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Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School
2015
Wil Offermans: The Pedagogy of a

Contemporary Flutist-Composer
Kallie Rogers
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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF MUSIC
WIL OFFERMANS: THE PEDAGOGY OF A CONTEMPORARY FLUTIST-COMPOSER
By
KALLIE ROGERS
A Treatise submitted to the

College of Music
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Music
Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester, 2015
Kallie Rogers defended this treatise on April 7, 2015.
The members of the supervisory committee were:
Eva Amsler
Professor Directing Treatise
Richard Clary
University Representative
Patrick Meighan
Committee Member
Deborah Bish
Committee Member
Frank Gunderson
Committee Member
The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and
certifies that the treatise has been approved in accordance with university requirements.
ii
To my teachers.
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to sincerely thank my flute teachers for inspiring me, believing in me, and
encouraging me down this path of higher education. My friend and former teacher, Heidi
Álvarez; colleagues and friends, Melissa Keeling and Shelley Martinson; and committee
members, Deborah Bish, Frank Gunderson, and Patrick Meighan were incredibly helpful in their
editorial assistance, and I so appreciate their time and expertise. I am especially grateful for the
wisdom and guidance of my mentor over the past three years, Eva Amsler. Her support and
feedback throughout the writing process has been invaluable. Additionally, I would like to thank
my parents for supporting my musical endeavors and for their endless love and comfort along
with my fiancée, Christopher, who overlooked my moments of insanity and provided emotional
and nutritional nourishment without fail. Finally, this project would not have been possible
without the work and support of Wil Offermans. It has been a pleasure to work with him
throughout this process, and I hope the outcome will serve as inspiration for flutists and music
teachers.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii

List of Musical Examples ............................................................................................................ viii
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix
1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1
The Flute Summer Course ..........................................................................................................1

Purpose........................................................................................................................................3
2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTEMPORARY FLUTE MUSIC ...........................................4
The Romantic Era .......................................................................................................................4

Twentieth Century and Beyond ..................................................................................................6
Important Figures in Contemporary Flute Music .......................................................................9
3. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WIL OFFERMANS .............................................................13
Education and Training .............................................................................................................13

Performing Activities ................................................................................................................14
Compositions ............................................................................................................................17
Teaching Activities ...................................................................................................................19
4. PEDAGOGICAL THEMES .....................................................................................................21
Teaching Philosophy .................................................................................................................21

Extended Techniques ................................................................................................................23
For the Contemporary Flutist .............................................................................................23
For the Younger Flutist ......................................................................................................25
Other Pedagogical Applications of Extended Techniques ................................................28
Interculturalism ........................................................................................................................29
Authenticity via Arrangements .........................................................................................30
Interculturalism in Methods and Other Works .................................................................32
The Thumpy Flute ............................................................................................................34
Improvisation ...........................................................................................................................36
The Improvisation Calendar .............................................................................................37
For the Younger Flutist ....................................................................................................39
Why Improvise? ...............................................................................................................41
Body Movement .......................................................................................................................44
Body Movement Exercises ...............................................................................................45
For the Younger Flutist ....................................................................................................46
Other Pedagogical Applications for Body Movement ......................................................47
v
5. HOLISM AND PEDAGOGY ...................................................................................................49
The Mind ...................................................................................................................................50

The Body ...................................................................................................................................50
The Spirit ..................................................................................................................................51
6. CONCLUSION .........................................................................................................................53
APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................54
A. HUMAN SUBJECTS STAFF REVIEW ..................................................................................54

B. COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS .................................................................................................55
C. CORRESPONDANCE WITH WIL OFFERMANS ................................................................60
D. PUBLISHED WORKS OF WIL OFFERMANS ......................................................................66
E. WIL OFFERMANS DISCOGRAPHY .....................................................................................68
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................70
Biographical Sketch .......................................................................................................................75
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
1 “Traditional Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com .....................................................22
2 “Extended Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com .......................................................22
3 Thumpy Flutes, www.thumpy.nl .............................................................................................34
4 “Body and Mind,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com ........................................................36
vii
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
1 “Wind Trio,” mm. 1-8, p. 18, For the Younger Flutist ............................................................27
2 Tsuru-no-Sugomori, p. 8 ..........................................................................................................32
3 Week 11, The Improvisation Calendar....................................................................................38
4 Week 49, The Improvisation Calendar....................................................................................38
5 “1. Loud and Soft,” in “The First Step,” p. 8, For the Younger Flutist ...................................39
6 “A Choice of Notes,” p. 10, “Have Fun!,” For the Younger Flutist........................................40
7 “Holes And Choices,” mm. 5-7, p. 17, For the Younger Flutist .............................................40
8 Excerpt from Etude 12, “Flute and Movement,” For the Contemporary Flutist ....................46
viii
ABSTRACT
Wil Offermans is a flutist-composer with a holistic approach to contemporary flute
pedagogy. At present day, there are very few English-language publications on Offermans; thus,
in comparison to his contemporaries, the broader English-speaking flute community knows very
little of the Dutch flutist-composer. The purpose of this treatise is to present Offermans’s
pedagogical ideas as a modern day flutist-composer so that his knowledge, creativity, and unique
perspective may be made available to a larger flute population.
A brief overview of the development of contemporary flute music will set the stage for
the emergence of Offermans’s role in the flute world. A biographical sketch of Offermans
follows, along with a discussion of his teaching philosophy and four pedagogical themes that
reoccur in his teaching and methods: extended techniques, interculturalism, improvisation, and
body movement. Other pedagogical applications associated with these themes are discussed in
addition. Finally, the concept of holism in education is explored using Offermans as an example
of a holistic pedagogue.
ix
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The Flute Summer Course
In June 2009, between my junior and senior years of undergraduate school, I received an
email from my flute professor about the Flute Summer Course with Wil Offermans, a week-long
flute workshop on contemporary techniques to be held in Spain later that summer. I brushed off
the idea initially, but my professor’s persistence caused me to do some further investigation into
the course.
Wil Offermans, a Dutch flutist-composer, welcomed participants of all nationalities and
experience levels and taught in English. The focus of the course was on extended flute
techniques and how they can be used to develop fundamental aspects of flute playing and
teaching. Other topics covered were body movement and sound control, improvisation in
performance and education, flute ensemble playing, and flutes of the world. Two months later, I
got off a bus in Sayalonga and walked down the sloping streets to a central plaza where I met
Wil for the first time.
Offermans’s creativity as a pedagogue was evident from the very beginning. Each day of
the summer course we did some form of group improvisation either through games or graphic
scores or freely within set parameters. We did flute “tai-chi” under a willow tree and explored a
labyrinth of bamboo tones. On one occasion, while relaxing by the pool during our daily siesta,
he brought out a tray with glasses of water and straws, and we worked on our circular breathing
with our feet dangling in the pool. Flexibility, both physically and mentally, was the theme of
the course.
1
Within the genre of contemporary flute music containing extended techniques, I was
really only familiar with the works of American flutist-composer Robert Dick and English
flutist-composer Ian Clarke prior to attending the Flute Summer Course. Dick, arguably the
most prolific performer and composer of extended flute techniques of our time, composes in an
avant-garde style with electric guitar, jazz, and blues influences. Clarke’s music is less
experimental and more popular in style, yet the works of both composers have an edgy and
futuristic appeal.
Offermans differs from his contemporaries in that he emphasizes the natural origins of
the flute. While Dick does acknowledge the use of “contemporary” techniques in ethnic flute
playing all over the world, his mission is clearly to transcend the technical limitations of the flute
in order to “create the flute music of the present and future.”1 Offermans agrees that “modern
flute techniques are not ‘new.’ Bamboo tones, wind tones, circular breathings [sic], etc., all the
‘modern’ techniques [turn] out to be in reality most antique techniques, practiced for sometimes
thousands of years on all kinds of ‘primitive’ flutes.”2 Yet the vast majority of his compositions
do not incite the future; rather, they reveal that today’s (and tomorrow’s) flute players are
capable of returning to and appreciating ancient traditions across hundreds of world flute cultures
through a singular vehicle, the modern flute.
1
Robert Dick, “Acoustics: Real Life, Real Time—Why the Flutist and Flute Had to Evolve,” Leonardo
Music Journal 22 (January 1, 2012):16.
2
Wil Offermans, “From ’RoundAbout 12.5 to ‘For the Contemporary Flutist,’” For the Contemporary
Flutist Online, accessed February 28, 2015, http://www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com/.
2
Purpose
At present day, there are very few English-language publications concerning Wil
Offermans. Those that do exist are mainly concert, CD, and workshop reviews. Thus, in
comparison to Dick and Clarke, the broader English-speaking flute community knows very little
of the Dutch flutist-composer. Though his works have been steadily gaining popularity as
evident by their inclusion on university repertoire lists and recital programs, less is known of his
background, methods, and holistic approach to teaching and playing. Therefore, the purpose of
this treatise is to present Offermans’s pedagogical ideas as a modern day flutist-composer so that
his knowledge, creativity, and holistic perspective may be made available to a larger flute
population.
In Chapter 2, a brief overview of the development of contemporary flute music provides
context for the emergence of Offermans’s role in the flute world. A biographical sketch of
Offermans follows in Chapter 3. The focus of Chapter 4 is on pedagogy, beginning with a
summary of his teaching philosophy and continuing with a discussion of pedagogical themes
frequently seen in his teaching and works: extended techniques, interculturalism, improvisation,
and body movement. The concept of holism is broached in Chapter 5 in which Offermans is
demonstrated as an example of a holistic pedagogue prior to the conclusion in Chapter 6.
3
CHAPTER 2
THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTEMPORARY FLUTE MUSIC
The Romantic Era
American flute historian Nancy Toff divides the European history of flute music into five
phases in chronological order: dance, bird imitation, vocal imitation, noise elements, and
electronics.3 The transverse flute (wooden one-keyed flute) came into its own during the
Baroque era, coinciding with the beginning of the dance phase which lasted through the Classical
period and into the Romantic period. Until the Romantic era, concertos were often
commissioned by patrons for specific virtuosi. The Romantic composers, however, were not
interested in these custom-composed pieces; they valued their own self-expression foremost,
causing a decline in the genre. As a result, flute music entered the second phase, bird imitation,
for the few concertos that were written for flute were considered non-serious “beer-garden fare.”4
The greatest contributors to flute repertoire in the Romantic era were professional flutists
themselves including, but not limited to, Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) and Paul Taffanel (1844-
1908).5 In 1847, Boehm developed the modern flute, the first metal, cylindrical-bored flute with
a conical head joint and key system that could open and close all 14 tone holes with only nine
fingers. His 1871 treatise Die Flöte und das Flötenspiel (The Flute and Flute playing) explains
the acoustical properties of the new flute as well as care and maintenance, fingering and
3
Toff, The Flute Book, 249.
4
Ibid, 239.
5
Ibid, 243.
4
technique, and the alto flute (which he invented in 1858). He also wrote many virtuosic pieces
for the flute and a concerto, all of which he performed extensively.6
Taffanel was arguably the best flutist in Europe of his day. He led a distinguished
performing career in the top Paris orchestras, and his solo tours raised the standards for
woodwind playing throughout Europe.7 His compositional output was minimal compared to his
predecessors, his works representing the last phase of the French romantic flute tradition.8 His
teaching, however, was revolutionary. Taffanel joined the faculty of the Paris Conservatory in
1893, and while he kept the traditional master class format (there were no private lessons with
the professor – all teaching was done in front of the whole flute class),9 he individualized
instruction so that each student could work at his own level. The Taffanel-Gaubert Méthode
Complète de Flûte (Complete Flute Method) of 1923 was the first conservatory method to devote
sections to style and orchestral excerpts. It is also notable for its concepts of varied tone color.10
According to Toff, “Taffanel’s contribution to the flute literature was, thus, not as a composer,
but as the inspiration for compositions by more original composers. As one of the most
respected members of the Paris musical establishment, he exerted considerable influence on the
production of new French woodwind music.”11
Thus, the Romantic era was a transitional time for the flute. Although Boehm’s design
allowed the flutist to produce more tone colors with more projection and play chromatically with
6
Philip Bate and Ludwig Böhm, “Boehm, Theobald,” Grove Music Online, n.d.
7
Ibid, 246.
8
Ibid, 247.
9
Michel Debost, The Simple Flute: From A to Z (Oxford University Press, 2002), 173.
10
Toff, The Flute Book, 246-247.
11
Ibid, 247.
5
more ease, many players of the one-keyed flute were reluctant to make the switch. As the
orchestras became larger in the Romantic period, the flute and piccolo became valued for their
contribution to texture variation, but even with the new design, the flute did not have enough
power or variety of tone to satisfy the Romantic composers’ demands in the solo literature
(warranting the need for flutists to compose for themselves).12 Then, after the broader
acceptance of the Boehm flute and the influence of Taffanel in the late 1800’s, the twentieth
century brought a decline of the flutist-composer. Toff speculates that, “Perhaps very few
flutists wrote for their instrument because full-time composers – at last convinced of the flute’s
potential – were already doing so with such success.”13
Twentieth Century and Beyond
It is argued that the start of modern music, or twentieth century music, actually came at
the turn of the century with the opening flute solo of Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi
d’un faune, performed by Georges Barrère (student of Taffanel) of the Société Nationale de
Musique in Paris under conductor Gustave Doret on December 22, 1894.14 Flute literature
entered the third phase, vocal imitation, at this time. While the focus of flute players and flute
makers has been to produce a homogenous tone throughout all registers of the instrument since
the Baroque period, a sophistication of timbre first came into play in the modern era, initially as
an expressive element, then as a compositional device.15 The term Klangfarbenmelodie, or tone
12
Ibid, 235.
13
Ibid, 249.
14
James M. Keller, “Notes on the Program: Prélude À L’après-Midi D’un Faune” (New York
Philharmonic, November 2014), http://nyphil.org/~/media/pdfs/program-notes/1415/Debussy-
Prelude%20to%20the%20Afternoon%20of%20a%20Faun.pdf.
15
6
color melody, for example, was introduced by Schoenberg in the final pages of his
Harmonielehre in 1911 with the motive of establishing tone color as a compositional principle
independent from melody, harmony, and rhythm.16 One of his earlier works, Five Pieces for
Orchestra, op.16 (1908), epitomized this concept with its succession of chords, each scored for
different combinations of instruments.17
The onset of World War I created a more radical shift in music and art. Schoenberg
wrote, “Supposing times were normal – normal as they were before 1914 – then the music of our
time would be in a different situation.”18 This dynamic shift is perhaps most evident in the work
of the composers associated with the Italian Futurist art movement who desired to create music
that was a reflection of the mechanical age. In 1913, Futurist composer Luigi Russolo wrote his
own musical Futurist manifesto in a letter to friend and fellow composer Francesco Balilla
Pratella entitled “The Art of Noises.” Within it he defined six “families of noises” that the
Futurist orchestra would set to motion:
1. Rumbles, Roars, Explosions, Crashes, Splashes, Booms

