Listening: Flute, Violin, Cello, Vocal...

Here is a list of some great flute, violin, cello and vocalists for you to listen to all summer. Enjoy and let me know if you have some favorites to add to it!

Flutists
Eva Amsler 
Francesca Arnone 
Julius Baker 
Jeanne Baxtresser 
William Bennett 
Sharon Bezaly 
Denis Bouriakov 
Bonita Boyd
Leone Buyse 
Jasmine Choi
Ian Clarke
Tadeo Coelho
Tim Day
Michel Debost 
Philip Dikeman 
Aralee Dorough 
Mathieu Dufour 
Jean Ferrandis 
James Galway 
Marianne Gedigian 
Marco Granados 
Susan Hoeppner 
Sarah Jackson 
Christina Jennings 
Jennifer Keeney 
Barthold Kuijken 
Robert Langevin 
Goran Marcusson 
Aurele Nicolet 
Thomas Nyfenger 
Emanuel Pahud 
Michael Parloff 
Greg Pattillo
Marina Piccinini 
Amy Porter
Jean Pierre Rampal 
Angela Jones-Reus 
Paula Robison 
Elizabeth Rowe 
Lisa Garner Santa

Joshua Smith Jonathan Snowden Mark Sparks
Alexa Still
Mimi Stillman 
Raffaele Trevisani 
Keith Underwood 
Jim Walker 
Manuela Wiesler 
Robert Willoughby 
Ransom Wilson 
Carol Wincenc

Great Historic Violinists
Fritz Kreisler 
Jascha Heifetz 
Isaac Stern 
David Oistrakh
Arthur Grumiaux 
Jascha Heifetz 
Fritz Kreisler 
Yehudi Menuhin 
Nathan Milstein 
Ginette Neveu
David Oïstrakh 
Michael Rabin 
Ruggiero Ricci 
Joseph Szigeti 
Eugène Ysaÿe


Contemporary Violinists
Joshua Bell
Sarah Chang 
Hilary Hahn
Nigel Kenedy 
Gidon Kremer 
Anne Akiko Meyers 
Midori
Viktoria Mullova 
Anne-Sophie Mutter I
tzhak Perlman
Gil Shaham

Listening To Great Musicians: Flute, Violin, Cello and Voice

Cellists
Anner Bylsma
Pablo Casals 
Jaqueline du Pré 
Pierre Fournier
Lynn Harrell
Steven Isserlis
Yo-Yo Ma
Gregor Piatigorsky 
Msistlav Rostropovich 
Alisa Weilerstein

Sopranos & Mezzos
Janet Baker
Erna Berger 
Kathleen Battle Cecilia Bartoli 
Montserrat Caballé 
Maria Callas
Joyc DiDonato
Kirsten Flagstad
Renee Fleming
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson 
Anna Moffo
Birgit Nilsson
Rosa Ponselle
Lucia Popp
Leontyne Price 
Elizabeth Schwarzkopf 
Joan Sutherland 
Renata Tebaldi
Dawn Upshaw

Tenors-& Bass/Baritones
Jussi Björling
Enrico Caruso
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau 
Plácido Domingo 
Giuseppe Di Stefano 
Juan Diego Flórez 
Beniamino Gigli 
Thomas Hampson

Timothy Jones 
Mario Lanza 
Peter Pears 
Luciano Pavarotti 
Tito Schipa
Fritz Wunderlich

 NPR 50 Great Voices
Hear and read stories about each of the 50 vocalists profiled in our special series. You can also download the podcast, explore more than 100 nominations and find out more about the series.
Sezen Aksu: The Voice Of Istanbul
Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation
Asha Bhosle: The Voice Of Bollywood And More
Bjork: A Celestial Voice
Dennis Brown: The 'Crown Prince' Of Reggae
Buika: The Voice Of Freedom
Montserrat Caballe: A Voice Of Passionate Grandeur
Maria Callas: Voice Of Perfect Imperfection
Enrico Caruso, And Confessions Of An Operaholic

Twinkie Clark: Riffing On Gospel
Radmilla Cody: Two Cultures, One Voice
Nat King Cole: An Incandescent Voice
Celia Cruz: The Voice From Havana
Camaron De La Isla: The Voice Of Flamenco
Sandy Denny: Mercurial Queen Of British Folk Rock
Placido Domingo: The Spellbinding Voice Of A Titan Tenor
Fairuz: Lebanon's Voice Of Hope
Ella Fitzgerald: America's First Lady Of Song
Carlos Gardel: Argentina's Tango Maestro
Donny Hathaway: Neglected Heart Of Soul
The Many Voices Of Lauryn Hill
Billie Holiday: Emotional Power Through Song
Howlin' Wolf: Booming Voice Of The Blues
Iggy Pop: The Voice As Weapon

Mahalia Jackson: Voice Of The Civil Rights Movement
George Jones: The Voice Of Heartbreak Janis Joplin: The Queen Of Rock
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii
Khaled: The King Of Rai
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The Voice Of Pakistan
Umm Kulthum: 'The Lady' Of Cairo
John McCormack: The Charming Irish Tenor
Lydia Mendoza: The First Lady Of Tejano
Freddie Mercury: Rock 'N' Roll's Humble Showman
Meredith Monk: A Voice For All Time Youssou N'Dour: The Voice Of Senegal
Roy Orbison: A Great Voice, A Lonely Sound
Robert Plant: Born In England; Made In America
Esma Redzepova: 'Queen Of The Gypsies'

Dianne Reeves: A Jazz Voice With Pop
Sensibilities
Elis Regina: The Feeling Between The Notes
Amalia Rodrigues: The Voice Of Extreme Expression
Yossele Rosenblatt: The Cantor With The Heavenly Voice
Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Protest Through Poetry
Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen Of New Orleans
Luther Vandross: The Velvet Voice
Chavela Vargas: The Voice Of Triumph
Kitty Wells: The Queen Of Country Music
Jackie Wilson: The Singer And The Showman
Ahmad Zahir: The Voice Of The Golden Years 

Grocery Shopping, Greeting, Gratitude & Connection: Part 3 Lesson

Grocery Shopping, Greeting, Gratitude & Connection: 

How we greet each other and establish a connection right from the start is important at every lesson. Teacher and student create the time and space for this to happen. This is the part of the lesson that is like selecting the exact ingredients that you need for a complete recipe. You have selected the recipe and are now at the grocery store. You remember what you need, what the student needs. You are looking for it in the moment to see what they have today. What is fresh, what do you notice? What may have to be substituted or improvised? We look, listen, feel and are grateful for what we have. 

This is all a form of LISTENING - The Art of Listening...

Greet each other acknowledging this important time you have together. Look in their eyes for a genuine moment and show your caring for them and your respect for the lesson and the music.


Notice their breathing with interest and kindness as they enter. What do you observe? 
Is it flowing or held?
Is it weak or strong?
Is their audible sound when they breath in or out?
Do their ribs move freely as they breath?
Is their a natural rhythm to it?...


Begin to connect and hear the sound of their voice. 
What is the tone of their voice? What qualities does it contain today? Is it higher than usual? Is is lower? 
What is the rhythm of their words? Are they animated, carefully chosen or lacking in energy..? 
What is the dynamic of their greeting? 
What kind of expression are they showing you in their greeting?


Observe the students body language. 
How are they walking into the room? 
Is it light and flowing, heavy and plodding? Jumpy, fast, slow...?

Are they aware of their whole self? 
Is their head balanced on top of their spine with ease? 
Is their a sense of balance and freedom of movement?
Would you describe it as connected or separate? Unknowing or knowing their body. Aware or not aware?...  

How would you describe their body language today? 
Is it one of:
confidence, doubt, openness, fear, hope, caring, happiness, sadness, freedom, respect, gratitude, excitement, balance...?

So, you have a plan and now you have observed what is in store for you. 
How would you like to proceed? What will you select today?

How about a few words of gratitude? Something authentic for you to express. 
Perhaps something like: 
So happy you are hear today.
It is lovely to see you again.
How wonderful that we have this time together with music and our flutes.
We are so fortunate to be able to make some music together.
I am excited to be here and for us to learn something new today...

Or you may say them silently too...

This kind of greeting, connection and gratitude sets the tone for a  lesson. One that creates an air of awareness and a promising beginning for a wonderful lesson.

Next, part 4, is to look at the Recipe that was given from last week     ( I have my students keep a notebook and 3 ring binder) and to see what the student has made.

Thank you,
Jennifer 

Preparation, Planning & Personal Consideration: Part 2 Wonderful Lesson

A Wonderful Lesson and a Great Meal both include:

Preparation, Planning & Personal Consideration.


What are you thinking about in between lessons/ meals, for your student/s? What have you asked them to do? What have their band/orchestra directors asked of them?

