Category: Blog
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Organizing Recital Preparations
Trying to prepare for a recital can be an overwhelming process. Whether you are a student planning a junior or senior recital or a professional who is trying to balance recital preparation with other duties, careful planning will ensure that the event goes smoothly. First, it’s important to choose your program carefully. I usually have…
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2012 in Review
This is a little delayed, perhaps, but it’s time for a bit of perspective on the events of last year. As I went back and read through my summary of 2011, I can’t help but be reminded of how incredibly, insanely different this January is compared to last January. Last January, I wrote my end-of-year…
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Review: Scale Studies for Beginner and Intermediate Flutists by Meerenai Shim
Meerenai Shim is a flutist and flute teacher based in Campbell, California. She published a flute study in 2007, Scale Studies for Beginner and Intermediate Flutists. I have long felt that there could be more choices in flute methods for younger students. There are many books for absolute beginners and a considerable amount of material…
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Flute Lesson Grades!
As a college professor, one thing that can be difficult for me to assess at the end of the semester is how much progress my students have made in the preceding 14-or-so weeks. When grades are tied to assessing this progress, it makes things even dicier. Feelings, scholarships, and progress towards their degree completion makes…
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Beatboxing and Such
So I entered the realm of beatboxing a while back and figured it was time to write about it. I can’t remember exactly when I started experimenting with it, but it couldn’t have been much earlier than this past spring. The name to know in flute beatboxing circles is Greg Pattillo, who is a performer…
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The New Gig
I would be remiss if I didn’t write a blog post about my new gig. This semester, I began as an Assistant Professor of Music at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. If you told me a year ago (or even six months ago) that this is the direction my career would take…
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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…