2. Whistles, Hisses, Snorts
3. Whispers, Murmurs, Mumbles, Grumbles, Gurgles
4. Screeches, Creaks, Rumbles [sic], Buzzes, Crackles, Scrapes
5. Noises obtained by percussion on metal, wood, skin, stone, terracotta, etc.
6. Voices of animals and men: Shouts, Screams, Groans, Shrieks, Howls, Laughs,
Wheezes, Sobs19
16
Joan Peyser, The Orchestra: A Collection of 23 Essays on Its Origins and Transformations (Hal Leonard
Corporation, 2006), 222.
17
18
Griffiths, Modern Music, 98.
19
“The Art of Noises,” Italian Futurism, accessed March 6, 2015,
http://www.italianfuturism.org/manifestos/the-art-of-noise/.
7
In the same year, Debussy echoed the sentiment, “Is it not our duty to find a symphonic means to
express our time, one that evokes the progress, the daring and the victories of modern days? The
century of the aeroplane deserves its music.”20
And so, flute music entered the fourth phase: noise elements.21 “The new compositional
framework,” according to Toff, “an extension of Schoenberg’s “melody of tone colors,” makes
three new demands on the flute: the production of monophonic sounds with varying timbres, the
production of smaller intervals than those of the tempered chromatic scale, and polyphony.”22
Flutists and composers commenced experimenting with “special effects” or “avant-garde
techniques” which are now referred to as “extended techniques.” The Futurists did not gain
widespread attention until their 1921 Paris exhibition23 explaining, in part, why the first
published extended technique for the flute did not appear until 1936 within Edgard Varèse’s
Density 21.5. Composed for Barrère, this work requires the extended upper register of the flute,
percussive attacks, dramatic dynamic shifts, and key-clicks or key-slaps24 (a percussive effect
produced by striking a key with the finger with excess force). From this point on, many of the
radical sounds of the Futurists along with a vast array of tone colors have been adopted in the
contemporary flute literature.
20
21
22
Toff, The Development of the Modern Flute, 204.
23
24
8
Important Figures in Contemporary Flute Music
In the acknowledgments section of his etude book, For the Contemporary Flutist, Wil
Offermans writes, “It is very clear to me that I never could have written this book without the
stimulating works of flutists like Robert Dick, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Istvan Matuz, Robert Aitken,
Severino Gazzelloni or Aurèle Nicolet.”25 Each of these flutists contributed to the evolution of
contemporary flute music either by acting as advocates for new music (causing a surge of new
works for the flute), writing new flute music, or even reinventing the flute itself. Other figures
worth noting are flutist-composers Harvey Sollberger and John Heiss.
Severino Gazzelloni (1919-1992) was a virtuoso Italian flutist. A major proponent of
avant-garde flute music, he was especially known for his interpretations of the most technically
difficult pieces in the genre. One such piece is the landmark Sequenza (1958) by Italian
composer Luciano Berio (1925-2003). Written for Gazzelloni, Sequenza contains the first
known use of a flute multiphonic. Other features include spatial notation, flutter-tonguing, and a
unique trill in which the player diminuendos with the airstream while making a crescendo in the
tapping of the trilling fingers.26
Deeply moved by a live performance of the Sequenza by Gazzelloni, American flutist
Harvey Sollberger (b.1938) felt obligated to dedicate a large part of his life’s work to exploring
the exciting new possibilities of the flute. Sollberger was at the forefront of contemporary music
in the 1960’s, and many new works were written for and dedicated to him. His own writing was
indicative of the ardent exploration of sonic and formal ideas of the time, and many of his flute
works, such as Riding the Wind (1974) have incorporated his own innovative extended
25
Wil Offermans, For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 Studies on Contemporary Flute Techniques (Frankfurt,
Germany: Zimmermann, 1992), 2.
26
9
techniques.27 Between 1975-1983, he held a summer flute program called the Flute Farm which
focused on contemporary flute repertoire and techniques.28
American flutist, composer, conductor, and teacher John Heiss (b. 1938) has served on
the faculty of the New England Music Conservatory since 1967. Heiss’s articles on
contemporary flute techniques were pioneering publications in the field, covering the production
of multiple sonorities,29 “shakes,”30 the extended low register, low register harmonics, and noise
elements.31 He has written many solo and chamber works for the flute; his style is a blend of
tonality and atonality. 6 Etudes, op. 20 (1979) for solo flute is devoted specifically to extended
techniques, though it is not his only work that includes them.32
Swiss flutist Aurèle Nicolet (b. 1926) and Canadian flutist Robert Aitken (b. 1939) have
enjoyed careers in both traditional and modern idioms. Nicolet compiled the first etude book for
the study of avant-garde techniques in 1974 (Pro Musica Nova). Having gained an international
reputation in modern music, many composers such as Toru Takemitsu, Edison Denisov, György
Ligeti, and Heinz Holliger have written for him. In 1960, Aitken became the first composition
student admitted to the Electronic Music Studio of the University of Toronto, resulting in his
composition of a number of prominent electronic works (aligning with the emergence of the fifth
27
Richard Swift and Mark Menzies, “Sollberger, Harvey,” Grove Music Online, n.d.
28
Walter Hugot, “Learning and Academia,” Harvey Sollberger Official Website, (2013),
http://www.harveysollberger.com/academia.html.
29
John C. Heiss, “Some Multiple-Sonorities for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon,” Perspectives of New
Music 7, no. 1 (October 1, 1968): 136–42.
30
John C. Heiss, “For the Flute: A List of Double-Stops, Triple-Stops, Quadruple-Stops, and Shakes,”
Perspectives of New Music 5, no. 1 (October 1, 1966): 139–41.
31
John Heiss, “The Flute: New Sounds,” Perspectives of New Music 10, no. 2 (April 1, 1972): 153–58.
32
Ronda Benson Ford, “Interview with Flutist and Composer John Heiss: A Discussion of His Works for
Flute in Chronological Order,” Ronda Ford Official Website, accessed March 12, 2015,
http://www.rondaford.com/Heiss_Interview.pdf.
10
phase of flute music: electronics). His music is influenced by non-Western musical cultures,
integrating special flute effects with clear formal and rhythmic structures. 33 Icicle (1977) and
Plainsong (1977) are his most reputable solo flute works. Over fifty works have been written for
him as well.
Today, the name of American flutist Robert Dick (b. 1950) is practically synonymous
with extended techniques. Subsequent to the work of Heiss and Thomas Howell (who published
the first manual for extended techniques in 1974), Dick set out to explore all the sonic
possibilities of the flute while studying at Yale. The Other Flute: A Performance Manual of
Contemporary Techniques (1975)34 is the result of those efforts. While Heiss’s publications
were targeted toward the musicological community, Dick’s handbook continues to serve the
general flutist and composer population. The techniques covered in The Other Flute include
harmonics, microtones, glissandi, multiple sonorities, flutter tonguing, percussive sounds, pitch
bending, whisper tones and residual tones, jet whistles, singing and playing simultaneously, and
circular breathing. This launched a series of pedagogical materials including Tone Development
through Extended Techniques (1986),35 Flying Lessons: Six Contemporary Concert Etudes Vol.
1 and 2 (1984-87),36 and Circular Breathing for the Flutist (1987).37 An inventor as well, The
Robert Dick Glissando Headjoint© first became commercially available in 2004 by Brannen
33
“Robert Aitken’s Biography | Robert Aitken,” accessed March 12, 2015,
http://www.robertaitkenflutist.com/soloist/biography/.
34
Robert Dick, The Other Flute: A Performance Manual of Contemporary Techniques (Oxford University
Press, 1975).
35
Robert Dick, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques (Multiple Breath Music, 1986).
36
Robert Dick, Flying Lessons: Six [i.e. Twelve] Contemporary Concert Etudes forFlute (New York:
Multiple Breath Music Co., 1984).
37
Robert Dick, Circular Breathing for the Flutist (Multiple Breath Music Co., 1987).
11
Flutes and, since 2011, continues to be available through the Eastman Musical Instrument
Company.38 In Dick’s words, the Glissando Headjoint “does for the flute what the “whammy
bar” [sic] does for the electric guitar.”39 His innovative works for the flute have pushed the
boundaries of the instrument along with those of the flutist and contemporary music.
Music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is not easily categorized stylistically.
Neoromanticism, impressionism, classicism, neoclassicism, contrapuntalism, pointillism,
chromaticism, multitonality, and atonality are only some of the styles exhibited in what is an
eclectic modern era.40 Today’s flutists can be seen beatboxing, using a variety of electronics,
performing low flutes as solo instruments, acting and dancing while they perform, etc., and there
are certainly a number of innovative contemporary flutists who have not been discussed in detail
here, including Pierre Yves-Artaud, Istvan Matuz, Matthias Ziegler, Ian Clarke, and Greg Patillo
among others.
The common thread between these flutists is that they each have their own distinctive
style and have expanded the contemporary flute literature in creative ways. Wil Offermans is no
different in this regard. With a background on the evolution of contemporary music in place, a
portrait of Offermans as a flutist, composer, and pedagogue is painted in the following chapter.
38
Angus McPherson and Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The Glissando Headjoint: Expanding the
Musical Palette of the Flute through Mechanical Invention (2011), 16.
39
“About Robert.” The whammy bar is a lever on an electric guitar that temporarily controls the tension of
the strings. Using the lever produces a rapid alteration in pitch, creating a vibrato effect.
40
12
CHAPTER 3
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WIL OFFERMANS
Education and Training
Born in Maastricht, Holland, Wil Offermans began his musical education with the
recorder at the age of six. Playing the recorder for hours a day, his career in music was
imminent. He quickly switched to the alto-recorder which he, as fate would have it, positioned
45 degrees to the right like the transverse flute. According to Offermans, “I played a lot of
serious baroque music, and probably these wood sounds stimulated my interest towards sound,
which later with the extended techniques became so attractive.”41 At 12 years old, he made the
permanent change to flute. His early teachers included Cecilia Oomes of the Concergebouw
Orchestra who taught him to involve the body while playing; the late Lucius Voorhorst, a
baroque and new music soloist whom Offermans describes was “an artist in the real meaning of
the word;” and Raymond Delnoye of the Rotterdam Philharmonic who showed him to “play,
play, play!” These early years were a time of musical exploration for Offermans – he composed,
worked in the theatre, in pop music, in jazz, with poets, and later with dancers.42
Offermans made his first trip to the United States to buy a flute. A former saxophonist,
he possessed two altos and a tenor saxophone that he sold along with his flute in order to travel
to the New York City to purchase a better instrument – a Haynes flute from 1963. The artist
community in New York inspired him to return to the US again, this time to study with a variety
of master flute teachers from around the country. He made this second trip while attending the
41
Wil Offermans, “E-Mail Message to Author,” January 26, 2015.
42
Ibid.
13
Brabants Conservatory in Holland where he studied classical flute performance and
improvisation. He spent three months in the US studying with prominent flutists, including
Robert Dick, Leone Buyse, James Newton, and Hubert Laws – each very different in his/her
specialization and approach to flute playing. Offermans remembers Dick as “very impressive,”
and “[he] helped me a lot to find my own direction.” Leone Buyse is a reputable flutist and
teacher in the more traditional sense. Currently on faculty at Rice University in Texas, she was
formerly the acting principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal flutist of
the Boston Pops in addition to many other prominent orchestral and faculty positions.
Offermans says she would have you “opening the ears [sic] by making you aware of every
detail.” James Newton, Jeremy Steig, and Hubert Laws are all notable jazz flutists/improvisers
whom Offermans regards as “very happy!,” “wonderful artist,” and “like a god,” respectively. 43
Performing Activities
Upon graduating from Brabants Conservatory in 1983, Offermans had developed an
attraction to music from cultures all over the world. Inspired by his apprenticeship with a
Japanese mime-butoh dancer in Amsterdam, Offermans organized a seven month world-
performance tour entitled Round About 12.5 (1985-86). The premise of the tour was to perform
his compositions on piccolo, the length of which is 12.5 inches,44 across 18 countries or “flute
cultures.” The tour began at De IJsbreker in Amsterdam and brought him to Egypt, Indonesia,
China, Japan, and Colombia among others. In each country he conducted research on indigenous
flutes, starting a personal collection of instruments; made recordings for the Dutch VPRO-radio;
43
Ibid.
44
Ibid.
14
and wrote for newpapers and presented concerts with local musicians. The tour concluded with a
final performance on the same stage in Amsterdam that reflected what he calls a “huge
metamorphose”45 in his flute music. Offermans wrote of this experience with fondness to me in
an e-mail message:
The impact on my musicianship was so huge, however difficult to describe. Maybe most
important was that I could meet so many local musicians, without any 'serious' music-
education, but so many of these musicians were extremely dedicated to their music. I was
so impressed that their music was about expression, not about some technical grade or
intellectual complexity. Often their expression was most elegant, warm, charming and of
pure honesty and beauty. Or more simply said, their music was about the life, about
happiness. I realized then, that I should change, of course still try to solving [sic]
'technical problems', but first of all going for the expression, the image, the senses, the
enjoyment. It is a bit as with the food they offered me. It finally all was about the way of
serving, the delicate taste it expresses, the moment of sharing. In the 'western thinking'
we tend to think more in categories, analytical. My experiences during this worldwide
project, were more of sharing, being part of nature, toughing some universal sensations.46
Since this pivotal point in Offermans’s career, he has continued to perform on the global
stage as a soloist and with prominent world musicians such as Kazushi Saito (flute), Tetsu Saito
(double bass), Moteteru Takagi (saxophone), Michihiro Sato (tsugaru-jamisen), Sawai Kazue
(koto), Takehisa Kosugi (violin), Llorenc Barber (experimental composer), and Paul Termos
(saxophone).
In 1997, with an intention to stimulate the contemporary and intercultural approach to
flute playing, he created The Magic Flute Foundation and flute ensemble. The ensemble,
directed by Offermans, consisted of several Dutch flutists along with vocals by Ueda. A self-
titled album was released in the same year featuring works for solo flute and flute ensemble by
Offermans.47
45
Offermans, “From ’RoundAbout 12.5 to ‘For the Contemporary Flutist.’”
46
Offermans, “E-Mail Message to Author,” January 26, 2015.
15
In 1998, he founded the eWave Contemporary European Flute Ensemble. Active until
2004, the ensemble brought together flutists and composers from all over Europe with the
mission of creating and performing new repertoire by European composers. Sponsored by the
Programme Culture 2000 of the European Union, the eWave ensemble started a project in 2003
with Grame (a National Center of Musical Creation in Lyon, France) and other European
partners entitled “eWave, creations for flutes and live electronics.” Five new works by European
composers were commissioned for and performed by the ensemble from 2003-2004. Dutch
musical organization Gaudeamus commissioned OnTheMove for flute ensemble and tape by
Offermans for the project.48
He performs extensively in Duo Ueda Offermans with his wife, Junko Ueda, a Japanese
singer and satsuma-biwa (Japanese short-necked fretted lute) player as well. Their programs
feature improvisations, pieces by Toru Takemitsu, and original compositions including How to
Survive in Paradise II, Genji-Monogatari & Lorca – Gacela Del Amor Desesperado, and Dejima
Suite, some of these involving live electronics. According to their website, “The duo cultivates
their music in the field where different cultures meet and create an identity between ancient and
modern, oriental and occidental.”49 They released two CDs entitled after their works How to
Survive in Paradise (VDE-Gallo CD732) and Dejima Suite (E-records CDE011), respectively.
Fulfilled by their own cultural exchange as a Dutch/Japanese duo, they wanted to bring
that same interaction to other artists. This desire resulted in the founding of the BSXCaravan
(Body & Soul Xperience Caravan) Project in 2007. Each year from 2007-2009, they invited two
47
“Biography,” Wil Offermans Official Website, accessed February 28, 2015,
http://www.wiloffermans.com/en/index.html.
48
“The Contemporary European Flute Ensemble: eWave,” Wil Offermans Official Website, accessed
February 28, 2015, http://www.wiloffermans.com/en/ewave.html.
49
“Duo Ueda Offermans,” Duo Ueda Offermans Official WeGbsite, (n.d.), accessed February 28, 2015.
16
Dutch artists (dancers, painters, musicians, etc.) to work together with them to create a live,
interactive performance piece. Upon completion, Duo Ueda Offermans traveled with the guests
to different locations in Japan to present the piece and an interactive workshop based on the
guests’ discipline along with a creative music workshop presented by Offermans and a Japanese
vocals workshop presented by Ueda.50
Compositions
Offermans has made substantial contributions to the flute repertoire, publishing four
method books: For the Contemporary Flutist,51 For the Younger Flutist,52 The Improvisation
Calendar,53 and Thumpy54 plus one additional study “Working Song One & Two” contained in
the collection Flute Update.55 Other published works include three pieces for solo flute, three
for flute plus accompaniment, and seven pieces for flute ensemble. Additionally, he has written
at least twelve other works that have not been published, some of which can be heard on his
recordings.
50
“The BSXCaravan Project,” Wil Offermans Official Website, accessed February 28, 2015,
http://www.wiloffermans.com/bsxcaravan/en/index.html.
51
Offermans, For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 Studies on Contemporary Flute Techniques.
52
Wil Offermans, For the Younger Flutist: A Collection of 10 Enjoyable Contemporary “Game-Pieces”
for Flute Solo and Flute Ensemble with Explanations (Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 1995).
53
Wil Offermans, The Improvisation Calendar with 52 Improvisations for Any Instrument (Frankfurt,
Germany: Zimmermann, 1996).
54
Wil Offermans, Thumpy: 75 Progressive Studies and Pieces for the New Thumpy Flute (Frankfurt,
Germany: Zimmermann, 2003).
55
Wil Offermans, Flute Update: New Music for Young Flutists for Flute Solo and Various Combinations
by 9 Composers (Wien: Doblinger, 2007).
17
When viewing paintings, Offermans prefers those that are a “balance of colours, without
a real subject.”56 His music making is a reflection of this, in that he is a lover of soundscapes
more than specific subjects. Thus, his compositions serve as a canvas for the tone colors he
wishes to create. In speaking of his inspiration for composing, he states, “…I realized there is so
many [sic] flute literature, but in there I could not find the pieces which involved the sounds that
interested me. So I started to create those pieces myself…”57 An avid promoter of body
movement, he also finds inspiration there:
I try to think that the composition should have a balance in the body. Like the piece is not
just the notes or the paper, but the total performance and expression of the body of the
performer. Finally, playing the flute is like a dance of the body, producing a flow of air,
which hits the rim of the embouchure hole, producing a sound. This idea is probably most
clear in a piece like Honami. It is not about reproducing 'my' composition, but more about
