One Week Until Christmas: What's On My Stand

Hello, hello!  I apologize for my absence, but, my, has December been a busy month!  As it should be with so many fun holiday gigs to be had.  :)

Recently, my flute duo Pipes & Keys, with Katie Smyth, played a short holiday concert for some of the residents at Lenoir Woods in South Columbia.  It was a great experience that reminded me how important a musician's relationships in the community are; the community in which we live is our patron and we, musicians, could not thrive without the people with whom we exist.  The residents of Lenoir Woods were wonderful and made Katie and I feel very welcomed in their home.  I hope that Pipes & Keys will be back at Lenoir Woods very soon!


With Christmas just around the corner, it is time to gear up for Christmas Mass.  This is another experience that strengthens my relationship with my community.  I am so blessed that I get to celebrate in music with the parish of Sacred Heart every Saturday at 4:30 Mass.  So naturally, I am even more excited to participate in Christmas Eve Mass.  The music director mentioned something about "discussing the music selections" for the Mass with me this Saturday and I cannot wait to do so!  I love being offered the opportunity to take part in the music selection process because it makes me feel more involved and less like a person who just shows up to the performance; I become more invested in the experience and the atmosphere the music creates for the congregation.

I am also pleased to officially announce that I will be playing second flute with the Missouri Symphony in their annual Symphony of Toys concert this Sunday.  There is a 3:00 and a 7:00 performance and I hope you might be able to come enjoy yet another celebration of the holiday season.  You may order tickets online here or call the box office at (573) 882-3781.  I had my first and only rehearsal with Maestro Kirk Trevor last night - it started at 4:00 and ended around 10:15!  It was grueling but also a great deal of fun as I am playing with my partner in crime, Katie Smyth, and the very talented Ryan Wall.  I love playing with them because it is not only fun, but it also pushes me to play better and to be more attentive to the music and my contribution to the group.  I don't want to ruin any surprises in the concert, but let me just say that Ryan sounds beautiful and Katie will be making her debut on a new instrument (not that the instrument was just invented, but rather she has never played it before)!  There may also be a pop culture reference that will make you want to stand up and sing (and you should!!!).  See you there! :)

So, This Happened!

Photo courtesy of Alice K. Dade

Last night I was so fortunate as to have the opportunity to play Stephen Bulla's "Rhapsody for Flute" with the Columbia Community Band.  It was an amazing experience that I will never forget; but hopefully this will not be the last time I get to play with an ensemble as a featured soloist.  It was just too much fun for this to be a one time thing!  I am grateful that the group of musicians I play with every Wednesday were willing, excited even, to go on this journey with me.  To them, thank you so much!  To my partner in crime who came to support me and help me record the performance, Katie Smyth, you're the best!

Now, what kind of perfectionist flutist would I be if I didn't say that there were moments I wish I could have another go at; however, overall I am quite pleased with myself.  As previously stated in a previous post, I had never done this before.  Sure, I have played many solos within band and orchestral pieces, but the Bulla was new territory for me.  And I played it memorized with no mind slips!  Yes, this is one of those times where I am just going to chalk it up to a great experience and simply be happy with my performance.  

All that being said, the next time I get a similar opportunity I will probably have higher expectations of myself and thus I will prepare a little differently.  You live and learn, right?  About that similar opportunity...any offers?  Don't hold back - I'm ready!

Before I get too far ahead of myself, and last night's performance, here is the fruit of my labor!  Enjoy:

Busy Week: Lincoln University Christmas Concert

Last night I had my first and only rehearsal with the Lincoln University (located in Jefferson City) Vocal Ensemble and Choir.  I am playing flute in what the director has named the Friends of the Arts Orchestra; we are "friends of the Arts"  because we, the group, are made up of two types of people: people in professions outside of music that still play because we love music and professional musicians who went into music because we love it.  Makes sense to me.  And tonight is the performance!

The rehearsal lasted roughly two hours and it was quite the whirlwind experience.  For the orchestra's part, we are a group of musicians that don't normally play together so we had one night to figure out how to gel our sounds and talents together while simultaneously navigating through the music in front of us.  Can I just say how much I love my job?  Then on top of that we had this one rehearsal to get everything together with the combined choirs.  This rehearsal went very well, probably because of the rigid dictatorship displayed by the director putting it all together - that is a compliment by the way.  This woman knows how to run a rehearsal.  We actually got out of rehearsal nearly twenty minutes before the anticipated end time.

As for the music, eleven songs (I can say song because of the singers, otherwise they would have to be called pieces) about Christmas.  What's not to like?  I am particularly fond of John Rutter's "Candlelight Carol"  and "I Wish You Christmas" (not to be confused with the standard "I Wish You a Merry Christmas").  There are some extremely talented singers in this group and I hope that the auditorium will be full of enthusiastic listeners for them to entertain.

Please consider this an informal invitation to the concert!  The music and merriment will begin at 7:30pm in Richardson Auditorium on the Lincoln University campus in Jefferson City.  Come out to support the Arts and a great ensemble of music students...and Friends.  :)

Busy Week: Columbia Community Band December Concert

This is only the first week of December and I have two holiday concerts coming up: I will be playing in Jefferson City on Friday night and with the Columbia Community Band on Sunday night.  I love playing Christmas music, so I don't really have a complaint; it's just kind of funny that both concerts happen so soon.

This Wednesday evening will be the last rehearsal I have with the CCB before I perform the Bulla Rhapsody for Flute with them on Sunday.  I have only played it with them a few times and as of right now I plan to play from memory.  Playing from memory has been going pretty well.  My main concerns are not rushing (something I want to do in all of my excitement during performances) and playing musically.  I want to give a good performance and playing from memory is only impressive if it sounds well-prepared.  At least, that is how I feel, but maybe this is another one of my ridiculous standards.

So here are the things I have been doing in order to prepare for this new experience (I have never played a solo piece with a large ensemble - I am extremely excited and grateful to have been offered this opportunity!):

1. Listen to recordings.  No joke, I think I have listened to every recording on youtube.com and I definitely have my favorites.

2. Practice at varied tempos. I have played each of the three sections slower and faster (and at tempo) than they are marked to make sure my fingers and air know the music backwards and forwards.  This really tests my ability not to rush and it also helps me double check to make sure I have musical, forward-moving lines.  No one wants to be boring and it is very easy to be boring.  No matter how good the composition is, if your only concern is hitting the notes on the page then you're going to be boring.

3.  Record myself.  I have recordings playing by myself and with the CCB.  I want to make sure I am aware of my sound in both environments.  In the first recording with the CCB, I realized I was only playing loud.  This probably resulted from the awkwardness I felt trying to "play into"  the microphone and the fact that I didn't know if I was being overpowered by the ensemble.  I have never played a solo piece with a large ensemble before; if I didn't record myself, I wouldn't know anything about how I fit into the band sound prior to the performance.  That is terrifying to me.

4.  Play with recordings online.  I have played the Bulla with nearly every recording on youtube.com.  I want to make sure I actually have the piece by memory and that regardless of who is playing "with me" I know when to play.  This checks my ability to follow tempos and to react to different interpretations of the piece by groups/conductors.  

