HOT METZ

HOT METZ (pronounced Hot Mess) is a fun, groovy work for junior flute ensemble, written specifically for younger players without watering down the rhythmic energy, colour or sense of humour that I want in my music.

Commissioned by Nathalie Lamour-Georgin for a flute day in Talange, near Metz in north-eastern France, it was my first original piece written specifically for a children’s flute ensemble. The original product page describes the five concert-flute parts as progressively graded in difficulty, with challenging rhythms passed from the stronger parts down through the ensemble.

And that is really the key to the piece.

The five parts run from Flute 1, the most advanced, right down to a genuinely easy Flute 5. Whenever a less experienced player encounters one of the trickier commercial-style rhythms, they will normally have heard it several times already in the stronger parts.

So the kids are not simply being asked to count something unfamiliar.

They have already heard it, absorbed it and understood how it feels before their turn arrives.

The result is approximately 5 minutes of rhythmic, commercial-influenced flute music with Explosive Articulation, foot stamps, finger clicks, whispering, speaking and shouting, culminating in one enormous:

“HOT METZ!”

Quick Details

• Junior flute ensemble / junior flute choir

• Approximately 5 minutes

• 5 Concert Flute parts

• Parts graded progressively from Flute 1 to Flute 5

• Suitable for a genuinely mixed-experience junior group

• Flute 5 is accessible to very inexperienced players

• Written for multiple players per part

• Can be performed with or without a conductor

• Groovy, rhythmically driven, commercial-music character

• Extended techniques and body percussion

• Whispered, spoken and shouted “HOT METZ”

• Designed to teach rhythmic confidence through listening

• World premiere in Talange, near Metz, France

• Since performed internationally

• Printed score purchasers may request complimentary PDF individual parts

Instrumentation & Player Levels

Flute 1
Upper Intermediate – Advanced Middle School

Flute 2
Intermediate – Strong Middle School

Flute 3
Developing Intermediate – Average Middle School

Flute 4
Developing – typically around 18+ months of playing

Flute 5
Beginner – suitable for relatively new players

These levels are deliberately approximate.

HOT METZ has worked with very young children, including players of roughly six or seven years old, but I have also rehearsed it successfully with much more advanced under-18 players.

That is an important distinction.

Easy music does not necessarily have to be boring music.

The stronger players still get rhythmic activity, groove and character, while the youngest players remain genuinely involved in making the piece work.

Nobody is simply a passenger.

What exactly is a HOT METZ?

The expression “hot mess” describes something or someone gloriously chaotic. When introducing the piece to French audiences, I have sometimes explained the idea as something along the lines of “une diva en vrille.”

But the title also contains a little language lesson.

The French city Metz is pronounced essentially “Mess”, without sounding the final Z.

English speakers have an unfortunate tendency to pronounce it “Metz”.

So:

HOT METZ

teaches English-speaking players to pronounce Metz properly.

But there is revenge.

French-speaking players then have to pronounce the H in the English word hot, something they are traditionally rather reluctant to do.

So the title is educational for everybody.

And just in case anyone hasn't learnt it by the end, the players whisper it, speak it and shout it repeatedly during the piece.

Problem solved.

Learning rhythm by listening

One of the most deliberate educational ideas in HOT METZ concerns rhythm.

Flutists spend an enormous amount of time learning to make a beautiful sound.

Sometimes rather more time than we spend learning to count.

I can say that because I was absolutely guilty of it myself as a young player.

Rhythm, particularly the syncopated language of commercial music, can look intimidating on the page before a young musician understands how it is supposed to feel.

So HOT METZ uses a kind of rhythmic relay system.

If there is a potentially tricky rhythmic figure, it might appear first in:

Flute 1

then:

Flute 2

then:

Flute 3

and eventually:

Flute 4

By the time the less experienced player has to perform it, they may already have heard exactly the same idea three times.

The written rhythm has therefore stopped being an abstract collection of notes and rests.

They already know what it sounds like.

This is absolutely deliberate, and it is one of the central teaching ideas behind the piece.

Music for children that still sounds like music

Before HOT METZ, I had written mixed-level pieces such as The Flutewise Theme and Single Yellow Line, as well as arrangements suitable for younger players.

But I had never written an original work whose primary audience was specifically children.

That created an interesting compositional challenge.

My music tends to be rhythmically active and harmonically colourful, and I didn't want to lose that simply because the technical demands needed to be lower.