What new menu are you planning?

What are they finding difficult and need help with to transform and grow? 

What kind of recipe can you make to help them move through this?

Are they improving and growing via the nourishment you provide and are they feeding them self in between lessons?

Is their menu of growth and nourishment motivating and inspiring them?

What are their future goals and dreams? How are you going to design their individual lesson and practice? What kind of new recipe, menu do they need that is delicious and nourishing for them?

Recipe for a Wonderful Lesson - part 1 of 12

 What makes a wonderful lesson?  

For one of their final projects I asked my pedagogy students to consider and write about what makes a wonderful lesson. They were to use all that we had been studying, their education as musicians and personal life experiences. I hoped that this would also bring out more of their individual teaching styles as well as honoring the art of music and pedagogy. 

I in turn, did the same assignment. To me a good metaphor for a wonderful lesson, is cooking a fine meal. There is a lot that goes into creating, preparing and cooking a lovely meal. 


“The qualities of an exceptional cook ( musician)
are akin to those of a successful tightrope walker: an abiding passion for the task, courage to go out on a limb and an impeccable sense of balance.” 
~Bryan Miller

You have to consider who you are cooking for, what they would enjoy and what is nourishing for them. You consider the environment, the time you have and the kind of meal you are creating. What kind of meal are you making? Is it a simple snack, gourmet breakfast, ethnic lunch, romantic dinner, elegant banquet or a feast...? 

How connected to and involved are you in the whole process? Are you the only person preparing and cooking? If not how are you sharing and creating this together? 

What recipes are you using? Are they yours, someone else’s or a combination?  You have to choose get to know the recipe and all of its ingredients. You have to have all of them and they are best when fresh. You know it will taste the best if all the ingredients are of highest, finest, organic quality. 

For the most wonderful meal, you have to allow for each recipe to cook as long as is needed and to be involved and connected to it during the whole process. What kind of cooking is needed? Slow, baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, rolled, tossed, kneeded, stirred, poached, fried, seared, blended, gently folded...?

How much time will it take to prepare your meal?  You are acutely aware of how the timing for each part of the recipe effects the whole meal. You are alive, in the moment as you cook it. Does it need a lot of tending, encouragement, listening... or very little... What does it require, need to become a wonderful culinary delight?

You realize that their are an infinite number and kinds of recipes, ingredients and spices. You delight in and know that each one is unique, that it takes time to get to know each ones qualities, properties, and uses/gifts.  

You learn and are amazed by how they can be combined and how each one effects the other.  What kinds of spices do you need to add?   Perhaps it is something more bold or sweet or something with more refined and subtle?  It takes an impeccable sense of balance.

What kind of mood and environment are you serving your meal in and who are you serving? How do you know when to serve it? What kind of dish do you serve it in? What comes first, in between and last? What do you add or take away during the meal? 

How do you know when it is enough, complete, finished? How does the meal end? 

What do you have to clean up after it is over? 

What do you want to remember about it ? 

And, are there leftovers to take home? What kind of container can they take it home in and bring back for more at the next wonderful meal?

Recipe for a fine lesson has: 

Teacher & Student, Ideas, Imagination, Design, Education, Passion, Practice, Play, Information, Creativity,  Innovation, Positive Attitude, Love, Gratitude, Listening, Awareness, Personality,  Guidance, Sound, Encouragement, Heart, Communication, Connection, Curiosity, Daring, Dialogue,  Joy, Delight, Presence, Looking, Focusing, Openings, Spirit, Possibility, Thinking, Feeling, Observing, Movement, Laughter,  Risking, Growth, Wonder, Authenticity, Empowerment, Direction, Dreams, Goals, Future, Hope...

Creating: Connection + Clarity + Commitment + Courage = Confidence

How is practice directly related to performance, yet performance is not the same as practice? 

It is not a mystery, how creative, complete, connected, clear, committed, courageous and confident you are in your practice, is how you will perform. There is “magic”, music that happens when all these things align and you are in a state of trust and confidence, in the zone or flow. How are you at creating these meaningful, magical, musical, connections, clarity, commitments and courage as you practice, prepare, perform your music? Is your practice one of self and musical discovery, that prepares you for a connected, confident, committed, courageous, lesson, jury, audition and performance?  

Here are a few ideas to consider.