5. Practice my presence.  After the masterclass with Mark Sparks, every time I play I try to recall his comments on posture (which I shared here on my blog in a previous post).  With the Bulla, I try to stand even taller and appear stronger.  I have this feeling that although I may project absolute confidence (I hope!!) that I am going to be a bit uneasy.  I am so excited for this new experience, but I have to remember that it is new.  I need to prepare mentally and physically.

These are things I have been doing outside of all the normal/standard practice I had to do to even learn the piece.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and if you can, come to the performance on Sunday.  The concert begins at 7pm at Hickman High School in Columbia.  We will, of course, be playing much more than just the Bulla; it is a program full of Christmas fun!  I hope to see you there!  If you can't make it, I am planning on video recording it and if all goes well I will post in on my website.

Practice Tip: You Will Always Be Your Worst Critic - Make Sure You Are Also Your Own Best Friend

It can sometimes appear as though practice sessions are merely mental floggings and attacks on your ability to play and/or improve.  We all have good and bad days, but the bad days tend to stick with us more than the good.  On a bad day, it is easy to just get overly frustrated and decide, "Why do I bother? I am never going to get it anyway." or to pull out a piece we mastered years ago to boost our confidence.  While I am all for a confidence boost, or just reminding yourself that playing flute is fun, neither help you improve on whatever is your current woe.

Basically, although it isn't all that easy,  you have to face your problems directly in order to get better.  Numerous times in my blog posts I have said that "you are your worst critic" and it is so true.  But if you only ever rip yourself you won't improve either.  In my experience, negativity has never actually gotten me anywhere.  You have to balance out your negativity with some positive thoughts.  Be your own best friend.  Think about it, your best friend is open and honest with you, telling it "like it is," but they also are your biggest champions.  They will tell you all the great and wonderful things about you.  They are also your therapist.  You tell them about your problems and they immediately offer you possible solutions.  To improve, and to be able to stand practicing, you need to counter all of your "This went horribly. I sound gross.  I'm just playing notes; I'm not playing the music," with "This measure sounded much better.  I know exactly what I am trying to do here and I am doing it well." and "I can use rhythms to practice this measure and fix my uneven fingers.  I should listen to ::insert favorite flute players' names:: recording of this section to get inspiration for my interpretation."

If you record yourself playing, cough cough, it will be easier to hear all the good things that are happening in your playing.  I know that for me, if I don't record myself, I often get stuck on what is going wrong while I am playing and I don't even hear the good and therefore can't give myself a pat on the back at the end.  Yes, listening to yourself on a recording is painful (at first...maybe always), but recording yourself gives you the opportunity to listen as a pseudo-second party (distance is good when it comes to judgement).   Of course, it is still very much a first-person experience because you know it is you and you really care about your playing, but unless you can magically make a second you, this is the best option.

When you listen to yourself, write your thoughts down.  Try to start with the positive and for each negative write a possible practice solution.  If you only write critical thoughts without offering yourself some fixes, it's just a bunch of negativity.  The other bonus of writing things down is that you can remember what you are trying to work on every time you pull out a piece.  That's efficiency.  It makes it easier for you to be productive.  Furthermore, all the nice things you said about yourself are recorded to give you the confidence boost you need to begin a practice session if you are feeling anxious.

This post was inspired by reading Noa Kageyama's "Practicing Self-Compassion" article in The Flutist Quarterly v. 40.1.

Take Care Of Your Flute!

As it gets colder here in the Deep South, you need to make sure you take extra special care of your flute.  Not only should you take extra care to warm up (tuning will be affected), you should remind yourself of the basic rules of caring for your flute. Also note that one of the warmest part of your body is your armpit.  I am not saying you should stick your flute under your armpit per se, but it will warm your instrument up to room temperature pretty quickly.

It is important to take care of the flute on a regular basis in order to avoid large, and expensive to repair, mechanical issues.  Make sure your case is kept clean and that you store your instrument in a dry area so that your pads can dry quickly and, worst-case scenario, mold cannot grow from the leftover moisture in your flute.

1. Prior to putting the flute back in the case, the inside of the flute should be swabbed to remove moisture.  This can be accomplished simply by attaching a cloth, thin enough to maneuver in and out of the flute yet thick enough to absorb moisture, to the end of a plastic or wooden tuning rod.  There are also specialty products available for the specific purpose of swabbing out the flute; one example is a flute flag.  Here are some other products suggested by Flute World.
2. If your pads are sticking while you are playing you can use cigarette paper or similar thin papers to remove some of the moisture from the pads.  Place the cigarette paper under the pad that is sticking and gently push the key down while pulling the cigarette paper out.  If you push the key down with too much pressure the cigarette paper may tear (as well as damage the pad).
3. The outside of the flute should also be cared for on a regular basis.  Using a soft cloth made of any material that will not scratch the flute or leave any residue behind, wipe fingerprints off the tubing and keys of the flute.  Be careful not to apply too much pressure when wiping the keys because the keys may bend.  It is also very important to stay away from the pads of the flute when cleaning the outside.  Pads are easily ruined and expensive to replace.  On occasion, once a month or so, you can use a little rubbing alcohol on cotton balls or a soft cloth to clean away any oily residue on the tubing of your flute.  Again, it is important to stay clear of the pads.
   

Periodically, once a year or so, it is a good idea to have your flute serviced by a technician.  They will clean, oil, and adjust (COA) your flute and make sure it is in top shape.  The technician might also notice a leak or necessary pad change that you might not.  If you do notice a leak while playing, the easiest way to narrow down the problem key, spring, etc. on your flute is to play a chromatic scale, slowly, down starting on the C# on the middle space of the staff.  If your sound is stifled, changes or even disappears, you have found a leak.

There are kits available that you can buy and they will probably contain more tools than you will ever need.  Honestly, the best way to care for your flute is to stay on top of it.  Swab it out on a regular basis, make sure it is stored in a dry area, and let it see a "doctor" once a year.  Also try not to drop it, dunk it in water (or snow as it gets colder), or throw it against a wall in frustration (seriously, when you are getting angry, just put it down and walk away - everybody wins).  If you think something is wrong with your flute, don't wait to take it to someone who will be able to confirm or disprove your suspicion as delaying could make the problem worse.  So, basically you could think of your flute like a person, a little dependent person (like a child), who is counting on you to take them to the doctor, feed them, bathe them, clothe them, etc.

Don't forget to take care of yourselves too! Stay warm, friends!

Posture and Presence

This blog post is inspired by the masterclass with Mark Sparks that I had the privilege of participating in Sunday night.  Sparks talked about his education and the opportunities he had which helped him to get where he is today, but after the introduction he spent roughly thirty minutes discussing how your posture, when standing, is your presence when playing and how it impacts your ability to play well.  Here are my takeaways from the initial thirty minutes with the St. Louis Symphony Principal.

1. Stand with your feet apart, left foot forward and right foot back and slightly turned out.  This stance gives you stability which will translate into strength and power in your playing.

