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[videos] Texas Winds Musical Outreach
The Pan-Tones duo is proud to be working with the wonderful organization Texas Winds Musical Outreach to present music in nursing homes, rehabilitation, and memory care facilities in our local area. It is a true joy to play for such appreciative listeners. Read more
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Good musical citizenship
Moving forward in an artistic/music career is a mysterious journey. We have to determine our direction, while simultaneously creating the path. One thing does seem to be consistently true- the music world is small, and there is such a thing as professional karma. In the artistic community, acting with integrity and grace is imperative- and often more important than your specific skills. I didn’t begin to understand this until I was in my 30s. My 20s were all about proving to others (but mostly myself) that I was “good enough” to be a professional musician. I don’t think I was… Read more
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The impossible/intuition
When is something impossible? Once standard options fail, creativity begins. A path can feel instinctively right, without evidence to “prove” it. But how long to continue without external affirmation? When the heart resigns, has it become impossible? Or is acceptance the start of a new perspective? Impossibility is more opinion than fact. Just because it’s not apparent, doesn’t mean there isn’t a way. Sit with the impossible, and cracks begin to appear. Invisible, except to those who wait- patiently, expectantly. Intuition When it comes to creative decisions, I’m pretty intuitive. That’s definitely not to say I always make the best… Read more
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[videos] Music and community
Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how music creates a community. A music event gives people a reason to come together. Tastes for particular musical styles and artists create communities. Individual communities share specific music as part of their collective experience. The musicians themselves are a community, but I feel like they often limit themselves with that title. Within the music community, everyone is a musician- it’s not unique. I’ve started to notice that my musical skills are often more appreciated within other communities. This feels almost counterintuitive, because people outside of music are less trained, less critical. Often… Read more
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Recital Diaries: Live album, videos, thoughts
Robert and I have talked a lot about getting the most out of everything we do this year. This often means capturing or creating some form of media from each performance. Yes, it’s more work to set up the recording equipment, edit it, and share it. But if we don’t, it’s a lot of time and energy invested in a single live performance, whose audience is limited to a geographic location (and many other factors). I had wanted to capture some kind of recording of my recital program, but the idea of releasing the entire thing as a live album… Read more
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Recital Diaries: Recital day
This is my fourth consecutive year presenting a flute recital, and each year the scope of work expands. Although I create more work for myself each year, I also gain a lot from it personally and artistically. My recital is definitely the most challenging flute playing I do all year, which is why I love doing it. It pushes me beyond my abilities and keeps the blade sharp, so to speak. By the way… the Recital Diaries posts were inspired by the Diary of A Wimpy Kid book series by Jeff Kinney, which both kids were really into as I… Read more
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Recital Diaries: Theory homework (flute duet, chord chart)
I think the focus of my performance preparation is a little different than most flutists. I like to learn the part, definitely. I even try to have it all or mostly memorized. Beyond that, I do some maintenance practice for flutey things like scales, vibrato, and attacks/note endings, but I don’t obsess over it. I guess I feel like those skills get better over time, and don’t really benefit from cramming. However, I do have a bit of an obsessive mind (for better or worse), so with something big like my recital, I’m always itching to work on something. Beyond… Read more
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Recital Diaries: Dialogues with Steven and Robert
I set up a photo shoot with Steven and Robert for my upcoming recital. I wanted a photo of us having a conversation, to go along with the title of my program. Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 1PM in Denton, TX A: So… I don’t know how to naturally look like we’re having a conversation. S and R: You just have a conversation! On performance [Robert’s been taking an improv acting class in Dallas.] R: It’s been fun. I’ve gotten a lot out of it. A lot of times I feel like I’m acting. I’m on stage a lot, talking,… Read more
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[Pan-Tones] Dancing to classical music
Recently, I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than having my music inspire movement. What a joy to have friends that are such beautiful dancers! I love that dance night is an event for dancers, musicians, and creative people of all ages. After the first successful dance night, I had ideas for more open-ended, freeform movement. One of them was using a prompt, like a scenario- or in this case, an animal… Saint-Saens, Carnival of the Animals I made simple arrangements of the Elephant and the Swan from Carnival of the Animals. This was so fun! L’Elephant Le Cygne Vivaldi,… Read more
