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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!

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Jul 25, 2022 No Comments

A History of Piccolo’s Greatest Hit

I hope everyone has fun plans that keep you safe–and cool!–for the 4th of July holiday next week. In honor of the holiday, I thought I would pass along some history on piccolo’s most famous solo: The Stars and Stripes Forever, by John Philip Sousa. Even if you don’t know it by name, you probably recognize the famous piccolo part at the end. “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on Christmas Day, 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent death of David Blakely, the manager of the Sousa Band. He composed the march in his head and committed the notes to paper on arrival in the United States. It was first performed at Willow Grove Park, just outside Philadelphia, on May 14, 1897, and was immediately greeted with enthusiasm. Sousa explained to the

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Jun 30, 2022 No Comments

Volante Winds

If you’re looking for some wonderful music performed by top-notch musicians to usher in Christmas and close this year out, look no further than Volante Winds. Now in their 5th Season, Volante Winds has reached high acclaim in the field of chamber music for their “beautiful sound”, “perfect ensemble”, and “excellent, mature poise.” All former doctoral candidates of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, they have continued to collaborate this year with virtual recordings of the highest caliber. Suyeon Ko is the Instructor of Flute at Western Illinois University. Dr. Ko is also the founder and the Artistic Director of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Flute Academy, and is a founding member of Volante Winds. Originally from Jeju, South Korea, Dr. Ko received Doctoral of Music degree in flute performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Performer’s Diploma at Indiana University, Master of Music degree in flute performance from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor of Music in flute performance from Jeju National University in South Korea. With the Volante Winds, Dr. Ko has toured across the U.S. and East Asia. Formed in 2016, the quintet has been a featured ensemble at premiere

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Dec 22, 2020 No Comments

Win-D-Fender

Hot New Product alert, now at the Indy Flute Shop: The Win-D-Fender! If you have done any amount of outdoor playing, you’ve been there: you’re all warmed up and ready to play, you take a deep, full breath to play your first note, and…nothing. You find yourself competing with anything from a light breeze to a cold evening wind to attempt to get a sound out of your flute! No matter how much you blow, the wind just seems to suck the air right out of your instrument before it has the chance to make a sound. Win-D-Fender is the solution to a problem that has affected flute players for centuries: Wind silences the flute. Whether playing outside concerts, marching band performances, or wedding gigs on the beach, wind is a verifiable nightmare for flute players. Win-D-Fender solves this problem once and for all. Lightweight and comfortable, Win-D-Fender installs easily, and safely secures to the flute, shielding the lip plate from all directions while not interfering with the player’s air stream. Win-D-Fender’s ventilated design helps limit condensation, while enhancing sound projection so the flute may be heard outdoors like never before. In addition, Win-D-Fender reflects the sound back to the

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Dec 3, 2019 2 Comments

History of Mozart’s Concerto in D Major

Although it may seem a bit trite to try to condense the history of such a prolific work, let alone the composer behind it, I wanted to stick our toes just a bit into the history of one of the most famous flute concerti, Mozart’s Concerto No. 2 for flute in G Major, K. 314 (285d). If you haven’t played it yourself, chances are your ears still perk up when you hear that famous ascending opening line. It remains one of my all-time favorite pieces, both to listen to and play, and it is one of the most important and widely studied pieces for the flute. Something you may not know is that this piece was originally written as an oboe concerto! For nearly two hundred years, scholars believed that it was originally composed for the flute in Mannheim in early 1778. However, the solo parts and the orchestra transcription for the oboe concerto in C were discovered in Salzburg in 1920, and in 1952 it was demonstrated conclusively that he reworked the Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 271k, into a concerto for flute. This Concerto in C major, K. 314 (271k), was composed in the spring or summer of 1777 for the oboist Giuseppe Ferlendis (1755–1802)

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May 28, 2019 2 Comments

Composer of the month: Philippe Gaubert

Our composer of the month for May is the illustrious Philippe Gaubert, who was also a respected conductor and flute performer as well as composer of flute music. Considered by some to be a “weekend composer,” he nonetheless wrote several pieces that are still staples of the flute repertoire today. He was considered one of the top French music composers between the two world wars. Gaubert began studying flute as a young boy with Jules Taffanel, father of the distinguished flautist Paul Taffanel. In 1890, impressed by his talent, Jules persuaded Paul to take the boy on as a pupil. He entered the Paris Conservatoire when Taffanel became professor of flute there in 1893.  He was still a teenagerwhen he became the first chair flute at the Concerts du Conservatoire and the Paris Opera. At the same time, he studied composition and became an assistant conductor at the Concerts du Conservatoire from 1904. With the outbreak of World War I, Gaubert served in the French Army and fought at the Battle of Verdun, earning the Croix de Guerre. After he was discharged due to chronic bronchitis, Gaubertreturned to the Conservatoire where he was immediately named a professor of flute. Even though he was more well-known

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May 14, 2019 No Comments

Stars and Stripes Forever!

I hope everyone has fun plans that keep you safe–and cool!–for the 4th of July holiday tomorrow! In honor of the holiday, I thought I would pass along some history on piccolo’s most famous solo: The Stars and Stripes Forever, by John Philip Sousa. Even if you don’t know it by name, you probably recognize the famous piccolo part at the end. “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa. By a 1987 act of the U.S. Congress, it is the official National March of the United States of America. In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on Christmas Day, 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife in Europe and had just learned of the recent death of David Blakely, the manager of the Sousa Band. He composed the march in his head and committed the notes to paper on arrival in the United States. It was first performed at Willow Grove Park, just outside Philadelphia, on May 14, 1897, and was immediately greeted with enthusiasm. “The Stars and Stripes Forever”

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Jul 3, 2018 No Comments

Remembering Loretta Contino

This past Sunday, I had the honor of playing in a flute choir for the memorial service of former professor of flute at Butler University, Loretta Contino. Although I never studied privately with her, her legacy was still very strong at the time that I attended Butler, and I heard so many share their personal stories of the impact that she had on a generation of flute students there and in Ohio. Here is her obituary from the Indianapolis Star: Loretta Contino, 77, died June 25, 2017. Loretta was preceded in death by her husband Charles Contino. She is survived by her daughter Lin Lehmkuhl, grandchildren Dustin and Jessica, and companion Lawrence Cooney. Loretta spent her life studying, playing, and teaching the flute. She had music degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Butler University. Early in her career she was flute instructor at Franklin College and St. Joseph’s College, but spent over 30 years teaching flute at Butler University. Loretta played in many different musical organizations and performed all over the world with the American Flute Orchestra. She was a well-respected scholar and wrote many articles on the instrument. She will be remembered as a wonderful musician and teacher

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Sep 26, 2017 No Comments

Robert Dick and Greg Pattillo Video

Here’s a link to a really cool video I just came across on youtube of Robert Dick and Greg Pattillo improvising.  I thought it would be appropriate since we have Eric Lamb’s clinic on extended technique coming up.  Check it out!

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May 19, 2010 No Comments

1949 Philadelphia Orchestra

This video from 1949 shows Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.  The flutist playing is William Kincaid, who was my teacher’s teacher.  Video here As I was watching the video, it struck me that Ormandy addressed the orchestra, saying “Gentlemen.”  In 1949, there were no women in this orchestra.  In fact, no woman held a principal position in a major orchestra until Doriot Anthony Dwyer in 1952.  She won principal flute of the Boston Symphony and played with them 1952-1990.  And Doriot studied with William Kincaid during WWII! Here is a link to a great article on Doriot.

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Apr 15, 2010 No Comments

Really cool videos

While looking for videos with contrabass flute on Youtube I stumbled across this flutist named Tilmann Dehnhard.  I especially enjoy the piece for piccolo and alarm clock!  Click on the links below to check them out. Flight Delayed Wake up! Check out his website for more: http://www.dehnhard.com/index.htm

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Jan 19, 2009 No Comments
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