April 2008

I N T H I S I S S U E

2008 Competition Winners ....................1Meet the Young Artists

From the President ................................2Do the Hustle

Member Profile ......................................3Elizabeth Holmgren

New York Philharmonic FlutistsBack from Korea................................4

Improving Harmonic AwarenessWithout a Piano in Sight ..................6by Wendy Stern

A n n o u n c e m e n t sFlute Happenings..............................................3Classified ..................................................7

In Concert

2008 Competition WinnersSunday, April 27, 2008, 5:30 pm

Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue(entrance between Fifth and

Madison on 54th Street)

Seung Yeon Tae, flute Soyeon Kim, piano

Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charles Marie WidorOp.34 (1844–1937)

Benjamin Smolen, flute TBA, piano

Suite Paysanne Hongroise . . . .Béla Bartókarr. by Paul Arma (1881–1945)

Chanson d’amour . . . . . . . .Gabriel Faurétrans. by Paula Robison (1845–1924)

Prelude in G Major . . .Sergei RachmaninovOp. 32, No. 5 (1873–1943)trans. by Paula Robison

Ya-Hsin Angel Hsiao, flute Colette Valentine, piano

Fantasie . . . . . . . . . . . . Philippe Gaubert(1879–1941)

Sonata Appassionata . . . . Sigfrid Karg-Elert Op. 140 (1877–1933)

Romance . . . . . . . . . . Camille Saint-SaënsOp. 37 (1835–1921)

Sonata in D Major . . . . . . Sergei ProkofievOp. 94 (1891–1953)

Invierno Porteno . . . . . . . . Astor Piazzolla(1921–1992)

Program subject to change

Ya-Hsin HsiaoYa-Hsin Hsiao earned a Premier Prix (2000)and a Diplôme Supérieur (2003) in flute per-formance from the Royal Conservatoire ofMusic at Brussels, where she studied with Jean-Michel Tanguy. She has won numerous compe-titions in Belgium, was a finalist in the 12thInternational Flute Competition at Timisoara,Romania (2007), and won Stony Brook Univer-sity’s concerto competition for the 2008-9 sea-son. Ms. Hsiao is currently a doctoral student at

Stony Brook studying with Carol Wincenc.

Benjamin SmolenBenjamin Smolen began his flute studies atthe age of 10 with Jennifer Dior in Charlotte,North Carolina. He won first prize in the 2007Haynes International Flute Competition andthe 28th Annual James Pappoutsakis MemorialFlute Competition, and was featured on theNational Public Radio show From the Top in2001. Mr. Smolen graduated from the musicand Slavic departments at Princeton Universityin 2007, and was coprincipal flutist in the

Princeton University Orchestra during his four undergraduate years.He studied flute with Jayn Rosenfeld and Michael Parloff while atPrinceton, and is currently a student of Paula Robison at the NewEngland Conservatory, where he is pursuing a master’s degree influte performance.

Seung Yeon TaeA native of Korea, Seung Yeon Tae made herprofessional debut at the age of 13, performingwith the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra inRussia. While studying in Korea, she wonnational competitions sponsored by Ewha-Kyunghyang and Chosun-Ilbo. Since coming tothe States in 2000, she earned her bachelor’sdegree from Mannes College of Music, studyingwith Keith Underwood, and was finalist in the2003 Frank Bowen Competition. Ms. Tae is cur-

rently a master’s degree candidate at the Manhattan School of Music,where she studies with Michael Parloff.

2008 COMPETITIONWINNERS

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2 — NYFC Newsletter

THE NEW YORK FLUTE CLUB INC.

2007–2008Board of Directors

David Wechsler, PresidentJayn Rosenfeld, First Vice PresidentArdith Bondi, Second Vice PresidentJeanne Wilson, Recording SecretaryKeith Bonner, Membership SecretaryArdith Bondi, Treasurer

Katherine Fink Karla MoeSusan Friedlander Seth RosenthalSvjetlana Kabalin Rie SchmidtFred Marcusa Stefani Starin

