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Recital videos, August 2020
I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a very small in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions.
All the repertoire is unaccompanied. The program begins with multiple-woodwinds repertoire by Samuel Adler, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, and Nicole Chamberlain (a world premiere of a commissioned piece), followed by some odds and ends on recorders, clarinet, and tinwhistles.
Fifteenth anniversary
Today is fifteen years since I started the blog. Thanks for all the comments, social media shares, emails, donations, and other connections. I hope you will continue to read and engage.
A few weeks ago I put out a request for questions from my readers. Here are a couple of posts with some answers:
Woodwind Doubler Census results, part 3: education and training
More results from the Great Woodwind Doubler Census of 2011. Enjoy!
Education and training
Q: Which of these have been part of your education on woodwind instruments?
Out of 187 total respondents, every one answered this question. The complete wording of the possible responses was as follows:
- school band/orchestra program (high school or younger)
- private lessons outside of school
- summer camps, workshops, or other formal programs outside of school
- university band/orchestra program
- university/conservatory bachelors degree with concentration(s) in multiple woodwinds
- university/conservatory bachelors degree with single-instrument or other music concentration
- university/conservatory masters degree with concentration(s) in multiple woodwinds
- university/conservatory masters degree with single-instrument or other music concentration
- university/conservatory doctoral degree with concentration(s) in multiple woodwinds
- university/conservatory doctoral degree with single-instrument or other music concentration
- other university/conservatory music degree or certification
- self-taught on one or more instruments
The biggest surprise to me was the number claiming bachelors degrees in multiple woodwinds. I assume that many of these must be double majors or other oddities, since there are very few true bachelors degree programs in multiple woodwinds available.
Read More “Woodwind Doubler Census results, part 3: education and training”
Report: National Flute Association Convention 2011
This year was my first time attending the National Flute Association‘s annual convention, held this year in Charlotte, North Carolina.I’ve been to conferences of all the other major woodwind organizations in the US (IDRS, ICA, NASA), and here are some things that I think the NFA did exceptionally well:
- Organization and planning. From what I could tell, nearly everything ran smoothly and according to plan.
- Engaging younger players. There were a number of competitions and masterclasses for high school and college students, and a Saturday “Youth Day” for flutists aged 8-13.
- Engaging non-professional flutists. My sense is that the NFA has a stronger amateur contingent than the other organizations, and that they are working to ensure its future.
- Appealing to broad musical interests. In my opinion, the NFA is doing a better job than anyone, including NASA, of integrating jazz into their convention in a serious way, and is integrating historical instruments at least as well as the IDRS. Ethnic flutes also got some good representation. Thursday night’s big feature concert was Baroque flute, and Friday’s was world music. Saturday’s concert was more standard concerto fare, but with a strong jazz representation. Kudos to the NFA for acknowledging that there is life beyond conservatory repertoire lists, and to its members for seeming to genuinely embrace and enjoy the varied offerings.
Like the other major woodwind conferences, the NFA’s is packed with so many events that it’s impossible to get to everything you want to attend. Here are a few personal favorites among the things I saw and heard (in no particular order): Read More “Report: National Flute Association Convention 2011”
Fingering Diagram Builder, version 0.84
Here’s a new minor release of the Fingering Diagram Builder with a few improvements:
- New and significantly improved contrabassoon diagram. Thanks to several of you who contributed with keywork photos and other feedback. I haven’t had recent access to a contrabassoon myself, so if you’re a contra player and see things that need tweaking, please let me know. The old contrabassoon diagram is still available as a key set of the bassoon diagram (now called “Contrabassoon (old),” and the new one is its own separate entry (“Contrabassoon”). I’ll keep an eye on the server logs and if it looks like the old one is still getting a lot of use I’ll keep it around.
- Miscellaneous minor bug fixes.
Enjoy!
I wasn’t aware that Yusef Lateef was such an active and great composer in a classical way. Great music, great playing, super interesting Programm!