Teaching the Pentatonic Flute

The pentatonic flute is based on the five-note pentatonic scale. Rudolf Steiner said that this scale harkens back to our ancient ancestors' days and the music that they felt from the spirit world. As human consciousness evolved, so did our understanding and connection to music. 

In ancient days, the familiar seven-note diatonic scale "do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do"  was not developed yet. The most familiar diatonic scale is C Major-  C D E F G A B C. The pentatonic scale does not use the C or the F, and so, the music from our ancient past was played with five notes, D E G A B. These are the notes that your sweet, little, dreamy child feels most connected to. Your young child feels the pentatonic scale's notes in their soul and delights in these tunes. They are the perfect songs to sing and play when your child is between birth and around eight years old. These are the notes that connect us to our ancient ancestors who walked and sang closer to the spirit world than we do today.

The flute is a beautiful instrument to begin with, as your child will become aware of their breath and learn how to regulate their breathing to produce a beautiful tone. Simultaneously, the flute's fingering requires the development of finger dexterity and fine motor movement, which can be challenging. So your child is also developing the ability to persevere through difficult circumstances. The ability to lift one finger or several fingers at a time is a marvellous brain/body activity. And most importantly, creating beautiful music is inspiring and enlivening. When your child knows a song and can sing it by heart, and then they are learning to play that song on the flute, well, that is a most exciting day to behold!!

So, the pentatonic flute is the ideal beginner instrument for your Grade One child. It speaks to the whole child: body, soul and spirit! And music is a great creative force that brings people together. 

Daily Wonder highly recommends purchasing the Waldorf Teachers' Companion to the Pentatonic Flute, by John Miles.