tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47060876954765726932024-03-05T06:24:27.304-05:00The Balanced FlutistTrying to find a balance between practice, money, and happiness.BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-82846163190293878982020-04-24T23:03:00.000-04:002020-04-24T23:03:00.617-04:00De Lorenzo's L'Indispensabile, No. 5The fifth exercise of L'Indispensabile uses the same five-note pattern as number 4, but it flips the pairs of notes which creates a significant challenge. The biggest challenge for this one at least in the beginning is more of a mental one, of wrapped the brain around the pattern. Once you become comfortable with the pattern the fourths should be carefully minded.
If you are new to this exercise,BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-75275420309532251262020-04-19T17:15:00.004-04:002020-04-19T17:15:56.623-04:00De Lorenzo's L'Indispensabile, No. 4 The fourth exercise of De Lorenzo's L'Indispensabile is designed to iron out irregularities between pairs of notes, working within a pentascale. Each bar is framed within a repeat sign, with directions that it should also be practiced without repeating each bar.
When beginning practice of this oeuvre, I recommend focusing your practice on #4 before moving on to #5-17, which are all some sort ofBalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-47497955616121034092019-07-04T07:45:00.001-04:002019-07-04T07:45:57.990-04:00Summer UpdateJust a quick update today.
I've been doing a nice job keeping up with practice and with rotating my DeLorenzo exercises. I started incorporating more of them into my practice rotations as well. There were many that I've putting off certain exercises until I was "ready" for them, which is slightly misguided. No, I'm not ready to plow through tons of exercises at a fast tempo, but I can definitely BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-23894995654614033382019-06-24T12:16:00.000-04:002019-06-24T12:16:31.831-04:00My Journey with AnxietySince it's summer I decided to try and get back into practicing regularly with the hopes of being able to put together a recital in early fall (we'll see if that works out or not). It's not uncommon for me to ebb and flow and try to get into a new practice routine only to have it fall apart pretty easily. I then end up in some sort of shame spiral because I've yet again failed to prove myself a "BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-67619302083007465862015-12-02T00:00:00.002-05:002019-06-20T15:14:20.339-04:00Facing UncertaintyI find myself unsure of how to assess myself, how to "rate" where I am in life. By many accounts I'm doing just fine, even doing exceptionally well! I'm co-running a small but worthwhile arts non-profit, I have ample work (too much work, even), things are good.
Except when it comes to my actual relationship with music. I don't practice anymore. Honestly, the main reason is because I just don't BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-35704044982920533422015-01-20T12:03:00.001-05:002015-01-20T12:03:24.857-05:00Building and Maintaining Consistency When Doubling
I've recently begun preparing music for four concerts between now and the end of June, and I'll be doing a lot of doubling. The first concert is only alto and sopranino recorder, the second is both recorders and flute. The third is going to be my first multiple woodwinds recital (piccolo, flute, clarinet, alto sax, and alto recorder) ever, and as the woodwinds professor at NSU.
The main conceptBalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-64441192236469158902014-10-06T00:21:00.001-04:002014-10-06T00:21:30.151-04:00October UpdateIt has been a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted, and a lot has happened! This semester at NSU brought a very strong start to the Pro Musica Ensemble, which I'm glad to be co-directing (check out the Upcoming Events page). I got married in September, and just last week finally bought a new (to me) clarinet. The end of this week (October 10th) is also my one year anniversary at ASM, BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-20155095436139686522014-08-22T09:15:00.002-04:002014-08-22T09:15:40.051-04:00Lovewell Institute
I'm so glad I got to work at the Lovewell Institute
this past July. This arts program for elementary through high school students
has been around since 1989. These students got to write, rehearse, and perform
their own complete musical. It was a great experience! I was a music intern for the Teen show, and our show ended up being about a vaudeville troupe circa 1913 struggling to deal with BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-75114718572263695802014-05-18T13:50:00.002-04:002014-05-18T13:50:36.389-04:00Summer Plans
Originally,
I had this grand idea that after my recital I would hit the ground
running and would plow through at least one more technique book plus
etudes and new repertoire, but as the dust settled I realized that I
want to use this "down time" to refocus my efforts as a performer and
teacher. I want to approach my practice in a more holistic manner. This will help reduce muscle tension BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-43797982796747241612014-05-12T13:27:00.000-04:002014-05-12T13:27:42.522-04:00Recital in ReviewYesterday I had the distinct privilege of presenting a recital at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. While I haven't yet heard any recordings yet, I'm satisfied with my playing. It wasn't perfect, but I'm okay with that.
As I was preparing for this, I thought quite often about the "how" of the process. How many times should I run my entire program? How should I arrange the music on the program? BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-44169364023216559802013-11-04T11:27:00.001-05:002013-11-04T11:27:11.656-05:00Looking BackDuring the month of October I tried to challenge myself by making a few key changes, namely moving to a strictly vegan diet.
I started the month strong, with lots of fresh produce, homemade shakes and smoothies. It was very exciting, and I learned a few new kitchen tricks. As the month wore on, I lost some of that enthusiasm and relied on premade meals. I stuck to it though, and made it through BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-27853202409250822032013-10-16T09:20:00.002-04:002013-10-16T09:38:14.140-04:00New JobI haven't talked about it much here, but I've been working part-time at a restaurant since we moved down to Florida. It's worked out pretty well, because it allowed me to make a liveable wage and still gave me flexibility to pursue gigs and other opportunities as they became available to me. Over the past few weeks though, my schedule kept getting cut back further and further, so I had to start BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-82584047484959416602013-10-07T15:53:00.001-04:002013-10-07T15:53:29.238-04:00One Week VeganI'm so glad to say that I survived this first week of eating entirely vegan!
