Instrumental Solos by Special Arrangement: Flute Book & CD

Strommen's jazz arrangements preserve the essence of these timeless standards while making them completely accessible to flutists who aren't ready to improvise. The inclusion of both the book and recorded accompaniment means your students can practice with a professional-quality rhythm section, building confidence in a style that can feel intimidating at first.

These arrangements swing with the ease of a seasoned performer, yet the flute parts never overreach beyond what a solid intermediate player can deliver. The melodies have room to breathe and shape naturally against the groove, giving players the chance to discover the conversational quality that makes jazz singing and playing so compelling.

Flutists at the intermediate level (Grades 2.5-3) who want to explore jazz style and standard repertoire without the demands of improvisation. This book works equally well for private studio students building jazz performance experience and for ensemble members needing a confident entry point into a style-based program.

• Listen to the recorded accompaniment several times before the first rehearsal so you internalize the swing feel and phrasing without overthinking it.
• Pay close attention to the rhythm section's articulation on the recording; this will guide your own interpretive choices and ensure you're aligning with the jazz idiom.
• Mark your music with articulation and dynamics cues during practice sessions, since jazz phrasing requires more intentional shaping than classical passages.
• Work through the variation sections slowly and separate from the A sections, since these often contain the most rhythmically complex material.

Include these standards in a spring pops concert or jazz-focused recital where you want to showcase style range without requiring soloists to improvise. They're equally valuable as warm-up repertoire during the season to help flutists develop swing articulation and phrasing that transfer back to their classical playing.

• Swing articulation and phrasing
• Reading lead sheet notation and jazz chord changes (reading only, not comping)
• Listening and responding to a rhythm section
• Stylistic interpretation of melody in a jazz context
• Rhythmic precision and synchronization with recorded accompaniment