Sophia Kind is a flutist from Germany, currently based in Freiburg im Breisgau. She performs regularly with ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester, Vox Luminis, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Continuum Berlin. She teaches traverso at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and at the music school of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (CH).
Before discovering the traverso, Sophia studied music pedagogy and German literature. She studied in Germany and the Netherlands with Karl Kaiser, Kate Clark, Wilbert Hazelzet, Christoph Huntgeburth, and Daniela Lieb.
In 2019, a research project on Gagaku music in Japan sparked her interest in historical rehearsal practices. She is currently involved in a research project at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB) focused on cooperative ensemble practices in the 19th century.
Sophia is co-founder of ensemble frank&frei (est. 2019), a quartet exploring the rich repertoire of the late Baroque era. She plays a wide variety of historical flutes, always staying curious about the fascinating diverse range of tone colours each instrument can reveal.
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www.sophia-kind.com
Sophia on Instagram
The first thing you do when you pick up your traverso to start the practice day, and why?
Typically, I start by checking whether I’ve assembled all the joints of the flute with the holes aligned in a straight line (bending the mouthpiece slightly outward to get an open sound). Then I play a long d2 with messa di voce, since I find it one of the most stable notes on the traverso. I then compare it to the lower d, trying afterwards to tune a good fifth with a1, comparing that to a2 and going up to d3. After that, I play a descending D major scale to check how that tone range feels that day. Then I add a few other arpeggios and scales, typically moving upward in chromatic steps from d.
Any recurring piece to play every day, and why?​
Not really, but one piece I play quite regularly to warm up is the Allemande from the J. S. Bach’s Partita, because I enjoy the flow of sound it allows. It gives me time to observe my intonation, phrasing, articulation, breathing, and posture — more in a perceptive way than with a specific goal. I prefer doing this while walking around the room I’m playing in, as it gives me a great sense of freedom – both physically and musically.
Do you have a daily routine?​
I don’t 'practice' every day, but I do play the flute almost daily in rehearsals, concerts, or while giving lessons. Whenever I do practice, I don’t follow a specific routine, but I do have some recurring exercises that I integrate into my playing from time to time as the ones listed below.
What kind of goals do you set for your practice?​
The most important thing for me is developing a warm and rich sound that I’m happy with while playing. When learning new pieces, my first approach is to sight-read the whole piece with a playful mindset, to see what the different phrases inspire in me — for example, where I assume dissonant harmonies in a phrase with the other voices or continuo. I also want to identify which passages I need to spend more time organizing.
Then I go back and look at the full score to understand the music more from a theoretical perspective: How is it structured? What is its affect? What harmonic functions am I playing? (or, in solo pieces: what are the underlying harmonies?) Where are the modulations taking place? What effect have these things on the execution of my voice: which notes do I want to point out, which to hide and with what kind of articulation and air speed? Where to breathe and how? How much freedom concerning the timing of my playing could fit the piece while respecting the other voices? And of course, if a technically demanding passage appears — whether it’s a virtuosic run or a difficult leap — I spend extra time on it.
And some general things I try to pay attention to while practicing:
  • Keeping the playing flexible (by organizing strong and weak notes)
  • Keeping the body relaxed (keeping it in motion while playing, paying attention to my wrists and relaxed fingers, especially in fast passages)
  • Keeping my brain and ears active — not wasting time by repeating passages without knowing what I want to improve the next time
But maybe the overarching goal is always to enjoy the sound I’m producing and to have fun with the musical phrases.
Do you do any systematic warm-up?
From my former teacher Karl Kaiser, I use an exercise that I really like (though I don’t do it daily): it’s a rather fast scale exercise starting in D major, from low d1 but with 9 notes to e2 and back down (twice). The third and fourth times, it still starts from d1, but playing the next chromatic scale upward, so E-flat major up to e-flat2 and back down, again twice. Then I breathe and continue from e-flat1 to f2, two times in E-flat major, then two times in E major, and so on.
Sometimes I slur all the notes, sometimes I use groups of two or play it with did’ll, or mix articulations. It keeps my brain and fingers active, and I’ve found it really improves my playing for more virtouse passages and especially when scales appear in pieces — even more so during sight-reading.
Do you have a specific structure for warm-up and practice sessions?
Not really. What’s important to me is taking enough breaks. I really enjoy switching to harpsichord or another instrument in between, or trying different positions — playing while standing, leaning against a wall, sitting with legs up, or even lying down.
I don’t use many structured exercises, but I believe that you can train all important aspects of flute playing within the pieces themselves. That’s why I’m a huge fan of sight-reading — it’s a great way to develop intuitive musical reflexes without learning them on purpose, as similar musical elements (cadences, rhythmic patterns, etc.) keep reappearing across pieces. It also immediately shows your strengths and what you could improve.
Any distinctive characteristics of baroque flute daily practice vs. modern flute or other instruments?​
Definitely for me the approach to forked fingerings — really embracing them as a gift for producing multiple tone colours, rather than fighting against their supposedly “weaker” sound. I try to be grateful for the opportunity to integrate them into our playing, as they enrich expression so much.
I especially like to be very active with my “open” fingers while playing those notes to regulate intonation: depending on how close or far away they are from the open holes, it can significantly affect both sound and intonation in comparison to the modern flute.
What are the key elements and unmissable points of daily practice?
