The benefits
of practicing sing and play
In this short video Nicola Mazzanti, former piccoloist of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, explains the benefits of sing and play practicing.
This video is an excerpt from the course “The basics of piccolo playing” by Nicola Mazzanti, former piccoloist of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
In this course, Nicola teaches how to master the basic technique for playing the piccolo: how to avoid making the most common embouchure mistakes, develop a thousand nuances, improve your overall sound quality, your ability to move from one register to another, your piccolo technique and your playing, and explore the piccolo market in order to choose the most suitable instrument for you.
Keep reading this page to find out what lessons you will find in Nicola’s course.
Lessons of this course:


What you will learn:
- The massive impact of the posture on the efficiency of the instrument
- The basics rules for playing while standing: foot, heels, knees, pelvis, head, torso, shoulders, neck, upper ribs, legs, elbows
- The posture of the hands: the left hand
- The posture of the hands: the right hand and the Rockstro hold
- The basics rules for playing while seated: chair, seatback, legs, clothes and shoes


What you will learn:
- The specific necessities of the piccolo embouchure: aperture, jawbone and lips
- How to have a flexible piccolo embouchure
- What shall be avoided


What you will learn:
- The sensitivity of the lower side of the embouchure hole
- The jawbone opening


What you will learn:
- Marcel Moyse and the Bernoulli Equation: why low notes are so important
- 3 low notes exercises
- The results of the work on the low notes


What you will learn:
- 5 flexibility exercises


What you will learn:
- The goals of the first phase of the practice
- Some flute students fail to play passages on the third octave of the piccolo: why?
- The piccolo scale routine
- 2 scales and arpeggios exercises


What you will learn:
- The importance of the new techniques
- The benefits of practicing sing and play
- 1 sing and play exercise
- A common mistake in beginners
- Examples of melodies with the sing and play technique


What you will learn:
- The purchase in store, online and from an artisan
- The purchase during conventions or flute festivals
- The use of the instrument and the budget
- The entry level, the intermediate level and the highest level models
- The three qualities a good piccolo should have
Other courses:


What our members say about us

Elena
Winner of
Gazzelloni Competition Cat. Piccolo
The Academy is an amazing project conceived by Nicola Mazzanti and supported by amazing teachers and musicians; in a world where technology permeates and sustains learning, the Academy gives young students and also professionals the chance to deepen the instrument’s pratice following the precious advices of the world-wide most renowned piccolists, reducing the often remarkable distance’s barriers.
I personally thank Nicola and all the professors involved in the Academy and I highly recommend the subscription to whoever wants to increase skills and awareness about the piccolo.”

Zuzana
Piccoloist of the
State Theatre orchestra
in Košice, Slovakia

Ksenia
A piccolo player
of the Saint-Petersburg
Philharmonic Symphony
Orchestra
Thanks to the academy’s professors for your experience and knowledge!”

Lucas
Master’s Degree Student
in Music Performance
Zurich University of Arts
The content of the Academy is 100% rewarding!”

Ugné
Piccoloist at the
State Musical Theatre orchestra
in Klaipėda, Lithuania
The online courses combine a wide variety of topics: from playing technique to human and instrument anatomy. Prominent piccolo artists give inspiration with their individual approaches to improving one’s performance. IPFA gives me the feeling of a creative community that helps each member grow, flourish, and contribute in their own way to the today and tomorrow of piccolo music.”

Zuzana
Piccoloist of the
State Theatre orchestra
in Košice, Slovakia
“Hello, my name is Zuzana, and I have been a subscriber to IPFA since its beginning. The incredible lessons we are given are full with information, useful tips and tricks to play at our best level. I am eternally grateful for the inspiration all of the artists give us, and I highly recommend this platform to anyone who wants to attain deeper knowledge and proficiency on their instrument.”

Ksenia
A piccolo player
of the Saint-Petersburg
Philharmonic Symphony
Orchestra
“Hello, my name is Ksenia Kuelyar, and I want to thank Nicola Mazzanti for the wonderful Piccolo Academy he inspired the creation of, this is a great opportunity for me and my students to improve our playing and skills, to learn a lot of new things.
Thanks to the academy’s professors for your experience and knowledge!”

Lucas
Master’s Degree Student
in Music Performance
Zurich University of Arts
“I have been subscribed to the IPFA for the past 3 months and it has been extremely enriching! Learning from the most prominent piccolo teachers from today is a great deal for students like me who also pursue a piccolo job position.
The content of the Academy is 100% rewarding!”

Ugné
Piccoloist at the
State Musical Theatre orchestra
in Klaipėda, Lithuania
“Having completed my academic studies and begun my professional career, I find IPFA to be an unparalleled tool for learning and delving into piccolo speciality.
The online courses combine a wide variety of topics: from playing technique to human and instrument anatomy. Prominent piccolo artists give inspiration with their individual approaches to improving one’s performance. IPFA gives me the feeling of a creative community that helps each member grow, flourish, and contribute in their own way to the today and tomorrow of piccolo music.”

Elena
Winner of
Gazzelloni Competition Cat. Piccolo
“Hello, I’m Elena and I have been subscribed to the IPFA right from the beginning.
The Academy is an amazing project conceived by Nicola Mazzanti and supported by amazing teachers and musicians; in a world where technology permeates and sustains learning, the Academy gives young students and also professionals the chance to deepen the instrument’s pratice following the precious advices of the world-wide most renowned piccolists, reducing the often remarkable distance’s barriers.
I personally thank Nicola and all the professors involved in the Academy and I highly recommend the subscription to whoever wants to increase skills and awareness about the piccolo.”
Frequently Asked Questions
The subscription allows access to the entire catalog of video lessons and any other educational material available to users, divided into these topics: fundamentals, embouchure, sound, intonation, high register, flexibility, scales and arpeggios, warm-up, posture and handling, body awareness, orchestral excerpts, legato, staccato and piccolo choice.
BACKING TRACKS
You will find also backing tracks for piano or orchestra designed specifically for those who play the piccolo, using virtual instrument technology. You can slow it down, speed it up, or choose the bpm that best suits your practice.
NICOLA ANSWERS
Every month Nicola Mazzanti selects some of the questions that users have written in the appropriate form, answering them in the episodes on the “Nicola answers” section, available to all subscribers.