Author: tyonce
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British Flute Society Convention Recap
This year, I was very fortunate to attend the convention of the British Flute Society. It was held at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. Overall, it was very well-organized, and I found the people I met there to be very friendly and welcoming. The entire event was spread over four days,…
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End of Semester Deep Breath, Or: How I Survived Teaching Theory
At the end of every semester, I say, “Wow! Crazy semester!” And then I think it can’t get any busier and make a solemn vow to myself to not let that happen again. I’m wrong, of course, as this has been one of the busiest in recent memory. Ever since I stopped teaching in two…
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Atlanta Flute Fair
The Atlanta Flute Fair was held on Saturday, 25 February 2012 at Georgia Perimeter College in metropolitan Atlanta. We were fortunate enough to have Ian Clarke as our guest artist; he had just come from the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair the week before. I knew some of his music after Zoom Tube was used by the…
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Kentucky Flute Festival recap
I recently returned from the Flute Society of Kentucky‘s 2012 Festival, which as held at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. It was really a top-notch event with interesting workshops and performances. It was very well-organized by the Festival chair, Dr. Heidi Alvarez, who is the flute professor at WKU. What a class act, and one…
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2011 in Review
It’s been a busy, full year. Usually, I assess what I’ve done (and haven’t managed to get done) at the end of the academic year; as a college professor, my concept of a “year” goes from August to May. However, it probably isn’t a bad idea to perform a mid-year check-up. While it’s easy to…
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Performance Anxiety
For most musicians, performance anxiety is a fact of life. In my own experience, I have performed enough in my lifetime where it is no longer debilitating. It used to be a serious issue for me, and I’m sure I haven’t seen the last of it, either. For me, it was most helpful to perform…
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Choosing a new instrument
Recently I had the opportunity to help one of my college students decide on a new flute to purchase. She is currently a sophomore music education major. While she wasn’t playing on a bad flute, it was obvious that she had grown out of the one she had been playing throughout high school (and probably…
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Recital Preparation
Preparing for a recital can be a daunting process. If you’ve ever given a recital before, you’ve discovered that there’s more to the process than just learning the music. You often collaborate with a pianist or other chamber music partners. You perform in a space that might differ significantly from your usual practice room,…
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Practice Tips
The following was a result of a handout I put together for a workshop. More detailed information can be found about these topics in separate blog posts on this site. Establish a solid practice schedule: Actually block off time in your schedule designated specifically for practicing. Avoid using it for lunch, socializing, homework, errands,…
