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When was the last time you really listened to your students? Not just listening to their playing (without jumping in and correcting things right away), but their stories?  If you give a student a practice solution, but the next week when they come in, to your ears, it seems there’s no progress, it’s easy to assume they haven’t practiced. It’s easy to ask ‘Did you try what I suggested?’ and when they say no – it ends there. You’re frustrated, and your student feels inadequate. As flutists, we’ve probably been on both sides of that conversation. What if you continue instead, to ask why not? Make sure your student knows you’re asking from a place of support, and caring – and then listen. Maybe they had a rough week. Maybe they didn’t understand your suggestion. Maybe they got frustrated, and practiced something else instead. Any one of these answers can…

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I met a friend by chance yesterday when I went to the store, and we sat to chat for a while. They are a fellow ‘replaced’ American, which, even after all this time, makes it easier to just express myself. I didn’t realize how long it has been since I had such a good conversation in person, and I spoke, I sort of surprised myself. ‘Who is this??’ I heard interesting ideas, spoken clearly, confidently… and my friend thought so too. This is a person I trust – I actually had some questions for them, because I know they would have information about some things I’d been thinking about. This chance meeting felt like a gift! And it was mutual, they seemed honestly happy to meet me, and we both left the conversation better off than we started. It’s so easy (especially this past year!) to get caught up in…

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When we practice pre-composed works or exercises, we are usually in a near constant state of reflection. As we learn a new pre-composed piece, we move from ‘am I playing the right rhythms, the notes the composer wanted?’ towards ‘am I making this phrase convincing’, ‘do I like my tempo, does my sound color match what I want to express here’ ‘Do I feel comfortable and excited performing this’? We should reflect while improvising as well. But here’s where it can get tricky. It’s easy in the beginning to get stuck in the ‘am I doing it right’? phase. Here’s maybe the most important first reflection you can do while improvising:  Did you play a note during the improvisation? Then you are improvising – you did it right!  Did you not play at all? Great! You are listening, and that is sometimes the hardest part of improvising, especially in the…

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Like just about everyone else, I’m not running any rehearsals at all right now, especially with my adult ensembles. But when I was, and once we start up again, a lot of my rehearsals run at a pace that may seem slow to some people. It sounds counter-productive, since rehearsal time is always at a premium. But it’s actually because rehearsal time is always so limited that I go slow; adding improvisational games to rehearsals in order to practice skills. Improvisation requires interaction. And encourages taking risks. Taking risks together develops trust and a sense of community. If I spend time creating a sense of community in my ensemble, members can draw on each other for support and knowledge. An ensemble that becomes a community develops their own ways of solving problems, and creating and sharing knowledge. My work as director comes easier, and we’re on a musical journey together.…

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