The Stouffville Rag: 6 Flutes Score & Parts

Spirited and rhythmically infectious, like a well-played piano rag transposed into the brightness of flute voices. The constant exchange of melody and supporting material creates forward motion and playfulness that captures why ragtime became such a cultural force in early American music.

Flute choirs and advanced high school or college-level flute ensembles looking for repertoire that's genuinely fun to perform and doesn't talk down to the players. This piece works for groups of any size between six and twelve flutes, making it versatile for schools with varying enrollment.

• Keep the syncopation clean and precise by locking the rhythm section (Flutes 5 and 6) with the melody before you add the harmony and counter-melody lines.
• Balance the varied melodic lines throughout. Since interest lives in multiple parts, each flute needs to hear where they fit in the texture and adjust accordingly during sectionals.
• Lighten your articulation in the syncopated passages. Ragtime thrives on a crisp, bouncy touch rather than a heavy legit sound.
• Mark exactly where phrases breathe and where you sustain through longer passages. Six flutes with unplanned breath breaks will lose momentum.

Program this as a standalone novelty piece or pair it with other early twentieth-century American repertoire to explore compositional roots. The medium difficulty and entertaining character make it ideal for pops concerts, family audiences, or end-of-year ensemble showcases where you want the performers to genuinely enjoy what they're playing.

• Syncopated rhythm reading and precision
• Balancing independent melodic lines within an ensemble texture
• Articulation control in fast, rhythmically complex passages
• Part-awareness and listening to multiple simultaneous musical ideas