My experience tells me that it’s not really about practicing daily, but about playing as much as possible — by which I mean sight-reading new pieces, playing in duos or ensembles, or playing other instruments. Also: taking enough breaks, and only practicing when I know why and what I’m practicing for. Personally, I see no use in picking up the flute just to “get practicing done.” I try to avoid practicing when I’m stressed or need to get other things done (though I often end up playing (sight reading or improvising) to avoid getting those things done on the other hand 😏.
How long and distributed should warm-up and practice be?
There’s no universal rule — it varies every time, depending on my concentration, available time, and even the room I’m in. Sometimes, just playing two or three enjoyable long notes can be a very effective and satisfying outcome for the day.
Any  specific tip to address difficult technical passages during daily practice?
I try to mentally structure the difficult passage first, before playing it — understanding what it consists of: scales, thirds, interval leaps? What rhythm? Do the individual notes belong to the phrase before or after — do they end something or begin something new?
Then I remind myself: I’ve played each of these individual notes many times before — it’s just the new combination of notes and, likely, the tempo that makes it tricky now. But I try to rely on the knowledge that I’ve played every single note beautifully in other contexts before.
While playing, I try to keep every note of the passage fully present — not letting the fingers “overtake” and move faster than my brain. That’s why I like to sometimes start playing the passage slowly, then experiment with different rhythms and shift the emphasis away from the normal bar hierarchy. I slur the passage if it will later be tongued — or tongue it if it will later be slurred.
I also like to play the passage on a single repeated note, clearly defining the articulation I want before returning to the real pitches. I might also play the passage on the harpsichord or sing it — to avoid making traverso-specific excuses for poor execution ;-)
So, I aim to play only what my brain can think — but of course, I know that different approaches work better for different people.
Are there any tools that are particularly useful for practicing?
I haven’t really used them much myself, but while teaching I’ve noticed that for some people, using a mirror can be very helpful — especially when beginning to learn the traverso. It can be difficult at first to “feel” the mouth hole correctly with the embochure but with a mirror, you can see how much of it is covered by your lower lip and check if your embouchure is as relaxed as possible. It’s also a good way to observe which facial muscles are involved when playing, and to see how far unused fingers hover above the open holes — which can greatly affect intonation.
My goal then would always be to translate the visual feedback from the mirror into my muscular memory.
Any other general advice, suggestion, tip?
I’m always trying to think of music as a fantastic playful way for learning good communication – when to speak up, when to listen carefully, when in dialouge, when in contradiction with each other and so on. That’s why in general, I wouldn’t take practicing too seriously, but instead aim to be as present as possible in the actual moment of making music — with the most open ears possible for all the other voices playing around you.
One game-changing piece of advice I learned from Daniela Lieb for achieving a big, carrying sound is to always  pull out the head joint more than you would feel comfortable with intonation-wise. At first, it feels a bit wrong, but in the end, it forces you to have a more supported air stream — not playing louder! — resulting in a fuller sound that carries much farther. This may change the playing technique quite a bit since more air is constantly needed (especially for the weaker notes, or when playing piano), but after a while it will feel very natural.
It also trains you to listen to your own playing as if you were standing in front of or behind yourself, rather than being overly focused in the space between your flute and music stand. You develop awareness of the whole room.
Another game-changer for me was developing a well thought-through breathing technique (not specifically  for flute playing, but for everyday use in general). It helps in so many ways: it regulates my nervous system within seconds when I’m stressed, helps with blood pressure and concentration, and is a great relief if you struggle with stage fright.
How do you advise your students as far as structuring their daily practice?
I don’t really give a specific structure, but I always try to make them think about what and why they want to practice. Not just repeating a difficult passage without knowing what to improve or how to approach it. When learning a new piece, I recommend playing the bass line or even recording it, to better understand the counterpoint and harmonic development.
Do you suggest or teach a warm-up routine?​
With some students, I like to do this warm-up exercise:
We choose a “tonality of the day” and basically play an ascending scale. I hold the ground note while the student slurs from the same ground note to the second scale degree and back (e.g. d–e–d). Then we breathe together and continue with the next interval: I hold the ground note again and the student plays “ground note – third – ground note,” and so on until we reach the octave. We repeat the same for the second octave.
We play the notes very slowly, paying attention to good sound quality, clean and supported slurs, well-organized messa di voce, and accurate intonation. We also discuss the colours and tensions of each interval — maybe even imagine additional notes that create a specific harmony, and observe how that changes the character of the interval. I also like to imagine different textures for each interval: Are they coarse-grained, stone-rough, or mirror-smooth?
I really enjoy this exercise — it connects me with the flute, helps warm up the body and breath, and allows us to enjoy the richness of two simultaneous tones.
Of course if you‘re by yourself, then a tuner can play a drone sound to holdi the ground note.
Are there any specific pieces particularly beneficial to be played regularly in daily practice?
For the baroque flute, Friedrich II’s 100 tägliche Übungen” and/or Quantz’s Solfeggi can be very beneficial. His annotations are a fantastic resource for learning the “language” of that era’s music, and the Friedrich exercises help you understand which smaller musical building blocks the music is made of.
Other fun pieces for warming up include Telemann’s Canonic Sonatas — you can record one voice and then play the canon with it. You might even try playing along from memory with the recording to see how far you get — or even better, find a second person to do it with 😉.