Robert David Billington, Flutist, Performer and Teacher - Miami and South Florida Flute Lessons

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My Teaching Background

I have a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in flute performance from the University of Miami, a Master of Music Degree majoring in flute performance from Western Michigan University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northern Michigan University, and have also done post-graduate work at the University of Illinois and at Ball State University.

In addition to my over thirty years of teaching privately, I have taught at the University of Miami, Boise State University, the University of Illinois, the University of Louisville Preparatory and Non-Credit Department, the Louisville Academy of Music, and at Ball State University.

My Teaching Philosophy

When I was in high school, my family traveled 200 miles round-trip so that my brother and I could study with a retired member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra who had studied one summer, long, long ago with Marcel Moyse in St. Amour, France. Thus was I indoctrinated in the "French School" of flute playing at an early age. "De la Sonorite," "Taffanel-Gaubert Daily Exercises" and the like. My brother and I got a great flute education!

I continued for many years to pass along this tradition of flute teaching until I reached Louisville, KY and started teaching about thirty students a week. It was then that I figured out that getting students to sound good on the long tones of "De la Sonorite" doesn't guarantee that the student can produce a good tone when performing real music!

I then began teaching the physical fundamentals of flute playing in real music situations and found that approach to be much more beneficial than the "French School" method that I had been taught as a youth. Students could sound better faster and could make great strides flutistically and musically in a shorter amount of time.

My biggest philosophical influence on flute performing and teaching occurred in about 1980 when I took a flute lesson from Robert Aitken, the great Canadian flute virtuoso. His manner of teaching was something I had not heard from the dozen or so other gifted flutists with whom I had studied. His teachings, along with my interpretations of his teaching, became the basis for my doctoral essay, "A Description and Application of Robert Aitken's Concept of the Physical Flute."

The basis of Aitken's concept's and my flute teaching and performing is very vocal in nature. Resonance is produced through proper support and breathing and through optimal placement of the components of the vocal tract. The body is set for optimal resonance on the low notes so that the upper partials can be obtained solely through the most minimal of lip movements. In this way, the flutist can produce a full, resonant sound with great facility.

I have had great success with my students utilizing this method of teaching. Beginniners of all ages start sounding good from day one of flute lessons. Many of my students have gone on to study music in college and have received scholarships to do so.. I also have several adult students, beginnering through advanced, who are a constant joy to teach as they continue to develop musically.

Rates And Availability

I teach at the student's location. My fee is a very reasonable $50/hr. There may be a mileage surcharge for longer distances. I have taught students from Boynton Beach to Homestead.

I delight in teaching students who wish to improve quickly while learning - or relearning - the fundamenatls skills of flute playing. Many of my most loyal students are adults who are returning to the flute after years of "life." Ambitious younger students have sought me out when it became apparent that they were at at impass flutistically and musically with their current teachers. And, of course, I enjoy starting beginning students off correctly so that they will not have to continuallly fix fundamental physical mistakes in the future.

Robert D. Billington Performance and Teaching Repertoire

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Daily Exercises

Composer

Title

Publisher

Marquarre Daily Exercises Schirmer

Moyse, Marcel Daily Exercises Leduc

De la Sonorite Leduc

Low Tones, Slurs , Mechanism Leduc

Taffanel-Gaubert Daily Exercises Leduc

Wye Complete Daily Exercises Novello

Etudes

Anderson 24 Etudes, .op 15 (L. Moyse) Schirmer

24 Etudes, op. 30 (Peck) Progress Press

24 Etudes, op. 33 (Peck) Progress Press

24 Etudes, op. 60 Southern

Bach, J. S. 24 Flute Concert Studies (Mols) Southern

Berbiguier 18 Studies Schirmer

Bozza 14 Studies - Arabesques Schirmer

Briccialdi 6 Grand Studies, op. 31 Ricordi

Dick The Other Flute, vol. 1 Robert Dick Pub.

