After a few years of paying for a domain and having my website at sjfflute.com, I have decided to stop paying for the service. I don't know if I will do more blogging, but for now, if anyone does a search on SJFflute, this page will come up. The info is up-to-date and these posts still encourage me. I have been posting some on YouTube (under SJFflute and The Barefoot Flutist) but have been contemplating what the best social media outlet is for me. I didn't even remember this blog was here, so it is nice to have it to fall back on. Thanks for stopping by! What are you in limbo about at the moment?
Praying in Color
You want to spend time with God. But your mind wanders. You have trouble finding the words. Your body fights you... Sound familiar? Are you in need of a fresh approach to prayer? Grab some white paper, a pen and a few markers, and see what happens when you try Sybil MacBeth's method of praying... in color.
Painting for the Glory of God
Proclaim God's worth creatively & uniquely through your gifts! Thankful to Hyatt Moore using his gift of painting for God's glory. This is a powerful video about the creation of his Mural of Luke 14, just completed last week. Reading what he wrote first gives it even more depth.
Check out his most popular painting––The Last Supper With Twelve Tribes (which is actually about the future feast to come):
Check out his most popular painting––The Last Supper With Twelve Tribes (which is actually about the future feast to come):
This is what it's going to be like––we're all included. I had one black lady come up to me and she was a very sophisticated lady, highly educated, and she said to me, "This is the first time I have really felt invited."
Chosen and Filled
This morning (10 Feb 2015) I read these verses in Exodus 31:
Lord, how awesome it would be if you said: "See, I have chosen SJ, daughter of Jim, the son of Ernest, of the Yoder clan, and have filled her with my Spirit, with skill, ability and knowledge to engage in all kinds of musicianship."
"Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship."
Dignity and Honor
Last week, after months of agonizing over the choice, I purchased a new flute from JL Smith. It was a step of faith, as I still had uncertainties when I made the purchase. Trying to trust that God had led me as we had asked Him to, and not to give in to my typical buyers' remorse, the next day I was reading Exodus 28. Little details jumped out at me as I read a passage that normally would not catch my attention. The following is from my journal (my words in italics):
Thank you for my new flute, Lord. Help me to trust you more with this decision.
Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity* and honor. (Exodus 28:2)
May this flute be sacred, Lord, and may it give me dignity and bring you honor.
Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. (v.3)
Thank you for the skilled ones in Japan who hand-made this flute for me, so I may serve you as a musician. May I lead people to worship you with this tool.
...Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. (v.5)
This flute is made with some gold and fine silver. May it serve us well, Lord!
Make the ephod of gold and of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen––the work of a skilled craftsman. (v.6)
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* dignity: noun: The state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect.
2014 Smoky Mountain Flute Invitational
(L) Laurel Zucker –– I have had one of her CDs since high school! View a snippet of her performance here. (R) Dr. Jeremy Benson came up from Alabama and wowed us with his mad teaching skills (and performance!).
Dr. Shelley Binder organized this amazing event with the help of her students. She taught, performed, and directed as well.
(L) Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham, from Appalachian State University––my instructor way back in the day! Nancy performed modern pieces with Dr. Leslie Marrs (R), from Idaho––a guru in extended techniques.
Listen to a clip of their duo here.
and a trio with Dr. Binder here.
The weekend ended with Tadeu Coelho, who joined us from BRAZIL and gave a phenomenal performance as well as master class.
Lessons
I am stoked to have the opportunity to take a lesson with Mary Karen Clardy next week at a Yamaha event, hosted by JL Smith. There are so many great free resources online that can help you along in your flute playing (or learning anything for that matter), but nothing can replace having someone listen to you in person--having the undivided attention of an expert to give you feedback on how you can improve. There are so many facets to excelling as a musician. Bad habits form all too easily and are difficult to break. Seek help early on to form good habits, and keep checking on your progress. There is ALWAYS more to learn!
Take Care!
Do you like your flute? Do you hope to get a nicer one? Do you enjoy playing the flute? Do you want to get better? Take care of the flute you are using, and take care of the skill you are developing. Here are some good ways to take care of your flute:
- Swab it out every time you finish playing--and if you play it for an hour or more, take a quick break every 20-30 minutes and clean it.
- Never use cork grease or vaseline on the joints. If it gets hard to assemble/adjust, wipe it with a clean cloth.
- Never grab or hold your flute where the keys are. Key mechanisms are delicate and can easily be harmed/bent. When assembling or holding your flute, put your hand on the bare spots.
- When not in use, lay your flute down with your keys facing UPWARDS. If you have a flute stand, that's even better (but make sure you leave it in a safe place!).
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?"
JL Smith & Lorna McGhee
A few weeks ago I went to a Master Class and Recital performed by Scottish-born Lorna McGhee. What a flutist! It was incredible to experience that kind of talent and skill in person.JL Smith & Altus Flutes hosted the event and had a wide variety of flutes for people to try. If you are ever looking for a flute, look no further. JL Smith has everything from student flutes up through professional and artisan flutes, and will ship a few flutes for you to try out for a week (FOR FREE!) or you can make an appointment to go to their Charlotte office in person and try out all the flutes in your budget range/interest. A professional flutist will walk you through the process and give helpful feedback. I went yesterday and it was the best experience ever. Where else can you find that kind of shopping experience?
View a snippet of Lorna's performance here.
You are not too young!
You don't have to be in middle school to start playing the flute. I started just after I turned 9. Emma Resmini was even younger. Check her out at age 7!
Good Quotes about Practising
"Make an effort to pinpoint and eradicate bad habits or they will hold you back no matter how often you practice your flute." (Jennifer Cluff)
"When practising, try to do it right for just one bar - that's progress. Then the next time try to keep it right for two bars." (The Gilbert Legacy, Floyd, pp 20)
"Remember, you're not practising for next week, you're practising for next year." (pp 123)
Remember to place trust in your teacher and give each new idea a chance. It is rare that new skills happen instantly so patience and determination are a sure route to success. Try to maintain a positive attitude and focus often on those things that you already do well.
Never stop listening intently to every sound that you are creating.
Try to maintain a clear idea of the specific problem that you are about to work on during your practice sessions.
If you can fix one little thing each day then you will establish a pattern of being a better player today than you were yesterday.
Frustration and anger are not positive motivators so it might be a good idea to stop your pracitce when these feelings begin to emerge. Put the flute down and return later in the day when you can be more positive about your playing.
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