understanding the organic process and then to perform this process.58
While each piece he writes forms in a different way, be it a commission for a specific event or
reflection of nature or society, he endeavours with all of his works to give the performer the
opportunity to interpret. He states, “I am most happy if a player can develop his/her idea and
express honestly and with a happiness. That sounds easy, but actually it is not always so!”59
The end result, then, is a body of work that utilizes extended techniques to produce
colorful soundscapes, often influenced by the music of indigenous cultures. Unlike his
contemporaries that compose with extended techniques, Offermans creates music that doesn’t
necessarily sound edgy or futuristic. His melodies are a nod to the ancient, his use of extended
techniques organic as if they came from the earth and not from a silver tube.
56
Offermans, “E-Mail Message to Author,” January 26, 2015.
57
Ibid.
58
Ibid.
59
Ibid.
18
Teaching Activities
In addition to his performing engagements and composition work, Offermans is an active
pedagogue. In 2001, he served as a flute professor at his alma mater, the Brabants Conservatory
in Holland. His annual Flute Summer Course, currently in its 24th year, is held near Sayalonga,
Spain and attracts participants from all over the globe.
Offermans also presents a Flute Day workshop at several music schools a year. The
workshop is tailored to the needs of each school and is accessible to young, amateur, and
advanced flutists. Based on enjoyment, creativity, and group interaction, the goal of the Flute
Day project is to foster a flexible attitude towards flute playing and music in young musicians. A
typical Flute Day consists of musical “game pieces” derived from For the Younger Flutist, a
presentation and workshop on the Thumpy flute,60 rehearsal of one of his ensemble pieces, a
story time session “With the Flute Around the World” during which he presents his collection of
ethnic flutes and discusses their culture of origin, and a final presentation concert that includes
all participants.61 In a review of the Hampshire Flute Day in 2014, flute teacher Carrie Hensel
recalls, “Wil’s laid back but enthusiastic approach was a great hit and [the students] were soon
looking and sounding amazing.”62
As I familiarized myself with Offermans’s method books and pieces, I found that there
were four pedagogical themes prevalent among his output that contribute to his teaching
philosophy. These themes are extended techniques, interculturalism, improvisation, and body
60
A discussion of the Thumpy flute can be found on page 34 of this document.
61
“Flute Day for Music School,” The Flute Day : A Project for Music Schools with Wil Offermans,
accessed March 1, 2015, http://www.fluteday.com/en/index.html.
62
Carrie Hensel, “Wil Offermans at the Hampshire Flute Day,” Pan: The Journal of the British Flute
Society 33, no. 2 (June 2014): 12.
19
movement. In Chapter 4, I will demonstrate how each is used in Offermans’s works and how
they can be used as pedagogical tools.
20
CHAPTER 4
PEDAGOGICAL THEMES
Teaching Philosophy
While sitting at the airport in Malaga, Spain, awaiting my return flight to the United
States, I reflected in my journal, “The main “tema” [theme], as Wil would say, of the course was
that you have to be flexible. You have to be willing to explore the unknown to become closer to
reaching your full potential as an artist. You can learn from good sounds, but there is more to
learn from bad sounds, so let them happen and observe.”
Offermans uses the images shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 to demonstrate this theme, or
philosophy, towards teaching and learning extended techniques. These models can also be used
to summarize his teaching philosophy as a whole. Figure 1 is labeled the “traditional circle.” In
the very center of the circle are the “easiest” or most common techniques, such as playing a note
at mf in the middle register. The dots further away from the center represent less common or the
more difficult of the traditional techniques, e.g. playing a pp note in the fourth octave of the flute
or staccato double tonguing in the low register of the flute. Offermans says that musicians tend
to practice what they already master and postpone the difficulties and problems: the dots further
from the center of the circle. On www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com, he states:
We repeat and repeat that what we already can, reconfirming our ‘good’ qualities (and
our ‘bad’ ones). We teach ourselves what is ‘easy’ and what is ‘difficult’ (or what is
‘normal’ and what is not). With our study we think to strengthen the centre [sic], but in
reality we develop a hard and stiff centre area, while losing flexibility. We are building a
wall around ourselves. Inside we feel warm and safe, but outside this wall we are afraid
and unsure. We tend to search for the secure centre area while telling ourselves
“Tomorrow I will study the problem. Tomorrow…”63
63
Wil Offermans, “The Traditional Circle,” For the Contemporary Flutist Online, accessed March 1, 2015,
http://www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com/.
21
Figure 1: “Traditional Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com.
Figure 2: “Extended Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com.
Figure 2 represents the “extended circle.” The arrows depict an expansion from the
“safe” center and out past the more difficult traditional techniques and into the realm of extended
techniques. He says that in order to develop the center of the circle, or the core of playing,
22
musicians must study the techniques in these remote areas with the knowledge that they can
safely return to our center at any moment.64 Musical growth comes from taking risks.
This concept transfers to the other three areas discussed in this chapter: interculturalism,
improvisation, and body movement. The center of the circle could represent any aspect of
playing that is comfortable: playing in familiar idioms (western art tradition), reading music from
the page, playing in a group, playing without movement, etc. In summary, Offermans teaches
that if you stay in one place too long, you get stiff. So by exploring further outside of where one
is comfortable, one can become flexible both physically and mentally,65 and having the
flexibility to try new, sometimes challenging things: playing in unfamiliar genres or styles,
playing from memory, improvising, performing as a soloist, and moving while playing, is crucial
for artistic development.
He relates this concept to daily life in that people learn more about themselves by moving
and interacting with other people. Or, for example, if someone travels outside of his native
country, he may find that he understands more about his own culture after he lived in someone
else’s. Likewise, people take vacations and time off on weekends, so that when they return to
work or school, they feel fresh again.
Extended Techniques
For the Contemporary Flutist
Upon the completion of his worldwide performance tour Round About 12.5, Offermans
claims that he was bursting with information and ideas, so he put together his etude book, For
64
Wil Offermans, “Flexibility, Enjoyment and ‘How to Use Your Body,’” For the Contemporary Flutist
Online, accessed March 1, 2015, www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com.
65
Ibid.
23
the Contemporary Flutist. Each etude in this book is devoted to a different extended technique
or set of techniques including wind tones, harmonics, difference tones, bamboo tones,
multiphonics, whisper tones, singing in unison and parallel, polyphonic singing, percussive and
breathing techniques, circular breathing, body movement, and improvisation via graphic
notation.66 Intended for more advanced flutists, he explains in the introduction that studying
these techniques will promote flexibility and physical training that develops muscle control and
stable breathing and support, refined coordination, and better results with less effort.67
This concept is supported by the writings of Robert Dick as discussed in Chapter 2. In
the introduction of Tone Development through Extended Techniques Dick writes,
“Another important – and not well enough known – reason for flutists to work with new
sonorities is that this will greatly benefit traditional playing. This work develops the
strength, flexibility and sensitivity of the embouchure and breath support, increasing the
player’s range of color, dynamics and projection. The ear is strengthened, too: one must
hear the desired pitch clearly before playing it when familiar fingerings are not used, and
quarter-tones and smaller microtones sharpen the sense of pitch as well.”68
On his website www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com, Offermans explains that the act of
flute playing can be broken into two parts. The first is the flute itself – the physical instrument.
The second is the body – the flute player him or herself and the internal processes that support
sound production. Offermans views extended techniques as a vehicle, or messenger, between
these two parts. The production of these modern techniques is much more physical than
“normal” flute playing (which is still very physical in itself). Thus, by studying them, one can
learn more about the body and how to manipulate these invisible, internal processes. And as a
66
67
Wil Offermans, For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 Studies on Contemporary Flute Techniques, 5.
68
Dick, Tone Development Through Extended Techniques, 7.
24
result, flutists can use their bodies more efficiently, feeling a greater sense of relaxation and
enjoyment while playing and, in turn, improving the quality of our “normal” flute playing.69
The first etude in For the Contemporary Flutist is based on wind tones. The effect of the
wind tone is that of “pitched” air or “wind.” No actual flute tone is produced, yet the sound of
the air being blown across the embouchure hole of the flute is audible, and the pitch changes as
the player fingers different notes. In the supplement, Offermans explains that wind tones are an
acceptable part of the sound spectrum for indigenous flutes, as they were cultivated near nature,
near the wind. In contrast, the Boehm flute was cultivated in the mechanical age when the wind
was akin to smoky chimneys, thus airy tones were considered a dirty, undesirable sound. 70
Contemporary music accepts both airy and pure sounds, and this contrast is exemplified with
Etude 1.
The pure flute sound, of course, is not possible without air, so this etude also explores the
wind tone as a derivative of the flute tone. Offermans provides two exercises for embouchure
versatility and flexibility in the supplement that can aid the flutist to achieve the technical and
musical contrast required of the etude.71
For the Younger Flutist
Published in 1995, For the Younger Flutist: 10 Enjoyable Contemporary Pieces for Flute
Solo as well as Flute Ensemble was originally intended for flutists between the ages of eight and
fourteen, but flutists of any age can find benefit in playing these pieces. This book also contains
69
Wil Offermans, “Why Extended Techniques,” For the Contemporary Flutist Online, accessed March 1,
2015, www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com.
70
Offermans, For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 Studies on Contemporary Flute Techniques, 39.
71
Ibid, 40-41.
25
a supplement with notes for flute teachers. In the introduction Offermans writes, “…young
flutists are masters in dealing with imagination, creativity and enjoyment. By a young and
honest approach towards creating sound and by frankly interpreting your imagination one may
perform contemporary techniques without realizing.”72
This book offers students a framework for developing their own musical ideas through
graphic scores, games, and simple extended techniques. As Offermans stated, it’s possible that
students could perform extended techniques by chance through their sound exploration, but three
of the pieces incorporate these techniques without labeling them as such. Without the label of
“extended” or “contemporary” techniques, the students get to experience these techniques as just
another component of flute playing and not something that is unusual or especially challenging.
Piece number six is entitled “Wind Trio” for three flutists.73 This piece incorporates
harmonics and wind tones. A diamond-shaped note head is used to depict the fingering while the
normal note-head indicates the sounding pitch produced when the fundamental is overblown.
Wind tones are indicated as normal note heads with three vertical lines either above or below the
note (Example 1). In the teacher’s note, Offermans stresses the importance of developing a
flexible embouchure at a young age, which both harmonics and wind tones promote. In the
classical tradition, learning fingerings is often given primary attention over embouchure
development and proper breathing and blowing. This can result in a stiff, inflexible embouchure
that has to be fixed later on in the flutist’s playing career. Offermans also gives teachers ideas
for introducing harmonics and wind tones to the student.74
72
Offermans, For the Younger Flutist: A Collection of 10 Enjoyable Contemporary “Game-Pieces” for
Flute Solo and Flute Ensemble with Explanations, 4.
73
Ibid, 18-19.
74
Ibid, 31-32.
26
Example 1: “Wind Trio,” p. 18, mm. 1-8, For the Younger Flutist.
Piece number eight, “The Labyrinth,” introduces special fingerings for extended timbres
such as bamboo tones (diffuse or bright tones akin to those of bamboo flutes) and timbral trills.75
The teacher should encourage the student to play different harmonics with these special notes as
well. Many of the fingerings are also assigned a dynamic marking, further encouraging the
student to explore and become familiar with a wider palette of tone colors.76
75
Ibid, 22-23.
76
Ibid, 32.
27
Other Pedagogical Applications of Extended Techniques
It has been well established that the practice of extended techniques can positively impact
many aspects of a flutist’s playing. These techniques can also help with other performance
challenges as Jennifer Borkowski discusses in her dissertation From Simple to Complex:
Extended Techniques in Flute Literature; Incentive to Integrate Cognitive and Kinesthetic
Awareness in University Programs.
Borkowski suggests that problems such as low energy, weak articulation, embouchure
tightness, chest tightness, and pitch control in the upper register can be remedied through
prescribed extended techniques.77 For example, diaphragm work via jet whistles and tongue
stops can help a student with a low energy level. A jet whistle, an air effect, is created by
covering the embouchure hole and powerfully blowing air through the flute. Since there is no
actual flute tone produced, the student can concentrate solely on blowing large amounts of air
very quickly, a process that gets the diaphragm moving and wakes up the body.78
Tongue stops, also called tongue rams, are produced similarly to the jet whistle. The
embouchure hole is covered and the player makes a short, accented exhalation that is
immediately stopped with the tongue, plugging the embouchure hole. The tongue stop will not
sound correctly if the player is not accenting with the abdominals properly, a process which
activates the diaphragm, increasing the student’s energy level and opening up his/her sound.79
77
Jennifer Anne Borkowski, “From Simple to Complex: Extended Techniques in Flute Literature;
Incentive to Integrate Cognitive and Kinesthetic Awareness in University Programs” (Dissertation, Universität für
Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz, 2008), 35.
78
Ibid, 37.
79
Ibid.
28
Offermans uses a combination of tongue stops, jet whistles, and other breathing techniques in
Etude #9, “Diverse,” from For the Contemporary Flutist.80
Interculturalism
In an article published in the Music Educators Journal, C. Victor Fung outlines three
popular rationales for teaching world musics: social, musical, and global. The social rationale
imparts that the study of world music “develops multicultural awareness, understanding, and
tolerance; promotes a deeper understanding and acceptance of people from other cultures;
cultivates open-mindedness and unbiased thinking; and eradicates racial resentments.”81 The
achievements of Western art music are great, and should be acknowledged; yet, it cannot be
validated as superior to non-Western music. The willingness to be open to alternative aesthetics
by studying world musics and the cultures they originate from can foster a sense of appreciation
and respect.
From a musical standpoint, the confusion one often faces when first learning to perform
the music of a different culture can actually provide the opportunity to engage more deeply with
known musical elements as well as refine aural and critical thinking skills and psychomotor
development.82 I have experienced this firsthand through my participation in university Gamelan
and Irish ensembles, in particular. Accustomed to notation, the aural tradition of both ensembles
provided a challenge, and I can attest that my ear has improved immensely as a result. It also
altered my sense of timing and space, forcing me to look at the bigger picture. Instead of
80
Offermans, For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 Studies on Contemporary Flute Techniques, 26-27.
81
C. Victor Fung, “Rationales for Teaching World Musics,” Music Educators Journal 82, no. 1 (July 1,
1995): 37.
82
Ibid, 38.
29
micromanaging notes and rhythms, I began to pay more attention to the ensemble, to form, color,
and texture as these were my only tools for getting from point A to point B.
The final rationale is that of a global view; Fung writes, “Music is a global phenomenon,
and no culture is without music. To be a complete person in the modern world, one must be
sensitive to culture in a global context.”83 Music is then a thread that weaves the narrative of our
human race. Offermans’s teaching philosophy encompasses this rationale. When one engages
with other people, especially those of different cultures with different music-making, one can
become more perceptive of his own position within this narrative.
Authenticity via Arrangements
Music of world cultures immediately becomes decontextualized once it has entered the
university setting, making truly authentic performances impossible. It is also more of a rarity for
music programs to have possession of indigenous flutes like the Japanese shakuhachi or Chinese
di-zi, let alone master teachers on those instruments. In another article written for the Music
Educators Journal, Arnold B. Bieber views the performance of arrangements of world music for
Western instruments as a viable alternative.84
Tsuru-no-Sugomori (Nesting of Cranes, literally, “cranes building a nest”) is an
arrangement of a Japanese traditional shakuhachi piece by Offermans. The shakuhachi is an
end-blown bamboo flute that is open on both ends. The standard shakuhachi has four finger
holes in the front and one thumb hole on the back producing a “D” pentatonic scale; however,
the instrument can be made at many different lengths, each rendering a different set of basic
83
Ibid.
84
Arnold B. Bieber, “Arranging World Music for Instrumentalists,” Music Educators Journal 85, no. 5
(March 1, 1999): 17.
30
pitches and scales. Other sonic possibilities can occur outside of the scale with various fingering
techniques (partially opening a tone hole, sliding fingers off of tone holes) and changes in
blowing angle, pressure, and lip position.85
This particular piece is one of the best known in the shakuhachi repertoire. Many
versions exist, each representing the tradition of a specific Zen Buddhist temple.86 Offermans’s
arrangement is based on the interpretation of the late shakuhachi master Katsuya Yokoyama
(1934-2010).87 A programmatic work, it is intended to depict the life of cranes, long revered
symbols of longevity and happiness in the Japanese culture. It serves as a metaphor for the life
cycle. In musicologist Heinz-Dieter Reese’s words, “A couple builds a nest, lays eggs, hatches
out little cranes and raises them until they are independent; finally, the couple dies.” Tsuru-no-
Sugomori could also be interpreted as “the tonal manifestation of the Buddhistic concept of
compassionate love expressed by the care the cranes give their children.”88
Within Offermans’s arrangement, many extended techniques are used to mimic the
playing style of the shakuhachi (Example 2). In the introduction, Offermans provides general
characteristics of this style, which includes a focus of the breath, finger and breath articulations
(the tongue is typically not used to articulate), and many types of vibrato produced by shaking
Heinz-Dieter Reese, “Introduction,” in Tsuru-No-Sugomori (Frankfurt, Germany: Musikverlag

