Food for thought
The day after I arrived in Chicago, I heard from a friend that the Chicago Flute Club was presenting that weekend a masterclass and recital with Mathieu Dufour, the principal flutist of the Chicago Symphony. I went, and my jaw dropped to the floor. His playing is so smooth and so uniquely French. His recital consisted of all-French fantasies: Faure, Taffanel, Gaubert, Hue, and others. His sound rose above the piano like wisps of meringue. Everything was light and unfettered, everything sounded completely easy and unhurried. It was so inspiring.
A week later, the CFC sponsored an afternoon-long teaching workshop that I attended. I got to observe two lessons, taught by two teachers to two students who had never played flute before. And each teacher used a different method - one was a Suzuki style teacher, and the other was more conservatory-style. I had never seen a Suzuki flute lesson before, and I was completely impressed. Children who start in the Suzuki program don't actually hold a flute in their hands for several weeks or more depending on their progress. The method sets them up by playing games to teach them physical fundamentals - spitting rice to find the right tonguing technique, drawing on a piece of paper on the floor to find an ideal standing position, blowing at pinwheels, etc. The kids develop a strong physical foundation and they seem better equipped for later challenges and less likely to develop bad habits. I'm now researching the possibility of becoming certified.
On another note, my cousin invited Leander and I to his house for dinner last week. He's the chef for the Lyric Opera. What's an opera company doing with a chef? I'm not totally sure. But the verdict from his patrons have been very quotable: "Tell the new chef that he's yummy." And he is.
I've paid visits to many people in the last two weeks. I've met several flutists, a clarinetist, and had the pleasure of reconnecting with a couple Oberlin friends and even a San Francisco transplant. I love having time to myself to practice. Things are going well.
A week later, the CFC sponsored an afternoon-long teaching workshop that I attended. I got to observe two lessons, taught by two teachers to two students who had never played flute before. And each teacher used a different method - one was a Suzuki style teacher, and the other was more conservatory-style. I had never seen a Suzuki flute lesson before, and I was completely impressed. Children who start in the Suzuki program don't actually hold a flute in their hands for several weeks or more depending on their progress. The method sets them up by playing games to teach them physical fundamentals - spitting rice to find the right tonguing technique, drawing on a piece of paper on the floor to find an ideal standing position, blowing at pinwheels, etc. The kids develop a strong physical foundation and they seem better equipped for later challenges and less likely to develop bad habits. I'm now researching the possibility of becoming certified.
On another note, my cousin invited Leander and I to his house for dinner last week. He's the chef for the Lyric Opera. What's an opera company doing with a chef? I'm not totally sure. But the verdict from his patrons have been very quotable: "Tell the new chef that he's yummy." And he is.
I've paid visits to many people in the last two weeks. I've met several flutists, a clarinetist, and had the pleasure of reconnecting with a couple Oberlin friends and even a San Francisco transplant. I love having time to myself to practice. Things are going well.
posted by Elise Blatchford at
1:38 PM
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