Connection :

The more meaningful connections you make in your practice, playing and performing, the more you will remember and stay connected to your flute, your music and your audience. Make your preparation and practice full of meaningful connections . When you do this, your brain will be activated on both sides and create more memory. The meaning you make, the connections you will create and the more memories you will have for yourself and your audience. M&M: Meaning and Memory = Connection.

Clarity :

The state or measure of being clear in thought, feeling, listening, looking, appearance, style; lucidity. Finding your own way and being taught through confusion, doubt, not understanding, leads to clarity.  Practicing with your awareness and open focus on creating clarity in your playing, music and artistic interpretation is the key to feeling prepared. Being taught and self discovery in clear, connected, meaningful ways will transform your playing and performing. The more clarity you gain, the more prepared you will feel. The more clarity and commitment to making artistic choices the more confidence you will develop. Clarity is a necessary step in learning, creating meaningful connections and choices in your practice, flute playing and music making. The discovery of these connections into clarity, commitment and the courage to be this, turns into confidence. Clarity = Confidence

Commitment & Courage :

The more connections you make to yourself and your music, the clearer you will become. The more clarity you have and in yourself, the more committed you will become and be able to express in your practice, lessons and performances. The more committed you are to making the connections, bringing clarity and commitment to all that you do, the more courage you will develop. Courage from the 12c., French,  courage: heart, innermost feelings; from the Latin, cor: heart, which remains a common metaphor for inner strength, passion and love. Playing and performing the music with a fearless commitment to what you believe and trust in is courageous.  The more commitment and courage you have to be your authentic self, the more confident you will be in your practice, lessons, juries, auditions and on stage as a performer.

Confidence: 

What is confidence? What are you confiding in, trusting in?  The meaning from the Latin root confidere is, firmly trusting, reliant, self-confident, bold, daring... Are you building upon the experiences of expressing yourself and the music in a trusting, confident way? Are you confident no matter what situation you are in? What is your optimum level of  “stress” for great practice and performing? Do you trust the connections you have made in practice and performance? Do you have clarity and commitment in and to your personal and musical choices? Do you trust the courage you have displayed and experienced? Have you made meaningful connections in this flow state, being in the zone, that lead to greater clarity, commitment, courage and confidence? 

Presence:

What is presence? What kind of presence do you create on stage?  

Studies indicate that your presence is the main thing that people experience about you. Here is an interesting  TED Talk by Amy Cuddy on, Presence & Body Language - How your body language shapes who you are. Try some 2 minute Power Poses before you perform.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html

Presence ( From My Book Creative Practice Ideas & Exercises for the Whole Musician ~ Flute)

Presence has & is : How are you creating presence? Explore how you, Express Presence...
• Light - There is light in someone who has presence and in a sound that has presence. It is visible and

expressive, alive, alight, luminous. Kinds of Light: candlelight, moonlight, twilight, sunlight, spotlight... •Expansive - It defies the limits of body and space. It is multi dimensional, whole, unified, it is eternal...

• Intensity - Passion, purpose, power, desire, direction, drama, strength, commitment, expression, focus, determination and interest...

• Enchanting - Inviting, magical, imaginative, wishing, hoping, fearing, visionary, dreamy, singing...
• Attracting - Compelling, has character, wit, dynamic, intelligence, sweet, loving, kind, beautiful, funny,

connecting, magnetic, seductive, energized, vibrant...
• Alert - Presence is present, aware, awake, attentive, alive, alight, encompassing, inclusive, cultivating...

•Authentic - Being yourself, knowing yourself, real, natural, unique, original, one of a kind, special... • Permeable - Open, vulnerable, porous, empathetic, feeling, compassionate, connected... 

Art- ticulation - HOW you Articulate and shape your Air

In the last 2 blog post I talked about Embouchure and then Air and how it Creates the Music... Now adding on to this idea of air, yes... but what about the How of it... That what also matters so very much is the Articulation of your air, the shapes inside your mouth and the use of your tongue and the way your Embouchure is forming the release of the air. 

Now think about and experiment with this idea:

It is HOW you USE, SHAPE and ARTICULATE your AIR & EMBOUCHURE                (body, brain, imagination, knowledge...) that really creates the MUSIC.

I feel that most people do not think about and use a variety of articulations via syllables, vowels and consonants to shape inside the mouth and to create the sound, the music. 


What kind of shapes do you make with your embouchure, your tongue, your oral cavity to ARTICULATE the music? 

