February Studio News

February is such a fun month for the students in my studio! With love in the air, we study our own heartbeats, working to sync our music with what we feel within. We also take some time to review tempos and play games that revolve around learning the tempo names and speeds.

When it comes to music history, we hone in on the Romantic era. We talk about Berlioz, Beethoven, Wagner, and Brahms and how their music contributed to what we hear and play today. Brahms has some incredible orchestral works that showcase the flute in incredible ways, so I’m excited to dive in and hear what my students have to say about them!

We’re also going to begin our “Hundred Days of Practice” commitment so get ready! I prep my students a couple of weeks before (a few may have already begun this challenge) and we work hard to dust off the rust from the holidays and really get back into the musical groove. Now, I’m pretty lenient with the standards for practice. If you take your flute out for 5 minutes and play productively, it counts, but it is done on the honor system. There are prizes at random intervals, and I’ll be spot checking to see how we’re doing. My goal is to teach practice responsibility and show my students how much progress they can make when they commit to a daily routine.

I’m so grateful for my students and the parents that entrust me this year. I’m excited to continue to build and to be able to put on recitals this year, offer group lessons, teach sectionals, and just have a blast watching my students move forward through successes (and failures). It’s starting out to be a great year and I’m excited to continue that momentum!