Teachers

Top tips from Doctor Flute

Hey all! I’m on vacation this week, so I thought I would share a great online resource for flutists of all ages, from a professional flutist and educator, Doctor Flute–also known as Dr. Angela McBrearty. Dr. McBrearty received her DMA in Music Education from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Her dissertation addressed flute pedagogy as it pertains to the beginner flute. Previously, she earned her MM in Flute Performance from Binghamton University and an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Houghton College. Her website, doctorflute.com, is a wealth of knowledge about everything from making your first sound to advance techniques. Here are a few of my favorite informational articles/videos:Relax Your Embochure to Improve Your Tone Live Flute Lesson on Beginner Vibrato Double Tonguing Troubleshooting Happy learning, and I’ll see you next week!

Jul 25, 2022 No Comments

Flutists in mourning

The flute community is mourning two huge losses this week with the passing of Emerson DeFord and William “Wibb” Bennett. DeFord passed away at his home on Monday, May 9th and Bennett passed Wednesday evening after a brief battle with motor neuron disease. Both of these men left an indelible mark on the flute world, and they will be greatly missed. After serving with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, DeFord began his flutemaking career at the W.T. Armstrong Flute Company in Elkhart, Indiana, and quickly rose to the position of vice president of production in 1962. A few years later, he started the Heritage Division, where he mentored many flutemakers including Bickford Brannen, Jack Moore, Tom Green, John Yeater, and Larry Earnhart. DeFord and Mark Thomas worked together to improve the quality and design of student flutes and to develop the complete flute family (including bass, alto, E-flat soprano, C, treble G, and B-flat flutes) and, later, a wood piccolo and professional C flute. His name is now synonymous with the modern student flute. One of DeFord’s most important contributions to the flute world is his work with flutists who have been injured or have developed physical conditions

May 12, 2022 No Comments

Double tonguing

If you’ve been playing flute for more than a couple of years, or if there’s a budding flautist in your life, chances are you’re starting to come across passages in your practicing with a lot of notes that need to be played quickly. Perhaps you’ve attempted them at tempo, only to realize your tongue just isn’t going to move that quickly! What’s the solution? Double tonguing! Double tonguing is an essential skill for intermediate flute players to learn, and although it can feel awkward and challenging at first, it really does make playing fast passages so much easier once you’ve mastered it. Dr. Cate lists three essential components to make double-tonguing successful: air, embouchure, and the tonguing itself. Air: “how you use your air is probably the most important part of effective double and triple tonguing. If you don’t blow sufficient or fast moving enough air, all the tricky tonguing in the world will be worth nothing if not supported by a fast, controlled airstream.” Often, as students are learning this skill, they become very tense in body and sound, which restricts their air flow. Improper technique or tightness in the throat will further cut off the air flow, resulting

Apr 21, 2022 No Comments

Flute Day with Dr. Cate Hummel

I am beyond excited to announce that flute performer, educator, and Altus artist Dr. Cate Hummel will be joining us for our 2022 Flute Day on April 2nd! This event will feature opportunities for play-testing some high-end Altus instruments not normally seen in the shop, which will be by appointment only. In the evening, Dr. Cate will present a recital featuring music written during the pandemic, followed by a masterclass with area high school and college students. Dr. Cate Hummel loves performing, especially music that is not well known by both recognized and forgotten composers. She is active as a performing artist and clinician around the U.S. and internationally. Some memorable events have included being a guest artist at the Festival International de Flauta in Monterrey, Mexico, playing the premiere of Douglas Townsend’s Sonatina for flute and piano (lost for 40 years), presenting on the teaching of Marcel Moyse at the British Flute Society Convention, playing a debut recital in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, a recital at Bruno Walter Auditorium in Lincoln Center in New York, and on the Dame Myra Hess Series at the Chicago Cultural Center. She received her DMA and MM degrees from the Manhattan