85
Zimmermann, 1999), 3.
86
Ibid.
87
Wil Offermans, Tsuru-No-Sugomori: A Traditional Shakuhachi Piece for Flute Solo (Frankfurt,
Germany: Zimmermann, 1999), 4.
88
Reese, “Introduction,” 3.
31
and swinging the head, moving the head in circles, and shaking the instrument itself.89 He then
provides exercises to acclimate the modern flutist to this wide variety of techniques.90
Example 2: Tsuru-no-Sugomori, p. 8.
Playing this arrangement cannot replace the physical experience of performing on a
shakuhachi. Aurally, the arrangement comes quite close to the original, and some of the
performance techniques are similar enough on modern flute to offer the flutist access to the
culture. Therefore, the study of Tsuru-no-Sugomori combined with research and the study of
authentic recordings could be a rewarding educational endeavor in Japanese music.
Interculturalism in Methods and Other Works
Offermans makes cultural associations within his pedagogical materials and the majority
of his pieces. In the supplement of For the Contemporary Flutist he provides the flutist with
cultural context for seven of the twelve etudes. Harmonics, for example, are used on nearly all
bamboo flutes, and he continues with a description of a specific flute found in Papua New-
Guinea that is played by male duos in nightly ceremonies. In this culture, the nocturnal flute
sound that rises from the jungle represents a mysterious happening of gods and magic.91 Wind
89
Offermans, Tsuru-No-Sugomori: A Traditional Shakuhachi Piece for Flute Solo, 4.
90
Ibid, 4-6.
91
32
tones, difference tones, bamboo tones, singing in unison and parallel, polyphonic singing, and
circular breathing also have ethnic origins.
An Indonesian-influenced piece can be found in For the Younger Flutist. “In Gamelan
Style” (#10) involves a percussionist and ten flutes. The percussionist acts as the kajar player,
the time keeper. Each flute line takes on the character of another gamelan instrument, the core
melody of the jegogan, the faster moving notes of the gangsas, etc.92 Additionally, the flute
ensemble piece, Kotekan,93 is based off of a Balinese interlocking technique of the same name,
canon, and kecak, the Balinese Hindu-legend monkey dance comprised of vocal interlocking.
Japanese-inspired pieces include Tsuru-no-Sugomori, as mentioned previously, Made in
Japan,94 an arrangement of traditional and composed Japanese folk songs with CD
accompaniment, Honami,95 and Voices of Nagasaki96 and Itsuki-no-Komori-uta97 for flute
ensemble. Luna y Sierra98 for flute with one or more instruments and Bamburia99 for flute
ensemble are Spanish-influenced works. It may also be noted that the text in Offermans’s
published scores is translated into German, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Japanese,
making the intention and explanations of his music more accessible on the global stage.
92
Wil Offermans, For the Younger Flutist: A Collection of 10 Enjoyable Contemporary “Game-Pieces”
for Flute Solo and Flute Ensemble with Explanations.
93
Wil Offermans, Kotekan for 8 Flutists (Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 1997).
94
Wil Offermans, Made in Japan: 6 Japanese Songs for Flute in “Karaoke”-Style w/CD Accompaniment
(Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 2004).
95
Wil Offermans, Honami: Für Flöte Solo (Zimmermann, 1994).
96
Wil Offermans, Voices of Nagasaki for Flute Ensemble (Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 2003).
97
Wil Offermans, Itsuki-No-Komori-Uta: Arrangement of a Famous Japanese Melody for Flute Ensemble
98
Wil Offermans, Luna Y Sierra for Flute Solo with Accompaniment by One or More Instruments
99
Wil Offermans, Bamburia for Flute Ensemble (Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 2011).
33
The Thumpy Flute
Offermans has clearly been deeply influenced by music from all over the world. Upon
listening to a recording from Laos, a southeastern Asian country, he heard a woman improvising
on a local flute while simultaneously imitating the flute sound with her voice. He imagined in
his head that she was playing a thumb flute. A version of a thumb flute exists in the
mountainous southwest of China, in the province of Yunnan, the Tuliang of the Jingpo people.
On this particular flute, one end is controlled by the thumb while the other end is controlled by
the palm of the hand.100 Inspired, Offermans created his trademarked Thumpy flute as seen in
Figure 3.
The Thumpy flute is a straight, cylindrical wooden pipe, open on both ends and
controlled by the thumbs. The embouchure hole is slightly left of center, making the right side
longer than the left. It can produce four fundamental pitches, F, A-flat, C, and E-flat – the
overtones of which can be combined to produce a rich series of sounds. To accompany this
flute, Offermans created a method book simply called Thumpy.
Figure 3: Thumpy Flutes, www.thumpy.nl.
100
Offermans, Thumpy: 75 Progressive Studies and Pieces for the New Thumpy Flute, 4.
34
The Thumpy flute can be used as an instrument for enjoyment as well as a pedagogical
tool for children with little to no experience with the silver flute along with experienced flutists
who are looking for a different way to develop embouchure flexibility and breathing. In addition
to the Thumpy Song Book, Offermans has posted a collection of bird songs with recordings and
instructions on how to play each on the Thumpy flute on the Thumpy website.101
Though this instrument is simpler than the silver flute, there is more resistance when
blowing into it, requiring a very fast and well-supported air speed to play. If young students
begin with a tool like the Thumpy, then by the time they make the transition to the less resistant
silver flute, they will most likely find it easier to blow on, and they will have already developed
to a degree their understanding of breath management, pitch, articulation, dynamics, and rhythm
via the Thumpy Song Book all before they have to worry about holding the flute or dealing with
keys.
The Thumpy flute is also helpful for experienced flute players who are going through an
embouchure change or who just want to develop their lip flexibility, breathing, and support. In
relation to Offermans’s teaching philosophy, sometimes musicians have to get away from what
they know in order to grow. Though the Thumpy flute is blown into the same way as a silver
flute, the sound is akin to the wooden flutes of Asia, something most American bred flutists, at
least, are not familiar with – therefore, with no expectations for tone quality or keys to manage,
playing the Thumpy becomes a freer, more exploratory process.
101
Wil Offermans, “Bird Songs on the Thumpy Flute,” Thumpy: The Thumb Flute, accessed March 1,
2015, http://www.thumpy.nl/en/birds.html.
35
Improvisation
Figure 4: “Body and Mind,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com.
One of the admiral qualities about Offermans’s pedagogy is that he approaches playing
with creativity and imagination first, and technique is secondary. This is most evident through
his integration of improvisation in his workshops and method books. In the previous section on
extended techniques, two parts of flute playing were discussed, the flute and the body. There is a
third part, of course, that being the mind, and according to Offermans, improvisation functions to
develop this mind-part – the creativity, sensitivity, and awareness just as extended techniques are
used to develop the body-part.102 He uses the graphic in Figure 6 above to demonstrate the body-
mind connection.
Wil Offermans, “Etude 12: Graphic Notation and Improvisation,” For the Contemporary Flutist Online,
102
accessed March 2, 2015, http://www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com/etude/etude-12.html.
36
The Improvisation Calendar
Example 3 is a page from Offermans’s The Improvisation Calendar.103 This calendar
contains 52 graphic scores, one for each week of the year. The drawings, all illustrated by
Offermans himself, begin simply and become more intricate as the year progresses. Example 3
is the score from week 11. Example 4 is from week 49. He advises the flutist to ask themselves
the following questions before he/she begins:
1) Does the score show a certain atmosphere or feeling?

