Dear Friends,

When I was a young flute student, I had the incredible good fortune (thanks, mom! thanks dad!) to study with William Kincaid. He was, for decades, the Principal Flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His playing during the 1940s, '50s, and '60s was considered to be without equal, and he was an extraordinary teacher.

I'll never forget my first lesson with Mr. Kincaid. I was, of course, totally intimidated to be playing for the most famous flutist and flute teacher in the country. To make me even more nervous, there were photos of legendary conductors on his walls with handwritten notes to him saying, "I'll never forget your transcendent artistry." and "Debussy must have had you in mind when he wrote the Afternoon of a Faun." And, yes, there on the piano lay the most famous flute in the world at that time - Kincaid's platinum Powell.

Well, there was nothing to do but put my flute together, try not to drop it, and do my best.

He asked me what I had prepared, and smiled at some private joke when I told him "the first movement of Bach's Eb Major Flute Sonata." I later found out the Bach was just the piece he loved to work on with new students...and I soon found out why!

I didn't get to play much more than the first three measures when he stopped me. Here they are and, to get the most out of this tip, you might play or sing them, too: