Voice Lessons in Columbus, OH

Instruments: Voice Flute

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Goal setting is the most important part of practicing effectively. I find it helpful to have written goals about what I want to achieve in the short term and in the long term and base each chunk of practice time on achieving a small part of that goal. For example, if my goal is to improve my tonguing by next month, I would set three or four deliberate steps necessary to achiever that (like slow practice, fast practice, metronome work, and rhythm exercises) then setting each practice time to work on one of those skills until I have achieved the goal.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
For flutists, a student is ready for lessons as soon as they can hold the instrument without tiring. That is usually around the age of 8 or 9, but can be earlier, like 6. It is helpful, but not necessary, that a student is able to focus on one thing for a half-hour or so as well, but good teachers should be able to keep a students attention regardless of age or ability to focus.

When will I start to see results?
It really depends on the student. For beginners, its my goal that you will be able to play a nursery rhyme on the headjoint by the end of the second lesson.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
To be honest, this instrument was chosen for me. I really wanted to be a violinist. My mom heard me play recorder in kindergarten and assumed, that since I was so good at recorder, that I would be an excellent flutists, so she took me out of violin lessons and moved me to flute. Even though recorder playing has no bearing on flute playing, I quickly fell in love and ultimately decided it's what I wanted to do with my life.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Good tone is the hardest to master especially since "good" is an extremely relative term. There are some loose definitions on what is desirable and what isn't, but ultimately, tone is dependent on what each player likes to hear. Either way, even making a "good" tone is pretty difficult and takes years of practicing and listening to master.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I use mainly the Rubank methods for flute. I also use the Suzuki books but only for repertoire. I do not employ the Suzuki method itself in teaching. I am a huge fan of the Trever Wye flute books. For advanced students, I work with Taffanel and Gaubert and other recognized studies of that level. I have a detailed Applied Repertoire list on my website that I can send to any interested student.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I usually begin with long tones, then some scale work. I then spend some time working on etudes and sight reading. Then I work on repertoire. I work either parts of the repertoire or the piece as a whole depending on how close I am to a performance. Each practice session is divided mainly by goal setting.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My music degree is in performance. I chose that degree because I knew that I wanted to teach students one-on-one (and not in the classroom) and that I wanted to develop better technique and performance practice to be able to pass those on to my students. I want to complete a masters and then Ph.D. in musicology because I love research and I love finding out the stories and theories behind why composers chose to compose and that those influences are vital to our understanding of the piece and how we perform it.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would be lawyer. In fact, I get asked almost daily why I didn't choose that route instead of music. Ultimately, I wanted to do something uplifting, which the legal field often isn't.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
I love playing avant garde music. I love pushing the boundaries of the instrument and seeing what kind of crazy sounds I can get it to produce!

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
Flute is actually my fourth instrument! I started on piano, then moved to violin, then voice, then finally settled on flute. There was quite a bit of overlap actually. My mom really wanted me to be a musician and kept rounding me through instruments until I found the one that I loved.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Actually, no! I am the first and only musician in my immediate and extended family. Nevertheless, I have never encountered anything other than support from my family despite my unorthodox career choice.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I decided just last year. It was a gradual choice. For a long time, I had told myself I needed to have a "real job," but then doors just started closing and the one's that remained open were ultimately pointing me into making this hobby that I loved a career.

Read More