2) Does it suggest a specific sound?
3) What do you imagine?104
He then provides the following three rules:
1) Make a clear start.
2) Once you start your improvisation, always continue playing until you reach the
end.
3) Make a clear ending.105
Along with these rules he also recommends making a title for your improvisation, playing long
and short versions of the same improvisation, jotting down notes of musical ideas that you liked,
and finally – try and enjoy!106
103
Offermans, The Improvisation Calendar with 52 Improvisations for Any Instrument.
104
Ibid.
105
Ibid.
106
Ibid.
37
Example 3: Week 11, The Improvisation Calendar.
Example 4: Week 49, The Improvisation Calendar.
38
Example 5: “1. Loud and Soft” in “The First Step,” p. 8, For the Younger Flutist.
Graphic scores are presented in pieces one, two, three, and seven in For the Younger
Flutist. As an example, the concepts of dynamics, density, pitch, and articulation are explored in
the first piece, “The First Step.” The piece is broken down further into four miniature pieces
entitled, “Loud and Soft,” “Many and Few,” “High and Low,” and “Short and Long.”107 Each of
these miniatures is written in three versions: A, B, and C. For each, Version A is a more
traditional notation with written out notes and dynamic and articulation markings. Version B
moves into a graphic notation in the form of illustrations (trees, clouds, rain, birds, etc.). Version
C is written as a line graph. In the teacher’s note, Offermans recommends that the students study
Version A first, focusing on the musical effect instead of the technique. Then, the teacher should
encourage the student to freely choose whatever notes or rhythms he or she wants for the
107
Flute Solo and Flute Ensemble with Explanations, 8-9.
39
remaining versions. Focusing on the quality of the music instead of the technique can stimulate
the creative processes, allowing students to develop their own interpretations and sense of
structure in developing a solo or group improvisation.108
Pieces two and five, “Have Fun!” and “Holes and Choices,” respectively, offer another
approach to improvisation. In addition to the graphic notation found in “Have Fun!,” one line of
the music contains clusters of notes, as seen in Example 6. The student is to pick a note out of
the cluster to play; their choice can be premeditated or spontaneous.109 These clusters are found
in “Holes and Choices” as well; except here, there are also “holes” (Example 7) which signal the
student to improvise notes and rhythms that fit within the allotted space and meter.110
Example 6: “A Choice of Notes,” p. 10, “Have Fun!,” For the Younger Flutist.
Example 7: “Holes And Choices,” mm. 5-7, p. 17, For the Younger Flutist.
108
Ibid, 30.
109
Ibid, 10-11.
110
Ibid, 16-17.
40
Improvisation for those who are not accustomed to doing it can be intimidating at first.
Offermans eases this anxiety in his workshops by making improvisation into a game. One that
he does frequently with groups is called “The Conductor,” and it is included as the fourth piece
in For the Younger Flutist. In this game, a flute orchestra assembles and the chosen conductor
makes gestures that the flute orchestra must follow. Players determine dynamics, density, pitch,
and rhythm from the conductor’s movements instead of from a score.111 It is a great exercise to
spark creativity and musicality, and it forces the conductor to be very clear in his or her gestures
in order to get the sound that they want.
Why Improvise?
Similar to Fung’s three rationales for teaching world music, music educators Lee Higgins
and Roger Mantie propose three conceptualizations that may guide the teaching of improvisation
in their article “Improvisation as Ability, Culture, and Experience.”
Improvisation can first be considered as a component of overall musicianship, a specific
skill or ability that can be developed in the holistic sense.112 Nicole Brockman, author of From
Sight to Sound: Improvisation Games for Classical Musicians, thinks of musicians in terms of
“literacy.” Considering language, people described as “literate” are those able to both read and
write. Literate musicians, then, should be able to read music, in turn making sense of it via their
instruments or voices, as well as write or create their own original music either through
composition or improvisation. The latter is an area many classically trained musicians neglect to
111
Ibid, 14-15.
Lee Higgins and Mantie, Roger, “Improvisation as Ability, Culture, and Experience” 100, no. 2
112
(December 2013): 39.
41
develop.113 Yet, creating your own music can actually foster a deeper sense of understanding of
written music and specific musical styles. Again, making the comparison to language Brockman
writes,
Writing for ourselves helps us figure out what the rules of language are and how it
functions to create the effects the author intended. Our own experiences (and,
sometimes, struggles) with language deepen our appreciation of masterful authors and
great works of literature, which leads us to a more sophisticated understanding and
enjoyment of literature as both writers and readers.114
Improvisation can also function as a measurement of a musician’s grasp of a given
musical style. For example, if a keyboardist is able to successfully improvise in a French
baroque style, then he has shown that he has internalized the rules of that genre to the point
where he no longer has to think about them.115 Additionally, improvisation can help the
musician develop other components of musicianship such as audiation, playing by ear, modes of
communication, expression, informal music-making, and musical agency.116
From a cultural standpoint, improvisation is central to musical practices all over the
world; and thus, can be a window into distinct musical cultures. Persian classical music is an
example of one of these cultures. In studying this music, ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl claims
that he asked his teacher many times, “When and how will you teach me to improvise,” to which
his teacher would respond with something like, “We do not teach improvisation. You learn the
radif, and it teaches you to improvise.”117 The radif, a repertory of around 270 short, mostly
113
Nicole M. Brockmann, From Sight to Sound: Improvisational Games for Classical Musicians (Indiana
University Press, 2009), 1.
114
Ibid, 1-2.
115
Higgins and Mantie, Roger, “Improvisation as Ability, Culture, and Experience,” 39.
116
Ibid.
Nettl, Bruno, “On Learning the Radif and Improvisation in Iran,” in Musical Improvisation: Art,
117
Education, and Society, ed. Gabriel Solis and Bruno Nettl (University of Illinois Press, 2009), 185.
42
nonmetric pieces, serves as the foundation for improvisation and composition in this tradition;
therefore, all Persian classical musicians must memorize the radif in order to perform the
improvisations that are at the core of their music.118 Learning to improvise Persian classical
music means learning the radif further meaning that the performer learns all of the motifs,
modes, and other intricacies that characterize the genre.
Improvisation in a given culture, then, is not totally random – all improvisation is based
on “something.” Higgins and Mantie write “…there is always a history involved in every
improvising event,”119 and if we are familiar enough with that history to create something of our
own, we have gained insight into the culture(s) from which it came. All improvisation also
involves choices. Choosing to include a particular dastgah (roughly comparable to Western
modes) in Persian music means excluding something else, like an Indian raga or a blues scale.
The choices made when improvising then shapes what is and is not considered culturally
meaningful for the performer.120
The third conceptualization that Higgins and Mantie propose is improvisation as human
experience – a distinct way of being in the world.121 While the authors find value in all three
concepts, the latter has the greatest educational potential in their view. Everyone makes
unpremeditated decisions every day in their speech, movement, cooking, etc.; thus, there is “no
difference between human experience and the act of improvisation,”122 according to jazz pianist
Vijay Iyer. These every day improvisations reflect a search for what is right in the moment –
118
Ibid.
119
Higgins and Mantie, Roger, “Improvisation as Ability, Culture, and Experience,” 40.
120
Ibid.
121
Ibid, 39.
122
Ibid, 41.
43
trying to respond the right way, take the right path, or look the part. Sometimes people take a
misstep, and they adjust and correct. Musical improvisation is also an exploratory process.
Pedagogically speaking, it is not something that can necessarily be taught through a strict
method; rather, it is “a process to be encouraged on the way to learning freedom and self-
actualization.”123 While on this road to self-actualization, students can foster qualities such as
risk taking, reflexivity, spontaneity, exploration, and play124 – all of which can transform their
performances of Bach or Mozart. The late music instructor and author Eloise Ristad used
improvisation to generate ideas for composition, for physical and emotional release, to inspire
her performances of composed music, and to develop a more personal relationship with her
instrument.125 In A Soprano on Her Head: Right-side-up reflections on life and other
performances she wrote,
Improvisation helps to free us in areas of our lives where we create imaginary boundaries
that we dare not trespass. When I am free to improvise freely in my life, I shake hands
with new parts of myself that sometimes startle, sometimes delight me. Whether startled
or delighted, I always walk away more alive, more filled with me in a clean, clear way.126
Body Movement
Excess muscular tension, caused from stress or poor postural habits, can be detrimental to
our health and our performances. Don Greene, author of Performance Success, considers muscle
tension to be the greatest threat to performance above all other symptoms of stress.127 Many
123
Ibid, 43.
124
Ibid.
125
Eloise Ristad, A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-up Reflections on Life and Other Performances
(Real People Press, 1982), 190.
126
Ibid.
44
wind players and vocalists, for example, tend to tighten up the throat, shoulders, and other
muscles associated with breathing, which, in turn, affects resonance and phrasing. Playing with
unnecessary tension in the hands, wrists, and arms can also inhibit technical ability and, over
time, lead to repetitive strain injuries, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, etc. Offermans remedies excess
tension by moving while playing.
Body Movement Exercises
During the flute summer course, Offermans set up bottles of water and juice on the floor,
creating two “gates,” and he asked each of us to start at the first gate at one end of the room and
slowly walk across the floor through the gate at the end, all while playing a long tone. The steps
were fairly strenuous – we each had to keep our knees bent and maintain a low center of gravity
as we walked. Moving while playing, especially in this fashion, forces the musician to determine
precisely which muscles are needed to engage to play and which are not or, in other words,
where you need tension and where you can relax. Daniel Kohut, author of Musical
Performance: Learning Theory and Pedagogy, reinforces this concept,
When we stand perfectly still, there is a tendency for us to use muscles above and beyond
those we actually need to execute specific performance tasks… Many of these “extra
muscles” are the same ones we use for walking. If we walk while we play… We are
forced to rely mainly on those muscles we actually need… This then promotes greater
efficiency in the use of our bodies during performance.128
A body movement study can be found in etude 11 from For the Contemporary Flutist
entitled “Flute and Movement”129 (Example 8). Each note of this etude corresponds with a
127
Don Greene, Performance Success: Performing Your Best Under Pressure (Routledge, 2002), 18.
128
Daniel L. Kohut, Musical Performance: Learning Theory and Pedagogy (Stipes Publishing Company,
1992), 70.
129
45
different body position; therefore, the goal of the etude is to play the melody without music and
perform the slow, strenuous movement patterns, again, to determine where tension is and is not
needed while playing.
“Stop & Go,” the ninth piece in For the Younger Flutist, involves movement as well. A
group activity, this piece requires a large room with plenty of floorspace and four large posters,
each with a different note and rhythm written on it. One poster is to be hung on each of the four
walls of the room. With guidance from the teacher, the players slowly walk towards one of the
walls. As they walk, they must play the note (in long tones only, at first) facing them. If they
stop walking, they stop playing.130 The rhythms can be added as the students feel more
comfortable with the coordination.131
Example 8: Excerpt from Etude 12, “Flute and Movement,” For the Contemporary Flutist.
130
Flute Solo and Flute Ensemble with Explanations, 24.
131
Ibid, 33.
46
Other Pedagogical Applications for Body Movement
Offermans’s use of body movement primarily aims to enhance technical facility,
breathing, and tone production. Suzuki string teachers employ a similar strategy with their
young students whom they teach to walk, even run, in performance as a means of body
relaxation, preventing excess muscular tension.132 Body awareness methods such as Alexander
Technique, Body Mapping, the Feldenkrais Method, and Dynamic Integration also function to
help musicians use their bodies efficiently, maximizing performance capabilities while
preventing injury.
The Dalcroze Method of eurhythmics uses movement to develop musical expression and
understanding. Dissatisfied with the “lifeless” mechanical performances of his students at the
Conservatory of Geneva, founder Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950) reformed music education
at the turn of the century with his focus on the whole body as the foundation and housing of
musicianship. He felt that the body played an intermediary role between sound and thought and
should thus be a point of focus in music education.133 Alexandra Pierce shares a similar
methodology to that of Dalcroze in Deepening Musical Performance through Movement. During
her work with students in a “Movement for Musicians” theory course, she discovered that when
they began expressing the beat with their bodies rather than just mimicking the beat with their
hand or arm, the result was a shift in musical expression. According to Pierce, beat, melody, and
phrase each require a different type of kinesthetic movement – there is a difference in shape,
132
Kohut, Musical Performance, 69.
133
Anne Farber and Lisa Parker, “Discovering Music through Dalcroze Eurhythmics,” Music Educators
Journal 74, no. 3 (November 1, 1987): 44.
47
size, path made, effort required, nature of beginning and end, and amount of full body
involvement.134
Movement can also help musicians manage performance anxiety. Everyone has an
inherent mind-body connection – what happens in the mind affects the body, and what happens
in the body affects the mind. When one is anxious, the body holds tension, but if one performs
relaxation techniques that physically relax the body, the mind will also become less anxious as a
result.135 Stretching, diaphragmatic breathing, alternate nostril breathing, and progressive
relaxation sequences are all examples of “muscle-to-mind” relaxation techniques that involve the
movement of isolated muscles or muscle groups. These techniques are particularly effective in
offsetting somatic anxiety (anxiety provoked by bodily symptoms such as shaking, sweating,
“butterflies in the stomach,” etc.).136 The benefits of body movement practices for musicians are
thus fourfold: enhancement of tone and technique, injury prevention, increased understanding of
musical expression, and stress management.
134
Ibid.
135
Lesley Sisterhen McAllister, The Balanced Musician: Integrating Mind and Body for Peak Performance
(Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), 235.
136
Ibid, 237.
48
CHAPTER 5
HOLISM AND PEDAGOGY
When asked the question, “What are the fundamentals of flute playing?,” the typical
response from most flute teachers is tone, technique, and musicality. Some might add posture
and breathing. When I posed this question to Wil Offermans, his response was creativity, body-
consciousness, and enjoyment – an answer I had never heard before.137 His studies and methods
are a clear reflection of these fundamentals, which, in turn, demonstrate a holistic approach to
teaching and learning versus an atomistic one.
The theory of holism applied to the human condition posits that at any point in time we
are the sum total of the prevailing states of our mind, body, and spirit (core values and beliefs).138
Peter London, Professor Emeritus of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, argues that a
holistic approach is essential to art education,
Authentic, creative undertakings, serious artistic engagements, provide a perfect model of