2. This one is more for people like me, flexible in a not-so-good way - watch your knees.  Don't lock them or bend them backward as that messes up the alignment of your pelvis and back.  Obviously this will impact your ability to breathe and, quite frankly, you might pass out with your knees locked.  Not good.  For those people, like me, you might feel like your knees are more bent than they are and you might feel unstable in that position.  What Sparks suggested, and it makes sense, is that because you are not accustomed to standing thus, your joints and muscles are weak in this position.  Strengthen them by insisting that you play and stand with your knees in the correct place.

3.  Don't slouch.  Mark Sparks called me out on this one a few times last night (it is almost like the guy didn't know that I just had a baby and that I take care of my two demons all day).  When you slouch, you aren't ready to play.  Not fully, not well.  If you pretend there is a string coming out of the top of your head and that it is gently pulling up, your body will naturally stand straight up in a relaxed manner (this I learned from a decade of ballet).  The other point Sparks made in regard to slouching is that you want people to be interested in your playing before you start playing.  You need to demand and command the attention of the audience.  This is your presence as a musician and it should be powerful.  Slouching does not suggest power or, even worse, interest.

4.  You need to have this presence or persona that is directly linked to your flute playing.  This means that every time you pick up your flute, practicing or performing (really, what is the difference?), this persona takes over.  Your posture automatically improves (if necessary) and through your posture you put your best foot forward (there is a potential joke here, I am pretty sure) and lay a solid foundation before your flute gets anywhere near your face.

5. Bring your flute to your face, not the other way around.  If you bring your face to your flute, your posture will be out of line.

Sparks also discussed tone and suggested playing without vibrato (say what?! I feel like this has been mentioned previously in my blogging) and warming up slowly, meaning playing scales slowly to reacquaint yourself with your flute.  I haven't been more nervous playing a B to a Bb before in my life.  It was an amazing experience that only makes me want to go to St Louis and play more than two notes for Mr. Sparks to hear what he would have to say.  Like all of my music experiences, Mark Sparks affirmed my love for fluting.  Thank you, sir!

The College Audition

My thoughts on this post will be brief because I am going to include a link to an article written by Dr. Michelle Stanley, the Flute Professor at Colorado State University (lots of links today). Here we go:

I am sure most people auditioning for college, or anything really, are most concerned about the physical preparation including but not limited to practicing.  However, it is important to recognize that the audition is equal parts physical and mental.  The mental preparation tends to be much more difficult.  As I have discussed practice methods quite a bit, let's look briefly at the mental aspect of the audition.

Playing in front of people is not easy, especially if you know they are judging or evaluating you in some way.  Are the music professors at the college checking to see if you possess the necessary skills to succeed?  Absolutely.  They are also wondering what musical knowledge you already have.  Yet, they don't expect you to be perfect.  If you were, you could skip college and just go straight to the major leagues.  Remember that they are also attempting to gauge your potential and your ability to adapt or respond to their criticism or suggestions.  So, try not to freak out too much.  You are going to college to improve on your skills and the admissions people are well aware of this; they went into education for the express purpose of helping young musicians reach their full potential.  In other words, they want you to succeed too.

My recommendation is to play your audition for as many people as possible prior to your audition.  Allow them to give you feedback and be open to listening to what they have to say.  It would also be smart to record yourself when you play for people, so that you can go back and hear what they are talking about in regards to your playing as well as listen to yourself, judge yourself, and know how you sound to you.  You will be your worst critic.

Seriously.  I remember one audition for my college tour in which I was told prior to the audition that there was no room in the flute studio for me.   I took the audition anyway for experience.  I thought it went horribly and walked out of the professor's office crying.  A month or so later, I received not only an acceptance letter from the school, but also a music scholarship that covered a substantial amount of the tuition.  You will be your worst, absolute worst, critic.

Without further ado, read Dr. Stanley's thoughts on preparing for college auditions: "Playing Your Best: College Music Auditions".

High School Extracurriculars and College

Thinking back, applying for college is somewhat annoying.  Why?  Well, colleges want to see that you are doing every possible activity you can so that you are well-rounded, but they also want you to have a solid foundation, and great potential, in the field in which you are applying to earn a degree (especially in music).

When I was in high school, I was required to maintain honor roll and participate in a sport or some activity every season...and this was a requirement by my parents.  So I made honor roll, played in every band ensemble and the orchestra, played tennis in the fall, did gymnastics in the winter, danced almost 10 hours a week the whole year, and took flute and clarinet lessons.  Oh, I also participated in a youth orchestra junior and senior year.  My mom's philosophy, and now mine, is that you should leave every door open to you.  If you have the opportunity to do something and you can do it, you probably should.  Open doors are infinitely better, and more useful to you, than closed ones.

But when is too much, too much?  I knew I wanted to play flute.  Did all these other activities take away from my flute playing?  Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it since most of my activities were flute-related.  Most importantly, not only was I in a handful of ensembles that met every week,  I seldom missed a lesson.  

With college expectations only seeming to grow, how do you find the balance of doing all the extracurriculars admissions like to see on an application, and still show that your main focus is playing flute?  Yes talent is important, but surely it must go beyond talent.

I am not sure I have the clear answer to this dilemma, because I like to have more than one thing going on in my life at any given time.  In high school, I thrived on being busy and honestly, being busy probably helped me focus.  Because I didn't have a lot of free time I had to manage time efficiently.  All that being said, here are my thoughts on being in all those clubs and sports at school when you could be playing flute.

- Do what makes you happy.  If Spanish Club and playing soccer are just part of who you are, don't drop them from your schedule because you are worried some college's school of music admissions person will think you aren't focused enough on your flute.  Yes, practicing is important, but you need to have a life outside of flute.  A happy life outside of the flute world will only make you happier in the flute world.

- As always, be honest with yourself.  If you aren't someone who thrives on being busy, know when you are taking on too much.  Quality over quantity.  You can't be amazing at everything.  No one can.  Pick the activities that are important to you and leave behind the others that are just "would-be-nice".

- Which relates to the main thought I have about all this: PRIORITIZE.  Some activities are more important than others, fact.  Getting good grades and practicing flute need to be at the top of your list if you want to go to college for music.  However, these need not be the only priorities, just remember they should be in the top three if not top two (not counting family time and down time, both also very important...and you know, eating).

You need to figure out the perfect balance for you.  Prioritizing your activities/commitments should help you succeed overall.  Be open-minded and don't burn bridges, but be mindful of your limits.  Mainly, do what makes you happy...and practice flute everyday.  :)

Thinking About College

I don't know about you, but I started thinking about college, as in which colleges I would apply to, when I was a freshman in high school.  Looking back, that was somewhat ridiculous and I didn't really have a thought process in my school selections.  I sort of just said, "There is a music program? Great." and I wish I could go back.  By no means do I regret going to Notre Dame.  I only wish I had put some more thought into the other schools on my list and much more thought into the schools that were not.

So, knowing what I know now, and having grown up quite a bit, here are my recommended considerations for all flute-playing or musically-inclined high school juniors (the more appropriate age perhaps) as you begin to think about college.  The most important thing throughout this process is to be completely open and honest with yourself:

1)  Note that when you are looking at colleges and music schools/programs, you are actually looking at who you would be studying with primarily.  So in the case of a flute performance major, the flute professor is key to your search.  If you don't know anything about the flute professor, do some research on their websites and Youtube (they may have recordings!).  Things to consider: Do you like their playing?  Does their resume match what you would like yours to look like?  If you are interested in new music or baroque music, are they known for their performance of new music or baroque music?  Do you think they will be able to offer you the opportunities or connections you want to have?

As you begin to narrow down your list, contact the flute professor and see if you can schedule a lesson with them.  It is important to know if you and the professor have a connection with each other as you will have a relationship with them for the four years you study with them.  Do you work well together?  Are you comfortable with them?  Do your personalities mesh?  Does it seem like you and the professor have the same general goals for your future?

Many great and well-known flutists teach at universities.  This offers a great opportunity but may lead you to disappointment.  There is a small chance that your favorite flutist (to listen to on Youtube, etc.)  may not be the flute teacher for you, for whatever reason.  Try not to despair!  You can still listen to their recordings on Youtube to inspire you, but maybe you take lessons from someone else.  And that is okay.

2) Figure out if you want to go to a conservatory or not (taking a lesson and visiting the campus/shadowing a current student for the day may give you a good idea if you don't already know).  This is where you really need to be honest with yourself.  A conservatory lifestyle may not be for you, and guess what?  Not going to a conservatory doesn't make you less of a musician in any way, shape, or form.  So relax.

It is not just that living in a practice room may not be for you.  Maybe you want to double major and your second major is not in music.  Majoring in something other than music also does not make you less of a musician.  But if you are going to major in Math or German, you should probably go to a school that boasts a great music school and a great Math or German program.  Makes sense, right?  And the amazing thing is that there are many universities that are well-known for their music schools that aren't conservatories.

3) Location. Location. Location.  Not into small towns? Want the opportunities of a big city?  These are things to think about as you make a list of schools.  You don't want anything to distract you from focusing on and getting the full college experience.  If you won't be happy where you are living...you simply won't be happy and it may effect your success in school.  Again, be open-minded.  You may think that you simply would not be able to stand a small town/college town, but you might be surprised.  You can't know everything.  Take the time to visit any schools you are considering so that you can see the environment you would potentially be thriving in while earning your degree.  Be honest with yourself.

Finally, as you start compiling a list of schools, make a spreadsheet of audition requirements. The more overlap, the better.  You will be taking an audition tour and it will be a lot less stressful if you are playing the same music at each audition.  The audition music shouldn't really influence your choice in school as much as you should just be aware of the load you are taking on for these auditions.  Be realistic with yourself - don't bite off more than you can chew...it's no fun.

Besides the specifics of this short list, what you really need to remember is to be open, honest, and realistic.  Without a doubt, that is the best way to get where you want to go.  Later this week I will have another post concerning preparation for college, so stay tuned!  And for all those going through the college search/application/audition process, relax and good luck!

Flute Shopping

I, by no means, am the expert on shopping for flutes; however, I do have some thoughts on the process from my experiences as the person shopping and as a person helping someone else.  It can and should be a fun and exciting process, but it can also be a bit stressful.  There is a lot to consider when you are looking for a flute especially since there are so many options.  Not only are there many flute makers, each "brand" offers a variety of options in the material the flute is made from, the thickness of the wall of the tubing, the bonus keys and "cheater" keys ( I am looking at you split-E) that can make your life easier, the mechanism, the head joints and foot joints, custom engravings, etc.

While all of that is important, well, maybe not the engravings, what is most important is why you are even looking for a new flute.  Hopefully, there is a reason, a good one too since these babies can get pretty expensive.  If you have had your current flute for years, you have a relationship with it of sorts; this means you know what you love about it and what you don't.  If you feel your flute is holding you back from reaching your full flutey-musical potential, looking for a new flute is a good idea.  Thus begins my thoughts:

1)  Even if you think you know exactly what flute you want, be open minded.  If you are able, go to a flute shop like Flute World or Flute Specialists in person (physically place yourself in their shop...instead of the convenient online option), or to the specific flute maker's shop (Boston houses Brannen, Haynes, and Powell, which equals and awesome road trip) so that you can try the flutes in person.  Once you play the dream flute...you might find yourself dreaming something else because the original dream didn't quite live up to...your dream.

2) Again, if possible, bring someone knowledgeable with you.  This one might be a bit trickier, but the good thing is that Brannen, Haynes, Powell, and the like all have sales specialist who often know the ins-and-outs of their products extremely well.  If you tell them what you are looking for in a new flute they can help steer you in the right direction.  This is another time to remain open minded.  The sales specialists might offer a suggestion, a different flute or head joint for you to try once they have heard you play.  They can be amazing resources as an extra set of ears especially if they understand your complaints with your current flute (which you should bring and play for comparison) and your desires for you new flute.

2.5)  If you can't go to Boston (ain't nobody got time for that) and you can't drag your lesson teacher with you, you can always look into the trial programs of the flute super stores or flute makers.  They will give you anywhere from 4 days to a couple weeks to test the flute out.  Then you can take it to your lessons or ensemble rehearsals and give it a real life situation trial.  That's not a bad Plan B if you ask me.

3) Don't be nervous to play in front of the sales specialists or to be honest with them about what you think about the flute you are trying.  They can't help you if you aren't completely open and honest.

4) Never settle.  Yes, you have to stick to a budget and you might not be able to afford exactly what you want.  However, the worst thing you can do is buy a flute you don't like all that much or that isn't exactly what you want.  You'll probably just end up wanting another new flute in the not too distant future.  There is a flute out there for you - keep looking for it.  Never settle.

5) If budgeting is an issue, instead of buying a whole new flute (depending on what flute you are currently playing of course) consider upgrading your head joint.  A new and improved head joint could completely alter your perspective of your current flute and when you finally have the budget for your new flute, that new head joint will still work just fine.

6) Finally, as previously stated, know what you want.  Is your current flute too heavy?  Do you want to change the metal?  Do you wish you could play softer/louder?  Is there a certain color or tone you are looking for?  Consider your flute career: are you a soloist or a member of an ensemble.  There are many questions you should ask yourself in preparation for shopping.  Take the time to ask and answer the questions as best you can.

These aren't the only things to think about when flute shopping, but they are the first that come to mind for me and they are relatively important, don't you think?

I look forward to the day, hopefully not to far in the future, that I will get to go flute shopping.  I'm thinking either Brannen or Powell with a Lafin head joint (Mancke wouldn't insult me either)...I guess for now I will have to continue to make due with the Brannen I already have.  Sigh, my life is rough (please note heavy use of sarcasm).

But seriously, have you seen the new Powell Ruby Aurumite Flute?  Rose gold and a ruby...so pretty.

Phoning This One In - Orchestral Excerpts: Which, Why, What, and How?

There comes a point in every flute performance major’s education where the plague of orchestral excerpts begins; yet with so many orchestral works, how does a student decide which excerpts need to be mastered sooner rather than later?  Based off a collection of audition set lists collected between May 2007 and February 2012, a total of 11,  six works stand out among the rest: a Mozart concerto (usually G Major), Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3, Brahms’ Symphony No.4, Debussy’s Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun, Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.[1]  Why do these excerpts consistently appear on lists?  What is the audition committee listening for?  How do you prepare these excerpts for a professional audition?  Knowing the answers to these questions give a flutist the foundation of how to prepare any excerpt for a professional audition because, in reality, excerpts aren't so different with regard to why they appear on a professional orchestral audition list.

There are certain aspects of playing that are assumed in a professional audition setting.  The committee is not listening for correct notes because if you are auditioning at a professional level you should already know all the notes.  What the audition committee is really looking for in your playing are the nuts and bolts: internal pulse and rhythmic precision, and good tone and pitch quality.  These qualities must be present in your playing.  However, while demonstrating your mastery in the foundation of musical performance you must simultaneously “move” the committee with your musicianship.  This includes “expressivity, musicality, … phrasing flexibility, and an overall sense of musical context.”[2]  In order to fully understand the musical context of the excerpt you are playing you should study a complete full score of the pieces so that you know the inner working of the interacting musical lines; you need to know how you fit into the big picture.  It is also important to listen to multiple reputable recordings to get the general sense of tempo and how the entire piece sounds.  “Members of audition committees are used to hearing the music performed in context.  They will sense a candidate’s familiarity—or unfamiliarity—with style, tempo, and orchestration.”[3]  In particular, the style with which you play can be very telling of your knowledge of the historical context of the excerpt; for example, the treatment of ornaments, such as trills, has been different throughout the musical eras.

The first excerpt you will play at a professional audition is a concerto; in most cases, the exposition to Mozart’s Concerto in G Major serves as your introduction to the committee.  Some orchestras will ask for you to play with an accompanist, which they provide, while others will have you play by yourself.  If you play with an accompanist make sure that you tune carefully to the piano; playing an accompanied solo gives the committee “a sense of the candidate’s ability to adjust to a prevailing level of pitch.”[4]  In other words, they want to know how well you play with someone else: do you feel the same pulse and are you listening for intonation.  The Mozart concerto is the first opportunity you get to demonstrate all of your nuts and bolts, such as rhythmic accuracy, and, more importantly, your musicianship.  Mozart’s Concerto in G Major is a piece that flutists will constantly work on throughout their career and often they will work on it with multiple teachers, all with different opinions on how to play Mozart.  The interpretation of the music is the icing on the cake; the musical lines are challenging in their own rite.  The interval jumps and demanding sixteenth passages make a very dense cake batter waiting to be cooked.  On top of that, at an audition you must prove to the committee that the way you play the concerto is how Mozart intended it to be played.  Because the parts do not include much indication on dynamics, style, or articulation, as good musicians of Mozart’s time would simply know how to play, it is your job to figure it out.  This is one example of when recordings are indispensable. 

Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 is the excerpt that defines the nuts and bolts of playing.  You will often find measures 1-36 and 278-360 on any given audition list, be it a principal, second flute, or piccolo audition.  The opening of the piece may not seem challenging, but the dynamics and intimate atmosphere of the “Adagio” mean that tonal control is the name of the game.  From measures 20-36, but in particular measures 20-24, you have to be consistent with your articulations; the sixteenth note triplets should be short while the eighth notes should be legato – this four measure passage must also maintain a soft dynamic and be constantly moving forward despite the rests and staccato markings.  It is also important that the vibrato used fits into the character of the delicate tone of the opening of the overture.  The solo beginning in measure 328 calls for energy, but the excitement of the musical line is lost if the pulse and pitch are unstable, the rhythm is not accurate, the articulations are not clear, and the tonal intensity is not sustained.  The D at the end of the solo, while at a soft dynamic, must maintain all the previous intensity of the solo and the pitch must be consistent; the soloist cannot let up in any way.  Finally, after all the technical preparation it is important to be musical and expressive throughout.

The solo excerpt from Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 appears short and extremely basic; however, it is requested so much that there must be something more to it than it seems.  The first thing you may notice is that the solo begins on a high E and ends on a low E.  In the span of two octaves, Brahms explores the beautiful colors created in the varying registers of the flute.  You have to pull the listener, creating a constant building tension, through the twelve measure solo.  Each note needs to melt in to each successive pitch – the solo should be smooth in its expression.  The goal of the one long phrase is to reach E major at its conclusion although it climaxes in measure 101 on the high F#.  If you do not push the phrase forward, the solo will not only be boring for you to play, it will be extremely boring to listen to.  There is a wide range of dynamics to play with and you have to use them to make smaller phrases that will support the overall structure, the journey from high E to low E. 

Every flute player knows two key things about C#: it is an awful note on the flute and it is the first note heard in Debussy’s Prèlude à l’après-midi d’un fauna.  Therefore the primary concern of this excerpt is to find a stable and consistent, in pitch, C#.  Your familiarity with the context in which you are playing is also essential in this excerpt as you play the same solo multiple times in different settings; the first solo is flute alone, but the sequential solos are accompanied by different groups of instruments which means that you should play them differently in order to create different atmospheres with the same musical content.  This excerpt gives you the opportunity to explore tone colors.  The other challenge of this excerpt is to keep the long phrases interesting and moving with out exaggerating dynamic, as the solo is often marked at piano, or speeding up the pulse.  Air support is key in this excerpt and you may have to practice the solo with a metronome set faster than the tempo marked so that you can get the solo in one breathe.  If you practice with a metronome and slowly pull the tempo back to the marked tempo you will build your breathing endurance.  However, you should not sacrifice the musical line and your expressivity to get the solo in one breath; it is better to take a musical breath—meaning that you put the breath and execute the breath in a way that makes sense and adds to the musical line—than let your lack of breath take away from your ability to play the line comfortably.

If there were ever an excerpt to plague the audition lists for flute positions, it would be the “Scherzo” of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.  From a technical standpoint, rhythmic accuracy and light but clear articulation will get the job done.  With only two opportunities for a quick breath and the general lack of dynamic suggestion by the composer keeping up with the rest of the orchestra is a task.  You cannot slow down and you cannot take too long of a breath.  Luckily, the solo, for the most part, is written in a soft dynamic; yet you still have to project over the orchestra.  Most flutists use double tonguing on this excerpt and it is good idea to practice this excerpt a click slower and a click faster than the traditionally practiced tempo.  At an audition, the committee may ask you to play the excerpt faster and clarinetist will generally be appreciative if you do not play the solo as fast as you can double tongue due to their lack of double tongue.  In order to achieve flawless execution of this excerpt, practice at a slow tempo with a metronome and at the slow tempo begin to train yourself to take quick, efficient filling breathes.  As the tempo gets faster you will have less time to take in air.  Remember to be relaxed when you breathe as tension in your throat hinders your ability to breathe.

Without doubt, the “Variation de L’oiseau de feu” excerpt from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite is the most difficult from a technical view.  Above all else, pulse and rhythmic accuracy are the foundation to your success in playing this excerpt.  Practicing this in a slow six with a metronome will help you feel more secure when you eventually play it in a faster two.  It is also important to extremely observant of the various articulations Stravinsky uses in the piece.  To achieve all the dynamics, pitches, rhythms, and articulations at the tempo marked, slow practice should be your mantra.  Again, the context of the excerpt is important as the flute line is directly related to the piccolo line; the two lines intersect and create an overlapping musical conversation.

For a young flutist who has never taken a professional audition before, the preparation and idea of taking an audition may be overwhelming.  But it is important to keep a couple things in mind; for one, although technical perfection is expected, one or two technical mistakes won’t end your career if you demonstrate knowledge of the piece through your phrasing and expressivity.   Despite the fact that most musicians take an obscene number of auditions before winning a position, flutists with little to no experience have also won positions in their first few auditions.  Keep an open mind and prepare yourself thoroughly for an audition by listening to recordings, studying scores, being aware of where the excerpt fits in to the overall context, practice with a metronome and tuner religiously.  In an audition you have very little time to “move” the committee and communicate to them that regardless of what they have heard before you know what you are doing and you are the person who should sit in the chair that they are offering.

Sources:

Baxtresser, Jeanne.  Orchestral Excerpts for Flute. Presser Company (2008)

Nelson, Florence.  “Parloff Q&A”, Pipline. Fall 2011. Pages 5-7.

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[1] Out of the 11 lists Mozart appeared 10 times (one list requested a concerto of the applicant’s choosing), Beethoven appeared 10 times, Brahms 8 times, Debussy 9 times, Mendelssohn 11 times, and Stravinsky 7 times.

[2] Florence Nelson.  “Parloff Q&A”, Pipline. Fall 2011. Page 5.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., page 7.

Practice How You Play

Well, that post title could suggest a number of things, but here is how I mean it today: if your performance environment involves a chair, so should your practice environment; if there is usually a lack of chair, so should your practice session.

Yes, as a musician you need to be flexible, but a lot of your playing has to do with muscle and mental memory.  This is why writing in functional and musical breaths as soon as you can is a good idea.  The breaths will become less awkward and become more part of the music as time goes on.  Also, your breathes will become more efficient fuller breaths.

Conveniently enough, the reason I bring this post topic up is related to breathing.  I find it useful to practice my ensemble music sitting in a chair and my duet, solo, and competition/audition music standing.  Why?  Because while breathing seems obvious, it's not.  If I practice my ensemble music standing, when I get to rehearsal I find that I am not breathing as efficiently as I did practicing.  If I practice a solo piece sitting, when I play it for someone else standing (to mimic the logical performance environment) it doesn't go nearly as well.

Why is this?  I am not completely sure, maybe I am just crazy.  But it seems like breathing would be different sitting versus standing.  I don't mean that the way you do it is different.  No, that is standard.  But the muscles involved must work slightly differently or require different amounts of strength.  Think about it, your posture isn't the same standing and sitting.  Yes, we want our feet firmly on the ground, our backs straight, head up, etc, but...sitting is, well, different.  (please don't count how many times I used that word in this paragraph)

Regardless of whether it is a mental or physical thing, practicing in as close to a performance setting is ideal, right?  That is usually why your director or lesson teacher tells you to pretend that you are actually performing the piece.  They want you to practice being mentally and physically in that situation because performing is taxing and can be stressful.  The more you prepare the better off you are.

In conclusion, make an effort to practice in the same manner you will perform (this includes not swaying unnecessarily, standing on one foot, crossing legs, etc...).  Don't neglect standing or sitting postures.  Even if you mostly play sitting, practice a solo piece standing often so that when solo and ensemble contest comes around, you've already been practicing a key yet often forgotten part of the performance.  I promise it will actually help your breathing.

If you are interested in breathing exercises, here are a few of my favorites:

1) Take a big breath, then start counting as fast as you can (yes, 1 2 3 4...) in a whisper and randomly shout, very loudly, random numbers.  This should be done in one breath.  How far do you get?  Don't feel bad if it is not very far; the first time I did this, I got to 20...maybe.  For example: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17..... (the bold numbers are the random shouted numbers)

2) Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, bend over and take a big breath and put your flute up to your face, straighten back up, and play a note for as long as you can.  When you are bent over, it makes it easier for you to take in more air and you should, oddly, feel like the air is filling up your back area around the spine.  It is a super odd sensation, but once you become aware of it, you'll go for bigger breaths standing or sitting normally.  You can also practice excerpts like Afternoon of a faun or Midsummer Night's Dream this way and it can help you build endurance and confidence.  Tank up!

3) Play flute laying on your back.  It feels like it is hard, really it's just awkward to hold your flute properly laying down, but my sound and air support is always so much better when I play laying on my back,  Don't do this for a long time as you can easily become light headed...just experiment with it for fun.

4) You are going to feel ridiculous doing this, but it will build up some much needed breathing muscles.  It is fondly known as the dog pant.  Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like, you pant like a dog.  Pant as fast, as loud, and as longs as you can bending only slightly over (somewhere in the middle of standing up straight and making a flat back like a table).  This is harder and more tiring than you think.

Feel free to comment on this post offering up your own breathing exercises!  They are humiliating and fun! :)

Confessions Of A New Mother Of Two

I love my two boys; they bring me new-found joy and love.

They also give me headaches and absolutely no breaks...at least when they're awake.

I really thought my first-born, Marcus, tested my abilities as a musician;but Haydn has made me completely reconsider awarding myself the "Master of Time Management" trophy.  Together, they tag-team me and make it nearly impossible to get anything done.  It almost seems like one of them has to be upset at any given time.  Sometimes I hit the jackpot and both boys have a complaint to file with me.  However, the if-I'm-lucky two-hour nap time can't be the only time I get work done.  And I can joke about perseverance training, but it is extremely hard and frustrating to attempt practicing with an infant wailing and a two-year-old incessantly screaming "I want!" without ever telling you what he wants.  No, one two-hour nap is not enough, especially since I often am napping at that time too.

So how do I get anything done?  I actually have quite a bit to work on between maintaining this blog, keeping up scales, preparing any audition music or solo repertoire my students are working on, reading on the duets for Pipes & Keys, and practicing my band, competition, and future recital music.  There are also the random fun projects I come up with from time to time...anyways:

For one, I try to keep my various music obligations well-organized. I am not just talking about keeping my desk moderately cleared off (very often, at the end of the week, I am unable to see the cherry color of the wood my desk is made out of because my desk is completely covered in sheet music).  I mean that I have piles of music, multiple piles: a pile for my upcoming competitions, a pile for each of my students, a pile for Pipes & Keys duets, etc.  This may seem obvious or small, but it makes it easier for me to find what I am looking for quickly and it helps to remind me of everything I should be working on.  With two kids, I am writing down everything (like I didn't before) and if I don't write something down or put music neatly in the correct piles, there is a good chance I will forget about...something.