Nancy Toff

Advisory BoardJeanne Baxtresser Robert LangevinHarold Jones Gerardo Levy

Marya Martin

Past PresidentsGeorges Barrère .................... 1920–1944John Wummer ........................ 1944–1947Milton Wittgenstein .............. 1947–1952Mildred Hunt Wummer ........ 1952–1955Frederick Wilkins .................. 1955–1957Harry H. Moskovitz ................ 1957–1960Paige Brook ............................ 1960–1963Mildred Hunt Wummer ...... 1963–1964Maurice S. Rosen ................ 1964–1967Harry H. Moskovitz .............. 1967–1970Paige Brook ............................ 1970–1973Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1973–1976Harold Jones .......................... 1976– 1979Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1979–1982Paige Brook ............................ 1982–1983John Solum ............................ 1983–1986Eleanor Lawrence ................ 1986–1989Sue Ann Kahn ...................... 1989–1992Nancy Toff .............................. 1992–1995Rie Schmidt ............................ 1995–1998Patricia Spencer...................... 1998–2001Jan Vinci .................................. 2001–2002Jayn Rosenfeld........................ 2002–2005

NewsletterKatherine Saenger, Editor115 Underhill RoadOssining, NY 10562914-762-8582klsaenger@yahoo.com

Sue Carlson, Layout/Production789 Westminster RoadBrooklyn, NY 11230718-258-5325scarlson@wwnorton.com

www.nyfluteclub.org

Copyright © 2008 by The New York Flute Club Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Those of us living in New York City who have opted forthe life of a freelance musician have had an interestingtime of it in the last 20 years or so. We have seen our

employment go from a lucrative living to a shrinking amountof work that makes it more difficult to survive strictly as aplayer. Many have to supplement their incomes with otherthings. Teaching is always a part of the equation, and, if weare lucky, flexible, and versatile, other areas of employmentcan be music related. By doing so we keep a foot in the areaof work we love, and still feel like we are musicians.

What many fail to realize is that we were blessed with an unprecedentedamount of growth in the music business from the 1930s to 1980s. With the inven-tion of the phonograph, radio, motion pictures with sound, and television, musicalemployment dramatically increased. Radio stations had staff orchestras. All the bigmovie studios had orchestras to play music on films. When television came in, itfollowed the radio model with orchestras and bands. In the 1960s, more moneybecame available to make many orchestras full time jobs with benefits. Jazz, thattruly American hybrid of African rhythm and European harmony, became the coreof America’s popular music. There was such a variety of music in New York Citythat a Broadway show was considered a less desirable form of musical employ-ment, and jobs with the Metropolitan Opera and NY Philharmonic were seen asdownward career moves because they didn’t pay as much as recording and free-lance work. My, what a difference a few decades can make! You can read about allthis in various books and articles, but that is not the point of this column.

This column is about the here and now. The hustle. How does one survive,and more to the point, how do you live reasonably happily in an environment ofshrinking opportunities to do what you are trained for, or have dreamt of? It iscomplicated, but there are ways. First, realize that you are a prisoner of the timein which you live. Never think that things would be different or better in a differ-ent era. They would be if you were rich. It’s good to live in any era if you arerich. For musicians, it has never been easy unless you were a dilettante. Study anygreat composer’s life and see how much other music-related work they did tomake ends meet. Some years were good, some not so good. They taught. Theywrote some bad music, just to sell it quickly. They all performed, as well as com-posed, unless, like Beethoven, something curtailed their career as a player. Manygreat composers had completely different vocations than that of professional musi-cian. They all had real lives and real problems. In all eras, some were wildly moresuccessful than others. But they all hustled. It is part of the nature of this field.

In our present era, amidst the decline from a golden one, I believe it is stillbetter than the old days. We have better medicine and better public sanitation. Wedon’t work seven days a week, 14 hours a day (although sometimes it feels likeit). We live in a time of relative political stability. Travel takes a fraction of the timeit once did. And we have computers—arguably the greatest tool for humanadvancement and dissemination of information since Gutenberg’s printing press.The computer, while being a reason for declining employment in some areas ofmusic, has been a great tool in others. I hate the thought of a computer replacinglive musicians. It sounds bad and costs jobs. But for music preparation, arranging,composition, and recording? To create a niche for yourself in the marketplace? It isa miracle. Every type of administrative work that used to take days and weeks cannow be done in hours. These are all things to factor in when you think of ourmost precious commodity of all: time. And when we do the hustle, the ability tomultitask is our second-most precious commodity. And sometimes the hustle canbe good. It keeps you on your toes, and keeps the blood flowing to your brain.

