Progressive Jazz Studies for Flute, Book 2: Flute Book

Book 2 picks up exactly where intermediate flutists need it to go: beyond the basics, into the harmonic and rhythmic complexity that makes jazz speaking fluent. Rae's studies don't feel like training wheels. They sound like real music worth playing, which means students actually want to practice them.

These studies have the flavor of real jazz conversation. You'll encounter blues changes, swing feels, and syncopation that breathes naturally rather than feeling imposed. The music asks you to listen harder and commit more fully to your sound.

Intermediate flute students ready to move beyond method-book exercises into stylistically authentic jazz. This book works well for players in their second or third year of private study, middle school jazz bands, or high school students building their jazz vocabulary alongside classical training.

• Work through the articulation markings with the same precision you'd apply to classical repertoire. Jazz tonguing sits between legit and light; Rae's notation tells you where.
• Let the rhythm section lock in first if you're using a play-along. Your job is to float and negotiate the changes, not drive the tempo.
• Listen for the harmonic context of each passage before running it fast. Understanding what chord you're navigating makes the fingerings fall into place more naturally.
• Record yourself on a simple device and listen back. Jazz phrasing lives in the details of timing and tone; playback reveals what your ear might miss in the moment.

Assign studies sequentially in private lessons; each page builds on previous concepts without requiring the student to learn an entirely new skill set. For jazz band directors, excerpt passages as warm-up material or use individual studies as section rehearsal building blocks before tackling full ensemble arrangements.

• Reading jazz chord changes and navigating ii-V-I progressions
• Swing articulation and phrasing conventions
• Improvising simple melodies over standard changes
• Managing compound rhythms and syncopation
• Balancing tone production in a jazz context