Hughes 40 New Studies for Flute Ricordi

Jeanjean Etudes Modernes Leduc

Karg-Elert 30 Caprices Cundy Bettoney

Kohler Romantic Etudes Southern

Moyse Tone Development through Interpretation McGuiness and Marx

Orchestral Excerpts


Bach, J. S.	*The Flute Solos (Baker)*	Schirmer
Baxtresser	Orchestral Excerpts for Flute	Theodore Presser
Clarke	*Orchestral Extracts*	Trinity College
Krell	*20th Century Orchestral Studies*	Schirmer
Smith	*Orchestral Studies, vol. I & II*	Schirmer
Wellbaum	*Orchestral Extracts for Piccolo*	Theodore Presser

Concerti


Doppler	*Fantasie Pastorale Hongroise*	Boosey & Hawkes
Foote	*A Night Piece*	Southern
Griffes	*Poem*	Schirmer
Hanson	*Serenade*	Carl Fischer
Ibert	*Concerto*	Leduc
Kennan	*Night Soliloquy*	Carl Fischer
Martin	Ballade	Universal
Mozart	*Andante in C, K. 315*	Henle
	*Concerto in C, flute and harp, K. 299*	Henle
	*Concerto in D, K. 314*	Henle
	*Concerto in G, K. 315*	Henle
Nielsen	*Concerto*	Samfundet
Reinecke	*Concerto*	Breitkopf
Stamitz	*Concerto in G, op. 29*	International

Flute Alone

Bach, C. P. E. Sonata in a minor Ricordi

Bach, J. S. Partita in a minor Bahrenreiter

Berio Sequenza ESZ

Boismortier Six Suites, op. 35 Schott

Bozza Image Leduc

Dahl Variations on a Swedish Folktune Theodore Presser

Debussy Syrinx Henle

Ferroud Trois Pieces Salabert

Flothuis Aubade Broekman

Fukushima Mei ESZ

Shun-san Muramatsu

Genzmer Sonata Peters

Hindemith Acht Stucke Schott

Honegger Danse de la Chevre Salabert

Hoover Kokopeli Papagena Press

Winter Spirits Papagena Press

Hovhaness Sonata, op. 118 Peters

Ibert Piece Leduc

Jolivet Cinq Incantations Boosey and Hawkes

Karg-Elert Sonata (Appassionata), op. 140 Zimmermann

Koechlin Les Chants de Nectaire Billaudot

Kuhlau 3 Fantasias Universal

Marais Les Folies d'Espagne Barenreiter

Moyse, L. Hommage a Krishna Schirmer

Pastorale Costallat

Peruzzi Tessiture ESZ

Reynolds Ambages Peters

Stamitz 8 Capricen Peters

Telemann 12 Fantasias Barenreiter

Tomasi Les Cyclads Leduc

Sonatina Leduc

Varese Density 21.5 Kerby

Flute and Keyboard

Bach, C.P.E. Sonata in G (Hamburg), Wq. 133 Schott

Bach, J.S. 4 Sonatas, e, E, b, a (Urtext) Bahrenreiter

3 Sonatas, C, Eb, g (Urtext) Bahrenreiter

Boehm Var. on Nel Cor Piu, op. 4 Billaudot

Bartok (Arma) Suite Paysanne Hongroise Boosey & Hawkes

Bloch Suite Modale Broude

Chopin Variations on a Theme by Rossini PWM

Copland Duo Boosey & Hawkes

Demersseman Sixieme Solo de Concert Leduc

Dutilleux Sonatine Leduc

Fukushima Three Pieces from "Chu-u" Peters

Genzmer Sonata no. 2 Schott

Handel 11 Sonatas (Urtext) Bahrenreiter

Haydn Sonata in G Peters

Hindemith Sonata Schott

Hue Fantasie Billaudot

Hummel Sonata in D, op. 50 Doblinger

Ibert Jeux, Sonatine Leduc

Karg-Elert Suite Pointillistique, op. 135 Zimmermann

Kuhlau Variations sur le Romance d'Euryanthe Bahrenreiter

Martinu First Sonata AMP

Messiaen Le Merle Noir Leduc

Milhaud Sonatine Durand

Muczynski Sonata Schirmer

Pierne Sonata Durand

Platti Sonata, op. 3, no. 6 Schott

Poulenc Sonata Chester

Prokofiev Sonata MCA

Reinecke Sonata "Undine" International

Schubert Introduction and Variations, op. 160 Bahrenreiter

Schumann Three Romances International

Telemann 12 Methodical Sonatas Bahrenreiter

Vivaldi 6 Sonatas, "Il Pastor Fido," op. 13 Bahrenreiter

Flute and Keyboard Collections

Cavally 24 Short Concert Pieces Southern

Moyse, L. Flute Music by French Composers Schirmer

Flute Music of the Baroque Schirmer

The Golden Age of the Flutists, vol. I-II Zen-on

Moyse, M.

Solos for Flute Fischer

Peck