holistic activity in that at their fullest, the artist engages the fullest array of their
attributes; their mind, body, and spirit. Teaching art via a holistic approach therefore can
provide an exquisite instrumentality for addressing the high and critical ambition of
elevating behavior to the degree that the whole and integrated person appears, who is the
necessary precursor to the whole and integrated society.139
Many personal growth titles have appeared on bookshelves with a similar goal of joining these
three parts including those that target musicians and performers such as The Artist’s Way, The
Balanced Musician, Performance Success, You Are Your Instrument, The Inner Game of Music,
etc. From an educational standpoint, K-12 teachers of the arts in the United States are often
137
Wil Offermans, “E-Mail Message to Author,” March 16, 2015.
138
Peter London, “Towards a Holistic Paradigm of Art Education Art Education: Mind, Body, Spirit,”
Visual Arts Research 32, no. 1 (January 1, 2006): 8.
139
Ibid.
49
confined to a curriculum based on standardized testing, leaving little flexibility for teaching in a
holistic way. University and conservatory instructors and private teachers have more
opportunities to do so, and as a student, this author has experienced this kind of instruction in
these particular settings. What is rarer, however, is to have written instrumental methods and
studies that promote holistic learning, and that is one of Wil Offermans’s unique contributions to
flute pedagogy.
The Mind
The mind includes more attributes than the capacity to reason. The mind also has the
capacity to dream, imagine, intuit, fantasize, exaggerate, remember, believe, to have faith, and to
be in wonder and awe. How, then, does a teacher nourish an “artful” mind with such capacity?
London says that it is not something you can teach. Dreaming and believing are a part of human
nature – a student just needs to be given the space and encouragement to do what he or she can
already inherently do. Offermans gives adequate amounts of each through his graphic scores in
The Improvisation Calendar, For the Contemporary Flutist, and in many of the pieces from For
the Younger Flutist. The games and activities in the latter also serve to nurture a creative mind.
Additionally, Offermans extensive use of extended techniques offers flutists the opportunity to
develop a larger palette of sounds and colors which can further help them realize their musical
imaginations.
The Body
Offermans addresses body-consciousness through extended techniques, the Thumpy
flute, and specific body movement exercises and studies. The practice of extended techniques
50
teaches the flutist how to manipulate the invisible, internal processes of the body required to
produce the desired sound. Extended techniques also help flutists refine the coordination of
processes that can be viewed externally including movement of the lips, jaw, and fingers. The
Thumpy flute is particularly helpful for young students – giving them the opportunity to develop
the musculature required for breathing and blowing without adding the tension of holding the
flute and remembering complex fingerings. The body movement exercises Offermans teaches in
his workshops and the studies found in his books help flutists remedy excess tension, allowing
for optimal results with the least amount of effort.
The Spirit
The definition of spirit here is not necessarily a system of religious beliefs – it can
encompass any quality that people hold to be of ultimate value. These qualities could be
composed of a deity or deities, pantheism, philanthropy, geography, or a cherished tradition.
London suggests that teachers nurture matters of the spirit in the teaching of art by raising the
great questions: Who am I?, Why am I here?, Where am I going?, What is of ultimate value to
me?, etc.140 In the case of musicians, especially at the advanced level, these great questions
might look something like: Why do I play music?, Why do I play the flute?, What is my life’s
purpose?, What is my niche?, or What will I do next?
Developing the spirit, one’s core values and beliefs, is an on-going process that can be
explored through many avenues. Practicing extended techniques, improvising, playing music
from other cultures, and moving are all musical pathways that can guide this journey to
discovery and self-actualization. The common thread between each of these pedagogical themes
140
Ibid, 12.
51
is that they each require the flutist to momentarily step away from what he/she already knows to
be comfortable. They each require a certain amount of risk, and it is taking that risk, according
to Offermans, that allows musicians to achieve their full potential as artists. In his words,
“Teaching for me is like trying to open the eyes (including my own eyes) and widening views,
helping to develop a student in the direction he/she wants to move, [and] more about creating
artists instead of flutists, or more in general creating humans who think creatively and with
enjoyment.”141
141
Offermans, “E-Mail Message to Author,” March 16, 2015.
52
CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION
There are many challenges in being a professional classical musician. The level of
playing and the number of players has never been higher, yet the number of orchestral and
teaching positions is on the decline. The competitive atmosphere surrounding this field can
cause great stress for the musician, and the strive for “perfection” has the potential to limit, rather
than enhance, one’s music-making.
Offermans’s approach is valuable because it can help the musician remember why he or
she picked up the instrument in the first place and how much fun playing can actually be. When
one is having fun, the mind and body are relaxed. While in a state of relaxation, productivity
increases, helping one learn faster and practice more efficiently, which, in turn, optimizes
performances.
Finally, Offermans’s approach allows the musician to exploit his or her own authenticity
through music. The experimentation that comes with learning extended techniques, exploring
new or foreign sounds, improvising, and increasing body awareness gives the flutist the
opportunity to discover what sounds and feels good to her. These discoveries provide the
foundation for her interpretation and personal style of playing. Diversity in sound, style, and
interpretation is what makes music interesting and what, ultimately, inspires new generations of
music makers.
53
APPENDIX A
HUMAN SUBJECTS STAFF REVIEW
54
APPENDIX B
COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS
55
56
57
58
59
APPENDIX C
CORRESPONDANCE WITH WIL OFFERMANS
KR: How did you start playing flute? What kind of musical training did you receive when you
were young?
WO: Like many young children in that time, I started with recorder at the age of 6. However,
what was probably different compared to other children is that I loved that recorder and played
several hours a day. Also, I changed very soon to the alto-recorder and, most funny, positioned
the flute like 45 degrees up to the right. Like the desire to play transverse already was there! In
these young days, I played a lot of serious baroque music, and probably these wood sounds
stimulated my interest towards sound, which later with the extended techniques became so
attractive. When I was 12 years old, I changed finally to the flute. My teachers were:
- Martin van Woerkum (Baroque player; but also new music): A marvelous person, with great
didactical thoughts, who introduced me to the flute.
- Cecilia Oomes (Concergebouw Orchestra): teaching me to involve the body.
- Lucias Voorhorst (Baroque and new music soloist; died so unfortunately early): he was an artist
in the real meaning of the word. The flute was just a way.
- Raymond Delnoye (Rotterdam Philharmonic): showed me to play, play, play!
During these years as a teenager, I was active in various fields, including composing, working
with theatre, with pop-music, jazz, with poets and later with dancers…
KR: What inspired you to take a study tour of the US? What did you gain from this experience?
WO: Actually, my first trip to the US was simply for buying a flute. In these days, in
Holland/Europe there were not many shops who had good flutes in stock to try. So I thought to
go there where many flutes are made, which was the US. Actually, in these days I also played
saxophone and had 3 nice instruments (2 x alto; 1 x tenor). But I decided to sell these all as well
as my flute and then go to New York to buy a good new flute (I also did not like to play only
loud and wild on the saxes and 'beautiful' on the flute. From now on I wanted to do all on just the
flute). I then found a very nice Haynes (from 1963). Visiting the Big Apple was certainly very
exciting for me, to see the artists, dancers, 'new music' musicians… So for a next and more
extended visit I organized to meet with, and have lessons with all kinds of flutists. Many of these
flutists I knew from the recordings (LP's in these days!). So in 1980 - and this was during my
studying in Holland - I was back for 3 months, to both east and west coast and met with people
like:
- Robert Dick: very impressive in these days, helped me a lot to find my own direction.
- Leone Buyse: opening the ears by making you aware of every detail.
- James Newton: very happy!
- Jeremy Steig: wonderful artist
- Hubert Laws: like a god
60
What I learned is that there is not one way of playing the flute. There are so many ways. And you
yourself have to decide with honesty what is good for you.
KR: What inspired your concert tour, Round About 12.5? How did the tour impact your
musicianship?
WO: Just after I finished my studies, I was quite attracted by ethnic music. Also I was working in
Amsterdam with a Japanese mime-butoh dancer. These experiences probably attracted me to see
more of its origins. Also, since young age I loved to travel, so a world-tour project obviously
sounded - and indeed turned out to be - most fascinating.
For my project Round About 12.5, I started with performing my compositions (on piccolo = 12.5
inches) and traveled with these around the globe, with a special interest for 'flute cultures'. While
repetitively performing my piece (until finally returning to Amsterdam). I enjoyed the process
where your music is changed and influenced by all kind[s] of events and experiences around the
world, which was super exciting. This made the music and the musical thoughts more part of a
wider universal sharing, connecting with other people and other places.
The impact on my musicianship was so huge, however difficult to describe. Maybe most
important was that I could meet so many local musicians, without any 'serious' music-education,
but so many of these musician[s] were extremely dedicated to their music. I was so impressed
that their music was about expression, not about some technical grade or intellectual complexity.
Often their expression was most elegant, warm, charming and of pure honesty and beauty. Or
more simply said, their music was about the life, about happiness. I realized then, that I should
change, of course still try to [solve] 'technical problems', but first of all going for the expression,
the image, the senses, the enjoyment. It is a bit as with the food they offered me. It finally all was
about the way of serving, the delicate taste it expresses, the moment of sharing.
In the 'western thinking' we tend to think more in categories, analytical. My experiences during
this worldwide project, were more of sharing, being part of nature, toughing [sic] some universal
sensations.
KR: Where do you get inspiration to compose?
WO: In general, I always had a great interest [in] just sounds, like I love paintings which are
more a balance of colours, without a real subject. When studying the flute, I realized there is so
[much] flute literature, but in there I could not find the pieces which involved the sounds that
interested me. So I started to create these pieces myself including developing techniques. By the
way, in that way I also started with circular breathing: I had the imagination to continue sound,
like a circle movement of a dancer. I had never heard about the possibility but just tried and
found a way to realize the circular breathing.
Another important 'inspiration' is the body. I try to think that the composition should have a
balance in the body. Like the piece is not just the notes or the paper, but the total performance
and expression of the body of the performer. Finally, playing the flute is like a dance of the body,
producing a flow of air, which hits the rim of the embouchure hole, producing a sound. This idea
61
is probably most clear in a piece like Honami. It is not about reproducing 'my' composition, but
more about understanding the organic process and then to perform this process.
The specific idea for each composition can be born in a very different way. Probably many of
such ideas reflect to nature, to society. What I try however in all my pieces is to give the player
the opportunity to interpret. I am most of all happy if a player can develop his/her idea and
express honestly and with a happiness. That sounds easy, but actually it is not always so!
KR: What is your compositional process like?
WO: Well I think I have not one process, because many of my pieces are related to some kind of
invitation or a specific event. But maybe I can recognize these steps:
- thinking about the (working) title and idea and atmosphere of the piece
- starting with sketches, drawing a rough overview on a big paper
- looking for short phrases, melodic materials while playing the flute
- in an early stage: thinking about how the piece will finish and how it could end.
- once I have the bigger structure, I fill in the details/notes.
- gradually the big picture is filled up.
- either I use paper (sometimes much easier for writing extended techniques) or computer (better
for ensemble pieces) to do the final writing.
- think [if] this piece is worth to be published (I really only like to have a piece published, if I
think it adds something to the musical world). If I think so, I contact my publisher to ask their
opinion.
- finalizing the score by corrections and corrections (usually an intensive and time consuming
process)
- in the end, I rethink the title and fix it.
KR: What is your teaching philosophy? What do you consider to be the fundamentals of flute
playing?
WO: Teaching for me is like trying to open the eyes (including my own eyes) and widening
views, helping to develop a student in the direction he/she wants to move, more about creating
artists instead of flutists, or more in general creating humans who think creatively and with
enjoyment.
The essential elements here include: creativity, body-consiousness and most important,
enjoyment.
KR: It appears that you have an interest in teaching beginning and amateur flutists (For the
Younger Flutist, Thumpy). What inspired you to create methods for these flutists?
WO: Of course young ones are genius in spontaneous, honest and creative expression. They are
great improvisers too, since they often still see the life as one endless improvisation (in contrast
to most adults). I think I had my most intense musical experience in life with kids.
62
KR: I've read in your Thumpy book and on your website about how you got the idea for the
Thumpy flute. How do you like to use it as a teaching tool, apart from the Thumpy book?
WO: An important idea here is that Thumpy can be used for the first few weeks (months), to
learn [sic] the kids to blow and to produce a flute sound, without the tension of holding the flute
and caring about complex fingerings. Also, with the Thumpy we can play independent sounds,
like imitating birds, purely abstract, and with a lot of enjoyment. Other advantages are that in can
be easily used in group playing, opening ears, and for rhythmical materials like interlocking,
forcing to listen to each other. But a good thing is that a flute-teacher can develop his/her own
way to use the Thumpy.
KR: Do you currently teach students privately? If so, how do you approach teaching university
students versus young or amateur students?
WO: In my view, teaching pro-students - which I do at home privately but also in masterclasses
here and there - does not differ so much from teaching children. Obviously the material and the
way one speaks are different. But the intention is similar as mentioned before: supporting a
student to develop as an independent artist, thinking creatively and honestly. The extended
techniques are an indispensable tool in this process, to build especially a flexible sounds, body-
consciousness and sound-enjoyment.
KR: Can you describe the inspiration for and goals of the Flute Summer Course?
WO: When I initiated the Flute Summer Course, 24 years ago, I had the aim to 'live' explain the
etude book 'For the Contemporary Flutist', which was than just published, and to share
knowledge and information which I had gathered around the world, especially based on my
project Round About 12.5. This process I wanted to accommodated [sic] in a relaxed, natural
environment so that we have time and attention to concentrate.
During the many years I had very different style of players participating in the course, but it was
great to see how very different participants could each find something to add to their personal
viewpoint.
KR: Do you do all of your own illustrations in your method books (Improvisation Calendar, For
the Younger Flutist, For the Contemporary Flutist)?
WO: That's correct, I do them myself and enjoy that a lot!
KR: You clearly feel that body-consciousness is important for flutists - getting rid of excess
tension helps us breathe and sound better, and it also helps our technique. Do you think there are
any other reasons for flutists to be body-conscious?
WO: Well, maybe let me first express that personally I am more interested to teach a flutist as an
artist, instead of as a flutist. An artist who has his/her ideas, interpretation, honesty and
responsibilities, whatever these finally are or will be. And in the artistic sensitivity obviously
63
consciousness is extremely important. To perceive colors, taste, smell, sound, etc., in the outer
world. But also to 'feel' the inner-world of both the mind as well as the body. I have thought quite
often that I am maybe not a flutist, but more a body-mover (with breathing as one important
body movement) but that I need the flute to make the movement of breath audible. But finally, I
think I am not alone in this, even stronger, that the reason that we play flute is not to play the
flute, but to use an instrument to reconfirm our breath, our expression, our life.
If you speak about body-stress, I see that these last years the stress-subject [has become] more
discussable, which is of course good. Probably our education style of last century imported some
stress to the performers. But if I think with independence about flute-playing, I always imagined
that one reason why the human started to blow on things, on holes, on tubes, etc., was because he
wanted to control the breath and to feel relaxation. So to be nervous while playing the flute
seems like a big contradiction.
Furthermore, in my personal life I have experienced countries in war and poverty, so I started to
understand the enormous opportunity we have, as we have time and energy to enjoy sound and
develop music. It is a wonderful privilege. And who will be nervous when enjoying a privilege?
KR: How do you practice body-consciousness away from the flute? Do you follow any exercise
practices such as Tai Chi or yoga?
WO: I have indeed been doing various things during my life. But never I was convinced of
being addicted to one style, just I think I picked up ideas in all kinds of situations. For example
during my flute study I already started to work with modern dancers (they studied in the same
conservatory) and I joined their training a bit, while also creating dance-music productions
together. Also, I had the opportunity to travel intensively to Asian countries, where people
spontaneously teach you things about the body and where musicians traditionally also learn to
dance and vice versa. Finally I believe it is a way of looking to the body. Indeed an awareness.
And yes, I do have some simple tai chi-like movements which I like to do in the morning.
KR: Do you think it's valuable for classically trained players to experience world music and
ethnic flute playing? If yes, then how so?
WO: Of course that is important. Besides any experience is an experience. But diving into the
world of ethnic music is certainly a great experience. It made me realize how connected we all
are. For me, it also made me realize that extended techniques are not new, but appeared
throughout time already in many different music cultures, so have indeed a huge history. That
makes it so interesting.
KR: What do you think a flutist can gain by learning your arrangement of Tsuru-no-Sugomori?
WO: For sure this piece is much more difficult as we may think at the first sight. To mention
some subjects which possibly someone will learn about while studying:
- a general flexibility. Especially the pitch-bendings are quite extreme and very demanding
concerning a flexible embouchure.
64
- the use of breath is most demanding too. Phrases are really long at some points, so one needs to
be very efficient, aware and trained to perform these long breath phrases.
- furthermore, breath as a musical component is not only of importance at the moment when we
exhale (and produce a flute sound) but also at the moment we inhale. So the music is a
performance of continuous in and exhaling. To perform this well, one needs to develop a strong
intensity, an energy, a focus where we paint with sound in the air, including lots of silence too.
KR: It seems to me that you have a holistic approach to teaching and playing (integration of
mind, body, and spirit). Do you agree? And what are your thoughts on integrating these three
parts?
WO: I think I indeed agree with you. Finally, we all are a complex of these elements (mind;
body; spirit), so I could also ask the question in reverse. That is, how can we separate mind, body
and spirit?
65
APPENDIX D
PUBLISHED WORKS OF WIL OFFERMANS
Methods/Studies:
For the Contemporary Flutist: 12 studies on contemporary flute techniques (1992)
For the Younger Flutist: A collection of 10 enjoyable contemporary ‘game-pieces’ for flute solo
and flute ensemble (1995)
The Improvisation Calendar with 52 improvisations for any instrument (1996)
The Thumpy Book: 75 progressive studies and pieces for the new Thumpy flute (2003)
“Working Song One & Two,” published within Flute Update: New Music for young flutists for
flute solo and various combinations by 9 composers (2007)
Solo:
Duo for contra bass flute and stone (2002)
Honami (1994)
Tsuru-no-Sugomori a traditional shakuhachi piece for flute solo (1999)
Accompanied:
Drigo’s Dream to Desert for flute and piano (2001)
Luna y Sierra for flute with one or more instruments (2009)
Made in Japan 6 Japanese songs for flute in ‘karaoke’-style with CD accompaniment (2004)
Flute Ensemble:
Bamburia (2011)
Dance with Me a dance music for flute ensemble [with choreography] (2010)
Itsuki-no-Komori-uta an arrangement of a famous Japanese melody for flute ensemble (2000)
Jungle Dance for bottles and flutes (1995)
66
Flute Ensemble cont.
Just a Short Version (1993)
Kotekan (1997)
Voices of Nagasaki (2003)
67
APPENDIX E
WIL OFFERMANS DISCOGRAPHY
1. Daily Sensibilities (1993, re-released in 2011)

