January typically marks the time each year when we force ourselves to ponder over questions such as, “What do I need to change about myself?  What goals do I wish to achieve within the next 12 months?  Which bad habits do I need to conquer and which ones do I need to cultivate?”  Among our…

Sometimes I use stick figures to explain posture to beginning flute students.  Simple yet highly effective.  Improves sound, breathing and confidence. Do you use stick figures in your teaching?  Please comment below.

“..thanks to faulty sensory awareness, what singers (and others) think that they do is often different from what they actually do.” -Pedro de Alcantara   What in the world is a breathing bag? The breathing bag is a tool used by performers to strengthen physical performance capabilities, such as breath control and articulation, away from…

Several months ago and I posted a blog on marching and playing as an effective way to establish a reliable sense of internal rhythm.  Another great way to work on complicated rhythms away from the instrument is through the use of egg shakers. Rather than developing a steady larger beat as we did in the marching exercise, egg…

Fall is the time of year when young musicians in school band programs select instruments and begin learning the very basics of posture, sound production and fingerings.  Several years ago when I was one of these wide-eyed, energetic youngsters, I discovered the flute to be a logical and fun choice of instrument (and was determined to…