic! Players and teachers could share pieces which they have composed and arranged using programs such as Sibelius.

What are your special interests? Musical and otherwise…. I discovered jazz flute as an adult and have had lots of fun exploring this. Also, I play in a classical flute quintet called Sussex Flutes and I enjoy arranging pieces for the group and performing with them. We are currently devising a program for primary aged children which will introduce them to a range of flutes and styles of music. However, a huge amount of my time and energy is currently taken up by my two small children!