Second, like I said, I write everything down.  I make a schedule for myself.  I write down my practice goals for each day in my assignment notebook.  I write down which pieces I am going to look at and what I am hoping to achieve for the day.  This way, whether I have a good day or a bad day, I can keep track of what I have accomplished.  If I don't get to something, it isn't the end of the world because I know to get to it the next day.  In doing this, I can track my progress and more importantly know that I am, in fact, making progress.  Half the game is mental - knowing that you are getting somewhere is important.

My practice techniques have to be efficient.  Writing down what I want to accomplish helps with this step.  Most of the time, I only practice a small section of the piece in any given session.  Run-throughs are useless early on and often hinder one from making any progress.  You have to focus on the details of the piece and slowly span out to the bigger picture.  This means working on rhythms, dynamics, style, phrasing each in their own individual practice sessions.  Run-throughs are only useful if you are recording yourself to either send to someone else to listen to and comment on your playing, or to listen to yourself.  If you aren't recording your playing, save the complete running of the piece for your lesson or the week before the performance/audition.

Have I mentioned recently the importance of recording yourself?  You really don't know what you sound like until you listen to yourself playing...and I mean truly listen to yourself (meaning not while you are playing).  You may think you are listening thoroughly, and you may honestly be trying, but the truth is in the recording.  You will hear things you don't normally hear.  You might realize that the dynamics and musical ideas you thought you were conveying clearly aren't quite getting through as well as you'd like.  Record, record, record.

Finally, and this one is important, if I notice that I am starting to get frustrated or that I am having a negative practice session, I put my flute down or away and try again later.  The worst thing you can do is practice in a negative environment.  Just walk away and get mentally prepared for your next practice session. There is nothing more terrible than trying to power through Bozza's Image while your toddler is screaming at your feet while shaking your music stand and your infant is crying out of hunger, a dirty diaper, or gas discomfort.  Just put the flute down and walk away.  It doesn't make you weak, it just validates that you are smart.

Have I mentioned that I love my boys?  Three weeks strong...and only getting stronger. :)

How This Mother of Two Spends A Night Out Of The House

Last night I went to a concert.  It had been a while since I attended a concert in which I wasn't playing.  I wasn't sure how I would do; my attention span since Haydn's birth has left much to be desired.  It was also the first University of Missouri School of Music concert I have been to since completing my Master's.  I really didn't know how I would respond to being an audience member to a group I participated in not so long ago.  Well, here is how it went:

Great.  I had an amazing time and I was thoroughly impressed with Dr. Silvey and the MU Wind Ensemble.  One of the reasons I didn't go to any Mizzou concerts last year and why I was hesitant this year is because I had, up until last year, only ever been a student.  School, the structure and certainty of it, was my "safe zone".  Going to one of these concerts and being an audience member...it terrified me.  However, the group of students I heard last night eased me into my not-student concert experience extremely well.  In fact, they had me questioning my experiences and time at Mizzou.  When I was in the Wind Ensemble, is that how good we sounded?  God, I hope so.  If not, let me commend the group of students that make up the Wind Ensemble.  You are a talented group of musicians that play well together.  Seriously, when every instrument was playing, you were balanced and produced a full, warm sound.  Watching the percussionist run around in the back of the band was unlike anything I have ever seen.  Kudos, because when I was in the flute or clarinet section I couldn't see all that you were doing.  It is crazy - you have a choreography all your own that I can only now appreciate because I can actually see what occurs behind all of us wind players.

Can I also throw out there that as much as I love the flute...and I do (obviously), the brass section stole my attention completely last night.  I have always appreciated the low brass section (thanks to my friend I will call Queso and my favorite march National Emblem) and the French Horns (love a good horn section...Jägerchor anyone?!).  But even the trumpets captivated me.  Congratulations to a well-formed brass section.

It also reminded me what working with Dr. Silvey (and Maestro Dolbashian) was like; Dr. Silvey runs a tight ship and the results speak for themselves.  He let you know well before rehearsal what would be worked on and he expected his musicians to show up prepared.  If you demand excellence, there's a good chance you will get it, especially in comparison to demanding the minimum.  Whether you are getting a degree in performance or education, having a good director is priceless.  Your experience with them sticks with you throughout your career.  The two directors mentioned above are a big part of what makes me long for school again.

My final thought from the concert last night is that a piece I anticipated disliking (based on the program notes), I ended up enjoying the most.  Have I mentioned how important going to live performances is?  I believe I have, but in case you forgot, it is one of the best ways to find new music! Pieces like William Pitts' Conniption may take you by surprise.  Now, I thought the name was fantastic from the get-go, but the fact that "the main concepts that drive the piece are juxtaposition of opposites and often abrupt and unstable melodies and phrases" made me uneasy.  Yet, in this piece, the band truly shined.  I would go so far as to say that this piece was the strongest performance of the night.  I shouldn't be surprised; between Dr. Silvey and the talent of the group...I don't know where I am going with this but somehow it doesn't surprise me.  It was during this piece that I noticed the percussionists running between their array of instruments.  The flutes rocked it (of course I give them a shout-out :) ) and the brass section was solid and clean.  I don't get the piece at all, but it was easy for me to sit back and get lost in the music.  There were definitely fireworks (see yesterday's post) and my brain was hard at work attempting to follow the musical "fit of hysterical emotion".

In short, I am so happy that I was out "late" last night.  Seeing friends I hadn't seen in months was also very, very nice.  Congratulations MU Wind Ensemble - way to start off the academic year!

This One Is Short, But Worth Your Time

Remember my post about The Importance of Music?  Well, this video discusses the science of music's impact on the brain.  The brain is an amazing muscle...make it stronger with music!

Doesn't the jubilee sound like fun?!  Special thank you (!) to Brannen Brothers for sharing this link on Facebook.

Practicing Problem No. 1: No Inspiration...No Interest

I find myself a little down today.  Why?  Because I know what I have to practice but I have no desire to work on it.  If I am the only person who ever has this problem...I can't even imagine that being true so I am not going to worry about finishing that statement.

I won't name what piece is giving me woes, but let's just say that it isn't something I can avoid.  Yes, it is one of those pieces that follows a flutist throughout their career/life.  Ugh!  So if I can't just pretend it doesn't exist, how do I go about dealing with my current complete and utter disinterest in the piece?

I have tried all the conventional fixes:  working on particular measures or problem areas to smooth it out; playing in different dynamics, color tones, and styles; listening to every possible recording on youtube to find a recording by anyone who will renew my interest in the piece; etc. It feels like what I assume writer's block feels like...I feel stuck and quite honestly, bored.

So, does it just need shelf time?  Maybe I truly am just bored with it.  Maybe I have over-worked it and the piece and I just need some time apart (a.k.a. burnt out).  It isn't a breakup, per se, it is a "give me some space" sort of thing.  And you know what?  It is okay that that's where I am.  I first ran into the idea of "shelf time" while working on my Master's.  Never before then would I have considered ignoring a piece for a month or so. How could I when I need to have it prepared in the following months!?  It seemed insane.  But as with all seemingly crazy teachers, there is method behind their madness (at least, that is definitely what I tell my students when they give me the "you're crazy" look).

