What is your favorite piece of music to play? To listen to?
This is a tough question! My first instrument was piano, not flute. I love piano just as much as I love flute. I have different pieces I like to play for both instruments. Recently, practicing has become very meditative for me and I enjoy playing really technical etudes and slow, lyrical solos on flute, and a wide range of pieces on piano. For flute I really enjoy playing with my woodwind quintet, flute and clarinet duets, and collaborating with a pianist whenever possible. What I like to play really depends on my mood if I'm not preparing for a performance. As far as what I like to listen to, well I don't think there's enough room for it all! For flute and piano I gravitate towards Ravel, Debussy, Poulenc, Bach, Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, Mahler, Piazzolla...I love listening to Bill Evans and Chick Corea's solo piano albums, but I also love listening to pianists like Perahia, Gould, Hess and Ashkenazy. The flute music I listen to also runs through a wide range of time periods and players! Paula Robison, Peter-Lukas Graf, James Galway, my former teacher Mary Karen Clardy, just to name a few. And although I love listening to and playing classical music, I love jazz, pop, rock, blues and other styles as well. Jazz musicians amaze me with their creativity and improvising skills. There is so much to learn from how they develop themselves on their instruments.
What achievement over the course of your life are you most proud of?
This will sound corny to some, but having and raising my son, first and foremost. Playing flute for my brother's wedding and being able to serenade my mom while she was still alive with all her favorite classical and pop songs also make my heart swell. Last but not least, going through graduate school while carrying my son, giving my graduate recital in my 32nd week of pregnancy, taking my Oral Exams 4 weeks after giving birth to my son, graduating with honors and landing my first college teaching job three months later will remain outstanding in my memory.
What is one of the most important pieces of advice that you were given as a musician or teacher?
As a musician one of the most important pieces of advice I was given was to turn your weaknesses into strengths, which needs no explanation. I also remember a great friend telling me that to be a musician you must be stubborn beyond belief, to never give up and be patient (slow practice, hint! hint! hint!). To that I would add that you must explore your sense of wonderment, never be afraid to experiment. This stands true in music as well as life.
How do you motivate your students to practice and excel at their craft?
I challenge my students to not do what I say just because I'm telling them. I try to help them understand the reasoning behind their instructions and advice. Putting myself in the student's place really helps me figure out how to best get into the mind and heart of the student, which in turn gives me the ability to figure out what to say, how to say it, and how to keep interest in the topic at the moment. Encouraging them to be observant first and foremost, inquisitive, and showing them how to apply the knowledge in their heads in a way that brings tangible results helps them gain confidence in themselves, which makes them want to investigate further. Above all, I make connections with my students outside of music. They know and can feel that I care about them more than just flute students, and in turn allows them to better understand what an important role music plays in connecting our hearts and souls.
What is one of your fondest memories of a teacher?
I have too many to write just one! I really love all the little moments between student and teacher that no one is there to witness. Those moments when you have a breakthrough, big or small, when you see that smile--the eureka smile as I call it--those are the moments that you hold close to your heart. There are also times when students will visit or write to you years after their last lesson, to tell you what an impact you had not only on their musical experience but on their lives. Often it will come out of the blue from the student you least expected, the one you thought didn't really care. As teachers we never really know how the things we say or do will affect a student, what makes it through and what doesn't. It feels so good when you get that kind of feedback from a student.
What is your philosophy of teaching?
Be the student, not the teacher. I have always felt and still feel like I have so much to learn from my students. As soon as a new student walks in I try to learn as much about them in every way possible. Paying close attention to their thoughts, words, and actions tells how to best guide and teach them. As soon as they start playing, little nuances in the way they move and breathe tell me so much about their playing and personalities. I take that information and use it to shape my "lesson plan." To surrender to the idea that it's OK to make a mistake, to fail occasionally, to be frustrated, these experiences are essential to keep moving and come full circle in their musical journey. Students become independent learners by realizing the ability to adapt, be flexible and self-correct.
What advice do you have for the young aspiring musicians of the next generation?
Don't try to practice to get yourself ready for the next lesson or the next performance. Listen to music, to your favorite performers. Learn about the solo you are working on, learn about the composer, why it was written, the time period in which it was written. Look at the most challenging parts of the music you are practicing, be calm and just work on it until you feel like you could sing it anytime, anywhere, like you wrote it. Figure out what you want every time you touch your instrument or don't practice that day. Give yourself lots of kindness and understanding. It takes time to learn how to play, much like growing a plant from seed. If you take the time the rewards are great, you will LOVE playing music. Being able to learn an instrument is a gift, being able to play to your satisfaction is even better. Think of where we would be without music. Just be patient as you work, you may surprise yourself with what you can do!