E-records, Amsterdam
CD9206
Composer:
Wil Offermans
Contents:
Etude 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 from For the Contemporary Flutist
Performer:
Wil Offermans (flute)
2. Dejima Suite (2001)

CD E-022
Composer:
Wil Offermans
Contents:
Dejima Suite
Performers:
Wil Offermans (flute, bass-flute, contra-bass-flute, Thumpy, synthesizer & sampler)
Junko Ueda: (satsuma-biwa, vocals)
Hôdô Matsuo (shômyô / Japanese Buddhist monk chanting)
The Voices of Nagasaki Ensemble (voice): Kayoko Ano, Yuria Itô, Moeko Eguchi,
Bungo Okuno, Yoshifumi Okuno, Yûdai Obuchi, Mari Kanezaki, Fumiko Kusano,
Kimiko Sakai, Chizuko Sasayama, Shigeko Shibatani, Rie Shimazaki, Akemi Takayama,
Ai Tanaka, Reina Tanaka, Shôko Tajiri, Yôko Naitô, Aiko Nakagawa, Kazuyo
Hamasaki, Yôko Hayashida, Ritsuko Fukai, Naomi Fuji, Yukino Matsuo, Naho Matsuda,
Mari Miyazaki, Eriko Murakami, Megumi Yamashita, Chidori Yamasaki, Takako Mori,
Miwa Yano, Hitomi Yoshida, and Hisako Watase
3. How to Survive in Paradise (1992)