*One thing that I do want to clarify from my last post is that I absolutely do not regret watching documentaries on veganism. I'm so very glad that I did. It's really helped to give me the push to change my diet in a way that I've been wanting to for a long time, and that's something that I'm very grateful for!*
BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-64367831072575666292013-10-01T13:30:00.001-04:002013-10-01T13:30:37.539-04:0031 days of ChangeLast night I made the mistake of watching a lecture on veganism, and it's safe to say that I'm pretty skeeved out by animal products now. Besides that little adventure, I have been eating in a pretty unbalanced way and I need to get myself heading in the direction I've been wanting to for a while.
I'm going to try to make it 31 days eating strictly vegan.
Yes, I said "try." I know that it takesBalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-72766073819022593322013-09-21T16:26:00.004-04:002013-09-21T16:27:31.449-04:00Garbanzo Bean SaladIt's been a [long] while since I posted any recipes, so I thought I'd share something that I made just now. It's just a simple cold side salad, but would work well as the entree of a light lunch too!
What you need for the beans:
one large or two medium garlic cloves
1 cup dry garbanzo beans
approx 2 1/2 - 3 cups veggie broth (or just water is fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
What you need to BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-59170036186583162012013-09-09T18:20:00.000-04:002013-09-09T18:20:07.147-04:00Exciting news!I'm excited to announce a joint venture with a great colleague, Alejandro Pinzon!
We are teaming up to present "Latin Flute Affair," a series of Latin music programs! Each program consists of recitals, conducting workshops, and lectures leading up to a concert of music for flute and orchestra. We're currently finalizing details for our first event, which will be at the end of April/beginning of BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-17302100905872011392013-07-01T21:05:00.001-04:002013-07-01T22:25:49.986-04:00Last month of my Year of Practice!It's already been about a year since I started using this blog actively (a term I use loosely), and it's been quite the year.
A little review:
Just after starting, the Year of Practice we up and moved over a thousand miles from the beautiful hills of West Virginia, where I had just finished grad school, to the beaches of south Florida. The move was a major leap of faith (really though, the only BalancedFlutisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12665296502654695501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-68332687895575447652013-04-03T23:38:00.001-04:002013-04-03T23:39:57.329-04:00Tweet tweet!Two posts in one day, wow!
If you have a Twitter account, let me know you're there! @balancedflutist
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-43501479958832934662013-04-03T23:36:00.001-04:002013-04-03T23:36:23.905-04:00Changing It UpI've been trying a new routine lately when I start my practice, inspired by a segment I heard on NPR called "The Art of Practicing," if I remember that correctly. The program features various professional musicians and how they practice. The one I heard featured a bassist with the NY Phil, and I must admit that at first I was pretty disappointed. I was going to hear a world-class bassist rip Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-18093933723044622932013-03-21T23:28:00.001-04:002013-03-21T23:28:10.489-04:00Moving ForwardI was trying out a yoga studio, and I've decided to sign up for regular classes. The environment is very positive, and I feel safe to challenge myself (or take it easy) without getting self-concious.
Recital preparation is going well, as is my general practicing. While it's not been as much or as regular as I'd like, I can hear and feel subtle changes and improvements.
Even though I included Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-32772527135369601262013-02-15T22:31:00.000-05:002013-02-15T22:31:02.835-05:00I think it's Quarter 3 now?I'm probably a solid month into the third quarter, and things are going really well!
The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble is getting ready for our second annual Youth Pride Band concert, which is coming right up (Feb 24)! There's some really challenging works on the programs (I never thought Harry Potter would ever get the best of me), but the kids are holding their own, and I'm looking forwardUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-63893142915506567352013-01-18T23:00:00.003-05:002013-01-18T23:02:08.515-05:00Watching What I EatSchool is going well, I have one student each on clarinet, saxophone, and flute now. My students are doing well, I'm enjoying it, blah blah blah. Let's talk food.
In the past year, I've started making changes to my diet. Some have been more successful, some are important to me, some are convenient, and some most have been failing miserably lately. The most important change for me has been Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-7219262700126062782013-01-07T22:26:00.001-05:002013-01-07T22:27:45.728-05:00I'm back!In case anyone was wondering, I did not fall off the face of the Earth - I swear! Truthfully, I just haven't been focusing my attentions like I should have...
Classes started today - my first "first day of school" NOT being the student! I'm definitely excited and looking forward to turning over a new leaf. I spent a fair amount of time wrestling with the Blackboard system and there is a glitch Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-70589796964890072282012-12-11T22:51:00.000-05:002012-12-11T22:51:27.965-05:00Recital PlanningThe "Wild Party" has officially come to an end. Le sigh. It was an absolute blast. I could go on and on, such a good time.
With that show over, I'm going to get going on my first SoFla recital. I have a program picked out that I think will be pretty interesting for the audience and also provide a good amount of challenge for myself. I'm going to start contacting some pianists and possible venuesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706087695476572693.post-55931643459260270842012-12-01T17:00:00.001-05:002012-12-16T18:26:47.818-05:00Week 5 UpdateIs it really Week 5 already?! Last night was the start of week two for Wild Party. It's always interesting to play shows with multi-week runs. After four days away from the show, with everyone getting some time to wind down and refocus, I always find there to be a new energy and an improved ensemble.
I've been trying to glean as much as possible from my colleagues in the reed section, chatting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0