I am always investigating, watching and listening to great musicians, teachers and talking my musician friends. I just finished watching this video, http://www.keithflute.com/Keithflute/pay-to-view.html offered by Master Classes NYC  a great set of classes that Maryann Tu has developed and runs in NYC!  Go to some of these if you can or watch via online:-).
http://masterclassesnyc.com/masterclassesnyc/masterclassesnyc.html 
I highly recommend you spending the $20 and watching! Keith so clearly demonstrates how embouchure, muscles, articulations... effect the sound and music you are making. There is so much for you to enjoy and consider in your flute playing and music making from this fine teacher. 
In this video he goes into detail about:
FACIAL MUSCLES
EMBOUCHURE
TONGUE 
SHAPES INSIDE
ARTICULATION 
MUSIC...

My experience studying with great teachers, listening and watching great musicians, asking questions and practicing all these ideas, is that all of these artists shape and articulate their air in artistic ways. That they have thought in detail about what they want to create and they either can just do it or most have found out, via their teachers, their own study and practice... HOW to articulate and shape each note, each phrase, each sound that they make into music.

We can learn so much by learning from wonderful teachers, from listening to and watching the musicians we love and becoming keen observers and trying to emulate their sounds and music... Discovering HOW they do it and how we create that, is teaching ourself, is practicing, is developing our artistry. 

Your ART- TICULATION, is HOW you annunciate, pronounce, give voice, life to the music. 

Be CREATIVE and ARTISTIC in your ARTICULATION choices. 

AIR CREATES- Pahud class and Galway chat

I  am always talking to the students about Air and what it creates... 

I like to say is:

YOUR AIR CREATES.... How you use it, create it, imagine it, know it, feel it, express it... Creates the MUSIC... 

I also went to the Pahud Class and Concert in Austin Texas last week and this morning read the Galway Flute Chat. Many wonderful things, inspiring to think about and learn from.

During the Pahud class and watching him at his concert it was clear that he created with his air. There was always a sense of ease and right effort in creating the music and an at one-ness with the music and musicians. 
Some of the things he said about air were:

"Air in motion, creates sound...

Not lips but your air, your wind...

Breathing, air is supported NOT pressed, instead imagine an inflated balloon... Bouyant...

Release the air, it is all in how you release the air... For Forte, release more air... for Piano release less air...

Use the and feel the air in the Sinus cavities, the Wasabi diet...
Allow the air to flow, send it and focus...

Place the breath in a musical place or an expressive place that is least heard... I want to hear the fantasy, your imagination in between the notes... use your imagination, air and body to create this... "

Below is something I saw and appreciated on the Galway Chat this morning... I was helping a student with her high Ab playing softly at the end of an Overture. Part of the 'trick" is knowing the feeling when the note is, STABLE or "locked in" when it is resonating and not to press it but to continue to support and allow for the resonance of the note to be amplified inside the body and in the instrument.... If a person does not have this awareness, knowledge and feeling then they might keep pushing and the note may crack, drop or be very difficult to play...

"The following idea might sound almost too simple, but with the flute being a wind instruments everything is triggered by the airstream. The airstream is the tool, which includes all our musical ideas. No air, no music. It has to go across the edge of the lip plate at a width of two Millimeters. The lips, the fingers, jaw and the tongue follow this airstream. Comparing this to violin playing: The bow is leading, not the hand on the fingerboard. We will find out that playing to the octave doesn’t mean to change the lip position. The lips will adapt to the supported airstream. I don’t want to simplify at any price, but I think a change of prospective can help to approach a complex issue.

Having understood this basic concept through the years, I could allow myself to look at technical details like the following one with great fascination:

Air pressure inside the mouth has been measured. The result was that we don't have higher air pressure inside the mouth in the high register. There is some change of pressure at the moment when we switch from low to high register. But once the high notes are stable, the pressure inside the mouth is going back to the earlier level. From this moment on, the resonating chamber inside the mouth and head is amplifying the sound of the flute (and not the amount of air we blow into the instrument!). The feeling is, as if the high note would lock in, independently from its dynamic range. Check it out!"

Matthias Ziegler

Zurich University of Arts

Switzerland

www.matthias-ziegler.ch

“It does lock in - and mouth resonation in octaves plays an essential role, 

basically you reshape the inside from an open vowel (aaaa ... like in LOVE) 

to a semi-closed (eee like in THE)... Though the fact that the air columns 

stays in the upper octave even after reducing the speed, has more to do with 

the inertia of the vibrating mass.

Thank you for this very interesting message, have a great day”

Uberto, London

www.ubertorlando.com