The bottom line is this: it is okay to sometimes walk away from a piece.  It isn't that you forget all the work you've done; in fact, it is more that you have worked so much and made so much improvement that you need to take a break because you can only push so far at once.  Let all your work take the time to ferment.  When you come back to the piece after your break, you may be surprised at your renewed interest and your general pleasure with yourself because you haven't lost anything.  You may even have subconsciously improved...magically.

Sight-Reading

It is possible that sight-reading is one of the more ignored skills in young musicians today.  I don't remember who started me on the path of mastering sight-reading or how they went about it, but I do know that I have been a great sight-reader for as long as I can remember.  In fact, one summer, in a Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp audition, a judge outright said, "Finally, someone who knows what they are doing" following the completion of the sight-reading portion of my audition.  Yes, I did just brag about myself - that is one of my favorite brag stories for myself.  Sorry.  Yet when I ask students, mine or otherwise, to sight-read something, it often does not go so well.  For one, they immediately panic and ask how long they have to look over the piece and what tempo I am expecting.

To me, this is just wrong; so wrong.  I truly enjoy sight-reading.  I think it is fun because for a minute or two, I am playing something I have never seen or heard before.  I get a break from the monotonous practicing I have been doing on the same three pieces.  Sight-reading tests your rhythm, your ability to retain key signatures and accidentals, your knowledge of all those pesky non-English direction words (tempo, dynamics, and styles), articulation, and your overall musical pragmatism.  What do I mean by pragmatism?  Well, you are about to play something unfamiliar.  How do you go about it?  For instance, tempo: maybe the direction given to you is allegro or even vivace.  I would recommend finding the measure or moment that will give you the most problems.  Set your tempo from there; you can only play as fast as you can play that measure perfectly (you know, perfectly for sight-reading anyway).  Do you notice the intervals that might cause problems?  Are there symbols you are unfamiliar with?  If you aren't proficient at reading double flats or double sharps on sight, look at that measure.  You want to give a solid performance, but you also have to be realistic with yourself.  Be musically pragmatic.

So, how do you go about finding music to sight-read?  You could ask any of your music teachers for sight-reading music.  You can go on IMSLP and get etudes...as there are books of them on there (at least there were last time I checked).  You can also read duets or trios with friends for fun.  This might be my favorite - I have regular "playdates" which consist of reading through as many duets with fellow flute mom Katie Smyth as toddlers/infant will allow. Said little persons make sight-reading even more challenging!  :)  Finally, if you have solo collections, like the French Music or Baroque Music book, open it up to a piece you aren't looking at.  For that matter, if you are working on a Telemann Fantasia, or a Bach sonata, read one of the other fantasias or sonatas just to further your understanding of that composer and his music.

Come on, admit it.  Sight-reading sounds way less nerdy/stressful and sounds way more fun now right?!

You're welcome.

What I Love About Playing in Church

I have played flute/sang (thankfully mostly played flute), in church choirs ever since I started playing flute.  It is a great experience that I recommend to all flutists, but especially young flutists, because of the environment it creates.  It gives you a chance to just play without judgment.  No one in the congregation is there to critique your playing and if they do, which would surprise me, they are missing the point of church, don't you think?

Not only have I never had any negative criticism while playing with the various parishes I have been a part of, but I have received some of my most treasured compliments.  I will never forget when a member of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame told me that my presence and playing enhanced her ability to worship through music.  I had done my job as a servant of the congregation; I had helped someone pray via sacred music.

You see, playing in church isn't about being a flute soloist.  In fact, most of the time I sit on the melodic line to help encourage the members of the church to sing with full heart and soul.  Even though church is a safe place, and it is, it is difficult to put yourself out there if no one else is - especially if you are not a trained musician.  The fact that I can make someone feel more comfortable and able to participate in every facet of the Mass is an amazing feeling.  Besides, it is nice to just sit back and relax a bit.  Let's be honest, church music isn't meant to be challenging.  Again, it isn't about showing off or turning it into the "Elysia the Flutist" show.  My goal is to blend in, almost go unnoticed, (::cough cough:: no microphone needed) and subtly bring the musical worship to life through congregation participation.  My job is to be part of the congregation.  My job is not to be a star.

What does that mean?  It means that I play in church because it makes me happy and gives me pleasure.  There is no means to an end.  I am there because I like it and I am part of the parish family.  It is one small way I pray and grow in my faith.

But what I love most is that I know, every Saturday, I get to play my flute for a group of  people who will not end my career if I am slightly flat (though I try not to be) or if I play a wrong note.  It is a safe environment in which I can express myself freely.

Also, Christmas Mass is just fun. :)

Take Care of Yourself!!!

I missed blogging last week, but in my defense, I had a baby last Tuesday...so I was a bit preoccupied.  In short, at 3:34pm I was blessed with my second son, Haydn Mykel, who was born a healthy 7 lbs 14 oz and 22 in.  And when I say that I was blessed, I mean it in more ways than one.  For instance, he pretty much already sleeps through the night, or he would if I didn't wake him up to feed him every four hours.  This means I am still getting a full night of sleep because my first son, Marcus Aurelius (yes, I did do that to him...his history teachers will think it's a cool name even if no one else does), also seems unaffected, at least in terms of his sleep schedule, by the new family addition.

So this brings me to today's short blog.  Your personal well-being is essential to your flute playing.  A slightly scratchy throat will make your tone seem a little off.  A common cold can make breathing seem like a chore.  And if you don't get enough sleep, eat right, drink water, and have some sort of exercise or active lifestyle, it will impact your playing.  Having Haydn and having even more things to consider in relation to my health has made me remember how important it is for me to take care of myself (not only for my flute playing, but if mommy isn't taken care of, how can she take care of babies?).

You don't have to go crazy and you certainly shouldn't start adding so many things to your daily routine that it has the opposite of the desired effect.  For example, don't start biking 20 miles a day if you don't plan on biking a marathon.  Take a walk to the mailbox or around the block.  If you drastically change your routine, you will just be tired and more than likely unable to achieve your desired goals for the day.  Stay hydrated and make sure you get the nutrition you need.  Skipping a meal to get more work done may seem like the best thing to do at the time, but you might regret it later.

The other side of taking care of yourself is to know when you need a break.  At the moment, I am trying to balance a new baby and my schedule.  Being the type of person I am, I am trying to act like nothing huge has changed in my life.  Last week, I taught as many lessons as I could, kept up my "house-wifery",  played in church...the general reaction I got was "You are crazy!! Sit down, you just had a baby!"  And my parents, husband, and student's parents were right.  I am crazy.  While part of me needs to pick up where I left off so I don't fall behind, I need to lay down every so often and just relax.  If I run myself into the ground, where will that leave me (despite my good intentions)?  What that relates to, in general, is that sometimes you should do something nice for yourself.  It can be as simple as just sitting on the couch with a gossip magazine eating an Oreo or two, or going for a hike (or walking around the mall)  just to get out of the house and do something you enjoy doing.

It may seem hard to believe, but there is a world, a life, outside of playing flute. :)  Make sure you take care of yourself and take the time to enjoy every aspect of your life.