So HOT METZ lives in a groovy, commercial-music sound world rather than trying to sound deliberately juvenile.

The notes may be accessible.

The musical character isn't dumbed down.

That is probably one of the reasons it has proved so useful for junior ensembles.

Extended Techniques & Performance Effects

HOT METZ includes:

• Explosive Articulation

• Foot stamps

• Finger clicks

• Whispered “HOT METZ”

• Spoken “HOT METZ”

• Shouted “HOT METZ”

These aren't decorative extras.

They give even the simplest parts rhythmic responsibility and character, and they make rehearsing the piece considerably more fun.

The whole thing eventually culminates in a large ensemble shout of:

HOT METZ!

Which is exactly as subtle as it sounds.

Does it need a conductor?

Not necessarily.

HOT METZ can certainly be conducted, particularly with a large group or very young ensemble.

I have also directed it while playing Flute 1 and even from Flute 5, so a confident player or teacher can lead the ensemble from within.

A smaller, secure group could also perform it as chamber music without a conductor.

One per part or a whole flute choir?

Definitely a whole flute choir if you want.

The piece was conceived for multiple players on each of its five parts, rather than as a five-person chamber work. The current edition is scored for five concert-flute voices.

That makes it particularly useful for:

• junior flute days

• school flute ensembles

• community flute choirs

• mixed-age workshops

• summer schools

• massed closing concerts

Five players can perform it, but so can a room full of them.

From Metz to the world

The first performance took place at the flute day in Talange, near Metz, for which the piece had been commissioned.

The young players embraced it immediately.

Since then, HOT METZ has travelled much further than I expected, with performances in countries including Australia, UK, Finland, South Africa and the United States, as well as performances elsewhere in Europe.

I also worked on it with the under-18 ensemble at the International Flute Summer School in Bruges in 2026.

Those players were considerably more advanced than the original target level, but the piece still worked.

They could play it easily, certainly, but they could also play it really well: groove harder, exaggerate the character, make the ensemble tighter and have fun with it.

That distinction matters.

A piece does not stop being enjoyable simply because you can play all the notes.

Why not just give a junior ensemble an easy arrangement?

Because children deserve repertoire written for them, not merely music from somewhere else with the difficult notes removed.

I want my music to be two things:

fun to play and fun to listen to.

With HOT METZ, I have seen the smiles during rehearsals and heard the laughs after performances.

The players are active.

They have things to listen for.

They have rhythms to recognise.

They click, stamp, whisper and shout.

And even the least experienced member of the ensemble has a real job to do.

That, for me, is much more interesting than simply making something easy.

Printed Score + Complimentary PDF Parts

Because HOT METZ is written as a flute choir work with multiple players per part, purchasers of the printed score may also request a complimentary PDF set of the five individual parts at checkout.

This allows teachers and ensemble directors to distribute parts conveniently without repeatedly photocopying the printed edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is HOT METZ written for?
It was written specifically for a junior flute ensemble and first performed by children ranging from very young beginners to players of approximately 12–13 years old. It also works well with older and more advanced junior ensembles.

How difficult is Flute 5?
Flute 5 is deliberately very easy and suitable for genuinely inexperienced players. It still includes musical and performance effects, so the player remains fully involved.

Do all five parts become progressively more difficult?
Yes. Flute 1 is the strongest part and the technical level gradually decreases through Flutes 2, 3, 4 and 5.

How does HOT METZ teach rhythm?
More complicated rhythmic ideas usually appear in the stronger flute parts first. Less experienced players therefore hear the rhythm several times before they have to play it themselves.

What does HOT METZ mean?
It is a play on the English expression “hot mess” and the French city of Metz. It also turns into a pronunciation lesson for both English and French speakers.

Does it contain extended techniques?
Yes. The music includes Explosive Articulation, foot stamps, finger clicks and whispered, spoken and shouted text.

Does HOT METZ need a conductor?
No. It can be conducted, led by someone playing within the ensemble, or performed unconducted by a sufficiently secure group.

Is it one player per part?
No. It was designed as a flute choir work, so any or all of the five parts can be doubled by multiple players.

How long is it?
Approximately 5 minutes.

Are complimentary PDF parts included with the printed edition?
Yes. Because this is a flute choir work designed for multiple players per part, purchasers of the printed score can request complimentary PDF individual parts.