Mar 3, 2022 No Comments

Teacher spotlight: Karen Moratz

If you’re in the Indianapolis area–or even if you’re not!–there’s a good chance you’ve come across Indy’s flute GOAT, Karen Moratz. Not only is she an accomplished performer, professor, and entrepreneur; she also has an incredibly diverse background and set of interests! I was lucky enough to study with Karen as I got my Masters degree at Butler University. Please enjoy getting to know a little bit more about her. Karen Evans Moratz is Principal Flutist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Artist in Residence at Jordan College of the Arts at Butler University. She has been on the faculty at the Grand Teton Festival Orchestral Seminar and the Aria International Summer Academy, as well as Visiting Professor at Indiana University/Bloomington and the University of Illinois/Champaign-Urbana. Her cadenzas for Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G major have been published by Southern Music. She was the Coordinator for the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition from 2003-2008. She is a founding member of the Greater Indianapolis Flute Club (Indyflute) and of the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. Ms. Moratz holds a bachelor’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a postgraduate degree from the Musikhochschule Freiburg im Breisgau. She was a member of the New

Feb 15, 2022 No Comments

Summer practice musings

Last week, I offered some suggestions for books to expand your playing repertoire this summer, but let’s be honest–after the year we’ve had, some of us are still trying to get back into the swing of things! That being said, how should we approach our playing while school is out? Let’s talk about it! First of all, just play. Play something–anything! That’s the first step…just pick up your instrument and make some noise. Whether you’ve just finished your first year or your 21st year of flute playing, it’s easy to get into a rut if you don’t have daily or weekly assignments to work towards. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always fine to take some time off…as long as “some time” doesn’t turn into all summer! Dr. Tammy Evans Yonce says, “When school is over and we’re off on summer adventures, we often don’t have the benefit of regularly scheduled lessons with our teacher. The frequent encouragement and support received during those lessons is absent, and that can have an effect on our motivation. There is also much less accountability; if we know we won’t have the opportunity to check in with someone, the temptation to delay practicing is there.

Jun 8, 2021 No Comments

Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra

Indianapolis is chock-full of amazing performing groups, and I wanted to take some time to highlight some of them in the coming months. This week, we’re talking about the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, a small chamber group based in the Butler University area, with a roster packed with amazing musicians. Founded in 1984 as the Musicians of the Cloister, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra first performed at Trinity Episcopal Church. In 1987, Maestro Kirk Trevor was appointed Music Director and Conductor, a position he held until 2015, when Matthew Kraemer took over. The ICO joined the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival as Orchestra-in-Residence in 2007 and remains in that position today. During this three-day immersive educational event, the ICO sponsors a nation-wide competition for the composition of new works for chamber orchestra. In 2012, ICO became the professional Orchestra-in-Residence for Schrott Center for the Arts at Butler University. Of course, since we’re all about all things flute here, let’s introduce the flutists of the group. Alistair Howlett is Principal Flute, in addition to being Assistant Professor of Music at DePauw and Professor of Music at Anderson University. Howlett has performed as Guest Principal Flute with the Indianapolis Symphony, East Coast and

Oct 20, 2020 No Comments

Private teacher spotlight: Jenna Page

Continuing with our private teacher spotlight series, this month I’m featuring local performer, teacher, and composer Jenna Page! 1. When did you start playing flute? Did you always know you wanted to play an instrument, and what drew you to the flute?I started playing the flute like most students do – in my sixth grade band class. I went to my school’s instrument “petting zoo” to try out various instruments. I gravitated towards the flute and the saxophone, but when it came to finally choosing, it was actually my parent’s choice. My dad took me to the music store one afternoon and surprised me with a flute. Music has always been a big part of my family and growing up. My mom gave me piano lessons. I sang in choir in elementary school. Joining the school band was just a natural extension of my musical education. 2. What made you decide to pursue music as a career?When choosing a college major, I was torn between elementary education and music performance. I decided that if I wanted a shot at a music career, I needed to pursue that first. If it didn’t work out or if I didn’t like it, I

Sep 22, 2020 No Comments

Private teacher spotlight: Jill Mandell

I am very fortunate in my job to work with many local professionals, and the backbone of great flute players in the state is definitely our amazing private teachers. These teachers work both in their homes (mostly virtually now with COVID precautions) and in local schools to help flute players progress in their skills, and when they are ready for their next flute, I often work with both parents and the private teacher to find their perfect instrument! Today’s spotlight is on Jill Mandell, a prolific private teacher in the Carmel/Westfield area. Please enjoy this interview and learn a bit more about Jill! 1. When did you start playing the flute? My father was an elementary principal in Bloomington, Minnesota and in our school district, band was started in the 6th grade. He would bring home instruments from his school for me to try, and when I was in 5th grade he put the flute in my hands– I knew I had found my instrument. I could not make a sound out of it, but he could, so he was the one who taught me how to make the correct embouchure. 2. Did you always know you wanted to play

Aug 25, 2020 No Comments

event links and info

Wow! I am so happy and grateful to everyone who tuned in to our virtual event Tuesday night with Karen Moratz. It was so great to see everyone watching from all over the country and engaging in great discussions. We will definitely be hosting more of these types of events, so stay tuned. There was a ton of information that was given out, so I wanted to unpack everything in one central location. Below are all of the links that were discussed during our chat. www.paigesmusic.com www.indyfluteshop.com www.win-d-fender.com -Coupon code: MORATZ for 5% off-Erin has the Win-D-Fender in stock at the shop; call or email to place an order for pickup or free USPS shipping. Musicians of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestraisomusicians.org/facebook.com/ISOmusicians/instagram.com/isomusicians/twitch.tv/ISOMusicians Karen’s (NEW) Yoga studio pagewww.suryasta-yoga.com instagram.com/suryastayoga/YouTube: Suryasta Yoga facebook.com/suryastastudios/twitter.com/SuryastaYoga COVID StudiesUniversity of Colorado study pageBe sure to view July 13 as well as more recent results University of Colorado study round 1 results videoUniversity of Colorado study round 2 results videoResearcher talks about flute results: https://www.facebook.com/theflyingbaton/videos/570042633666941/?v=570042633666941 IDRS: 4 infectious disease/aerosol experts Texas Tech University Viral Spread Mitigation in Flute Playing currently underway, no info available yet Mixing/recording technology/miscellaneouswww.tomplay.com https://www.mixcord.co/pages/acapellaKoechlin Sonata for 2 Flutes

Aug 20, 2020 No Comments

A Virtual Evening with Karen Moratz

I am so excited to announce the very first Indy Flute Shop virtual event, featuring none other than Indianapolis’ finest, Karen Evans Moratz! I have so missed hosting artists and events here at the shop, but unfortunately it looks like it’s going to be a while before we will be able to safely do that again, so along with the rest of the music industry we are making the best of the situation! I can’t think of a better, more talented, or kinder person to collaborate on this event with, and I really think you are going to enjoy what we are putting together for you. Please join the Indy Flute Shop for a very special virtual event with Karen Evans Moratz– Indianapolis performer, author, entrepreneur, and Win-D-Fender representative. The Win-D-Fender sound guard was originally invented to help flutists play outside without the fear of wind silencing the sound. However, in the past few months it has gained notoriety as a tool to help combat the spread of air when playing related to COVID-19. Karen will give a brief talk on the Win-D-Fender and answer questions about the product. She will then perform a short recital of unaccompanied pieces. Read

Jul 28, 2020 No Comments

Warren Township NAMM Foundation Award

This news is a bit belated, but I wanted to give a HUGE congratulations to the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, here in Indianapolis, for winning the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation 2020 Best Communities for Music Education–for the fifth year in a row! This award is only given to a very select group of schools throughout the country, so to be chosen five years in a row is an amazing achievement for this district’s performing arts programs. Warren Township, on the east side of Indianapolis, serves approximately 11,500 students from elementary through high school. This is not the first time that Warren’s performing arts programs have been nationally recognized, as they have earned Grammy Signature Schools Semi-Finalist recognition 9 times and were honored as a Grammy Signature School in 1999. Music ensembles have 27 appearances at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Organizational State Finals since the 1980s. The cornerstone of the Best Communities for Music Education award centers on support for K-12 music education by administration, faculty, students, and community. Ed Meckes, Director of Bands and Performing Arts Chair at Warren Central High School, says that the district applies every year by showcasing various

May 5, 2020 No Comments

What I’m tuning into this week

As our lifestyle of quarantining and social distancing drags on for another week, I’ve really been looking for the silver linings whenever I can. I am so thankful for continued employment for myself and my husband, the chance to be home with my daughter (who just turned 1–where has the time gone??), and finding new ways to connect and share music with others. In that spirit, I wanted to share some of the online events that I’ll be tuning into this week from amazing artists and industry professionals. All of these streaming events are free and open to the public, and you can either watch them live or view them later on their respective social media platform. Mimi Stillman: Tea and Mimi, Tuesdays 4pm Eastern Time, Facebook LiveThose of you have been following me for a while know it’s no secret that Mimi Stillman is a favorite of mine. Aside from being an absolutely flawless flute player, she is so kind and knowledgeable. Tuesdays at 4pm, she is presenting a “Tea with Mimi” concert series from her home on her Facebook page, playing a wide variety of solo pieces, from Bach to her own compositions. I will be posting the

Apr 28, 2020 No Comments

IU Flute Academy

If you live anywhere near the Bloomington area and are interested in you or your student receiving the very highest caliber of private and group study, you need to check out the IU Jacobs School of Music Flute Academy. The Flute Academy is a flute study course for pre-college and adult amateur flutists of all levels, beginner through advanced, led by Jacobs School of Music flute instructors! They offer private lessons, group lessons, performance opportunities, and flute choir participation to elementary, middle, and high school students. In addition, participants have access to Jacobs School of Music flute events, including faculty recitals, guest recitals, student recitals, and masterclasses, all led by esteemed professors Dr. Thomas Robertello and Dr. Suyeon Ko. Dr. Robertello was appointed associate professor of flute at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 1997. A former member of the Pittsburgh Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the National Symphony, he has performed as guest principal flutist with the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Houston Grand Opera, and Nashville Chamber Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and appears as a soloist on numerous other recordings. Robertello’s former

Feb 18, 2020 No Comments

Red for Ed

Downtown Indianapolis is seeing all shades of red today, and not just because of the upcoming holidays! This morning, more than 15,000 educators descended on the Indiana Statehouse to lobby for increased funding and a change in school and teacher accountability for public schools. Why should you care about this? Read on. 90% of students in Indiana attend a public school. That means the majority of Indiana’s children are affected by the decisions our state legislators make regarding education. If your child does not attend public school, chances are they have friends that do. You probably know at least one, if not many, public school teachers. Currently, Indiana has some of the lowest paid teachers in the country, and we are also experiencing a shortage of public school teachers. Many of our schools do not have a school nurse, librarians, school psychologists, or school resource officers. The reason for this is not because these positions aren’t needed, but because the funding isn’t there to provide them. In addition to severe funding shortages, teachers are also protesting issues related to Indiana’s standardized testing program, ILEARN. Currently, teachers are held accountable for their students’ testing results, which does not take into account

Nov 19, 2019 No Comments

Interview with Donna Wilson

A little over a month ago, I featured a blog article on mindfulness by Donna Wilson from mommysgottapractice.com. (If you missed it, check it out here). Donna is a local performer and teacher in addition to running her website dedicated to juggling parenthood and a professional musical career. Now, you get to learn a little more about her background and what she does! 1. When did you start playing flute? Did you always know you wanted to play an instrument, and what drew you to the flute? Like most kids in Indiana, I started playing flute the summer going into my 6th grade year. I was introduced into the band program a few years earlier because my older brother played saxophone in band. When I went to his concerts, I had originally thought about playing clarinet. My youngest aunt had played clarinet all through school, so I would have one available to me, and I thought it sounded interesting. But something kept pulling me to playing flute. I think it was the idea that I would be in the front row if I played flute! Haha! But, also, the instrument always looked so elegant being played to me. Well, I

Oct 22, 2019 No Comments