Disque VDE-Gallo, Lausanne, Switzerland
CD732
68
Composer:
Wil Offermans
Contents:
Voice & Noise (1992)
How to Survive in Paradise II (1990)
Performers:
Duo Ueda Offermans
Wil Offermans (flute, bass flute, live-electronics)
Junko Ueda (voice, Satsuma-biwa)
4. Ilios (1993)
VDE-Gallo, Lausanne
CD712
Composer:
Wil Offermans
Contents:
Ilios (1984)
Improvisation at Beurs van Berlage (1989)
Circles of Circumstances (1988)
How to Survive in Paradise (1989)
Performer:
Wil Offermans (flute, bass flute, and live electronics)
5. The Magic Flute (1997, re-released in 2011)

CD712
Composer:
Wil Offermans
Contents:
Honami for solo flute (1994)
Sutralité for flute ensemble
Kotekan for flute ensemble (1997)
Nasori for flute ensemble
Jungle Dance for bottles and flutes (1995)
Just a Short Version for flute quartet (1993)
Thumb Flute Improvisation
Baume-les-Messiurs duo for flute and vocals
69
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12, 2015. http://www.rondaford.com/Heiss_Interview.pdf.
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Greene, Don. Performance Success: Performing Your Best Under Pressure. Routledge, 2002.
Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music: A Concise History. Thames and Hudson, 1994.
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Shakes.” Perspectives of New Music 5, no. 1 (October 1, 1966): 139–41.
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———. “Some Multiple-Sonorities for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon.” Perspectives of
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———. For the Younger Flutist: A Collection of 10 Enjoyable Contemporary “Game-Pieces”
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———. Kotekan for 8 Flutists. Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 1997.
———. Luna Y Sierra for Flute Solo with Accompaniment by One or More Instruments.
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2015. http://www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com/.
———. Thumpy: 75 Progressive Studies and Pieces for the New Thumpy Flute. Frankfurt,
———. Tsuru-No-Sugomori: A Traditional Shakuhachi Piece for Flute Solo. Frankfurt,

———. Voices of Nagasaki for Flute Ensemble. Frankfurt, Germany: Zimmermann, 2003.
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Ristad, Eloise. A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-up Reflections on Life and Other
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“The BSXCaravan Project.” Wil Offermans Official Website. Accessed February 28, 2015.
http://www.wiloffermans.com/bsxcaravan/en/index.html.
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Accessed February 28, 2015. http://www.wiloffermans.com/en/ewave.html.
Toff, Nancy. The Development of the Modern Flute. Taplinger Pub. Co., 1979.
———. The Flute Book: A Complete Guide for Students and Performers. Oxford University
Press, 2012.
74
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Kallie Rogers is a Doctoral Candidate and Teaching Assistant under Eva Amsler at the
Florida State University where she is pursuing a degree in Woodwind Performance along with a
specialized studies program in World Music. She has taught applied lessons, studio classes, flute
choir, woodwind methods, and beginning baroque flute in addition to her duties as a flute studio
guest artist manager and President of the Flute Association at FSU. An active performer and
clinician, Kallie has performed and/or presented at the National Flute Association Convention,
Florida Flute Association Convention, Middle Tennessee Flute Festival, Mid-South Flute
Festival, and the Flute Society of Kentucky Festival. Also a baroque flute enthusiast, Ms.
Rogers participated in the advanced baroque flute classes at FSU and the 2013 Baroque Flute
Boot Camp, studying traverso with Kim Pineda, Kathie Stewart, and Janet See. In the summer
of 2011, she toured Germany, Holland, and France with the Blue Lake International Southern
Winds, and in 2009, she traveled to Sayalonga, Spain as a participant in the Wil Offermans
Summer Flute Course to study contemporary flute techniques. She holds degrees from Western
Kentucky University (B.M.) and Middle Tennessee State University (M.M.), and her teachers
include Eva Amsler, Deanna Little, and Heidi Álvarez. Ms. Rogers will become Mrs. (Dr.)
Snyder in July 2015.
75

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Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School

Wil Offermans: The Pedagogy of a

WIL OFFERMANS: THE PEDAGOGY OF A CONTEMPORARY FLUTIST-COMPOSER

A Treatise submitted to the

List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii

The Flute Summer Course ..........................................................................................................1

2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTEMPORARY FLUTE MUSIC ...........................................4

The Romantic Era .......................................................................................................................4

3. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WIL OFFERMANS .............................................................13

Education and Training .............................................................................................................13

4. PEDAGOGICAL THEMES .....................................................................................................21

Teaching Philosophy .................................................................................................................21

The Mind ...................................................................................................................................50

A. HUMAN SUBJECTS STAFF REVIEW ..................................................................................54

Biographical Sketch .......................................................................................................................75

1 “Traditional Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com .....................................................22

2 “Extended Circle,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com .......................................................22

3 Thumpy Flutes, www.thumpy.nl .............................................................................................34

4 “Body and Mind,” www.forthecontemporaryflutist.com ........................................................36

3 Week 11, The Improvisation Calendar....................................................................................38

4 Week 49, The Improvisation Calendar....................................................................................38

6 “A Choice of Notes,” p. 10, “Have Fun!,” For the Younger Flutist........................................40

Wil Offermans is a flutist-composer with a holistic approach to contemporary flute

perspective may be made available to a larger flute population.

The Flute Summer Course

Wil Offermans, a Dutch flutist-composer, welcomed participants of all nationalities and

Wil for the first time.

through a singular vehicle, the modern flute.

In Chapter 2, a brief overview of the development of contemporary flute music provides

Offermans follows in Chapter 3. The focus of Chapter 4 is on pedagogy, beginning with a

demonstrated as an example of a holistic pedagogue prior to the conclusion in Chapter 6.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTEMPORARY FLUTE MUSIC

The Romantic Era

for the flute and a concerto, all of which he performed extensively.6

production of new French woodwind music.”11

potential – were already doing so with such success.”13

Twentieth Century and Beyond

an expressive element, then as a compositional device.15 The term Klangfarbenmelodie, or tone

different combinations of instruments.17

Futurist orchestra would set to motion:

1. Rumbles, Roars, Explosions, Crashes, Splashes, Booms

century of the aeroplane deserves its music.”20

Flutists and composers commenced experimenting with “special effects” or “avant-garde

contemporary flute literature.

worth noting are flutist-composers Harvey Sollberger and John Heiss.

Severino Gazzelloni (1919-1992) was a virtuoso Italian flutist. A major proponent of

tapping of the trilling fingers.26

Deeply moved by a live performance of the Sequenza by Gazzelloni, American flutist

focused on contemporary flute repertoire and techniques.28

techniques, though it is not his only work that includes them.32

Neoromanticism, impressionism, classicism, neoclassicism, contrapuntalism, pointillism,

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WIL OFFERMANS

Education and Training

Upon graduating from Brabants Conservatory in 1983, Offermans had developed an

Japanese mime-butoh dancer in Amsterdam, Offermans organized a seven month world-

In 1997, with an intention to stimulate the contemporary and intercultural approach to

Offermans for the project.48

vocals workshop presented by Ueda.50

movement, he also finds inspiration there: