Rob Cronin’s Sonata for Flute and Piano

I recently performed Rob Cronin‘s new Sonata for Flute and Piano at three different locations this semester: Kennesaw State University, Columbus State University, and South Dakota State University. My husband commissioned this work from Rob for my birthday, and it has been a blast to work on. Check out the performance from Columbus State here:  

Etude Project Videos

In what seems to be a natural extension to last summer’s etude project, I’ve decided to record some of those that I found to be most useful for my university students, and in some cases, my younger ones. Here’s some Gariboldi, op. 132 and a Piazzolla tango etude thrown in for good measure.

Time Off

This month, I did something I haven’t done in recent memory. I took a vacation. Now, to be fair, I have gone on vacation in the past five years. But it always included work. I brought a computer and flute along, and felt obligated to keep up with email, practicing, reading, writing, and idea generating. …

Whole Musician retreats

I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Megan Lanz this week. Megan is a flutist based in Las Vegas, Nevada; she and I met over Twitter, where so many good connections are made. Megan and several friends have recently organized themselves in a group called Whole Musician and have just wrapped up hosting their …

Product Review: Altissimo Flute Fingering and Trill Charts

Altissimo Flute Fingering and Trill Charts Nestor Herszbaum and Carolyn Nussbaum Music Company These charts, which accompany Herszbaum’s Alternative Fingerings for the Flute, are handy and convenient to use. One of the positive aspects of these is their size; they’re large enough to be clear and hold all of the necessary information but they’re small …

Summer Etude Project

This summer, I plan to play through as many etudes as possible. The goal is to identify etudes that might be most suitable for my students next academic year, become more familiar with etudes that I have little experience with, revisit some that I have worked on in the past, and develop my technique. I’m …

Life-Changing Lessons

A few days ago, I had a lesson with one of my teachers, Christina Smith. I half jokingly mentioned on Twitter later that afternoon that it had “changed my life.” But after some reflection, maybe it did in a small way… Since I am no longer in school, I have to grab lessons whenever my …

Shiny New Flutes

The holidays came early to the SDSU flute studio in November. Several of my students wanted to try out new flutes; most were ready to upgrade, and one wanted to get an idea of her options in anticipation of upgrading next year. We had seven brands of flute to try out over the course of …

Recent Collaborations

One of the best parts of my job is the opportunity to collaborate with all types of musicians on different projects. Recently, I’ve had the good fortune to work with players here on my home campus, in the community, and in the region. My first collaboration this academic year was with my dear friends from …