Do the Hustleby David Wechsler

From thePresident

Van McCoy, “The Hustle” (c. 1975)

. . .

April 2008 — 3

FREE to current NYFC members, this section lists upcoming per-formances by members; flute-related contests, auditions, andmasterclasses organized/sponsored by members; and briefdescriptions of members’ new recordings, sheet music, and books.Send submissions to the Newsletter Editor.

FREE to current NYFC members, this section lists upcoming per-formances by members; flute-related contests, auditions, andmasterclasses organized/sponsored by members; and briefdescriptions of members’ new recordings, sheet music, and books.Send submissions to the Newsletter Editor.

Sunday 3:00 pmThe Legacy Duo with MARGARETSWINCHOSKI, flute, and Emily

Mitchell, harp, will perform “The Art of theDance,” a program of dance music fromaround the world including works by Piaz-zolla, Fauré, Shankar, Albeniz, and Ravel.

• Live @ the Arts Exchange, 31 MamaroneckAvenue, White Plains, NY. • Admission: $15general, $10 students/seniors. • Box Office, call914-428-4220 x223; info, visit www.westarts.com.

Tuesday 8:00 pmLAUREN ZAVLUNOV, flute, andBarbara Lee, piano, will perform

works by Clarke, Muczynski, and others.

• Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at54th Street), NYC. • Admission: $10 suggesteddonation. • Info, visithttp://laurenzavlunov.googlepages.com.

Thursday 1:30 pmThe OMNI Ensemble with DAVIDWECHSLER, flute, and the Ben-

evento/Russo Duo will perform electronicimprovisations and works by Satie, Benevento,Russo, Coleman, Coltrane, and Wechsler.

• Center for the Performing at the College ofStaten Island, 2800 Victory Boulevard, StatenIsland. • Admission is free. • Info, call 718-859-8649 or visit www.omniensemble.org.

Friday 8:00 pmThe OMNI Ensemble, with DAVIDWECHSLER, flute; same program

and info as April 17.

• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 SeventhAvenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn. • Admission: $15general, $10 students/seniors.

Wednesday 7:00 to 9:00 pm“A Walk in the Woods,” the last offour 2007-2008 Diller-Quaile Paula

Robison masterclasses. Repertoire: Saint-Saëns, Volière; Olivier Messiaen, Le MerleNoir; Eugène Bozza, Image; Arthur Honegger,Danse de la Chèvre.

• Diller-Quaile School of Music, 24 East 95thStreet, NYC. • Info, call 212-369-1484 x26, email ejanzen@diller-quaile.org, or visitwww.diller-quaile.org.

Thursday 7:00 to 9:00 pm“Performance Anxiety from InsideOut,” a workshop for flutists and

other musicians with HELEN SPIELMAN.

• 92nd Street Y, Lexington Avenue at 92nd St,NYC. • Admission $35; tickets, visitwww.92y.org. • Info, email hbs@email.unc.edu.

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Employment: Marketing and develop-ment associate for the Orpheus Cham-ber Orchestra.

A recent recital/performance: Nothingnotable since her 2006 graduate recital;for now her “flute time” is used morefor staying in shape while she developsnew skills in arts management.

Career highlight(s): Her Penn Stateundergraduate honors recital, whereshe performed flute pieces written bystudent composers. Beth says, “Therecital was the culmination of a lengthyprocess working with the composers ontheir pieces, and a few of those pieceshave since won composition awards.”

Current flute: A silver Lopatin round-hole flute (No. 29, discovered at the2007 NFA convention in Albuquerque),used with a Lopatin headjoint with aplatinum riser (No. 134), and a Hammigpiccolo that “is a joy to play.” She says,“The Lopatin has quite a different feelthan my previous instrument. There’ssomething about it that really workswell for me at this point in my playing.”

Influential flute teachers: Eleanor Dun-can Armstrong (as a Penn State under-graduate) and Wendy Herbener Mehne(as an Ithaca College master’s student).

High school: Portage Area High Schoolin Portage, PA.

Degrees: BM in flute performance(Penn State University, 2004); MM influte performance (Ithaca College,2006).

Most notable and/or personally satisfyingaccomplishment(s): Winning a nationalscholarship to spend a semester inDublin (2003) while an undergraduate;as a master’s student, putting together alecture-recital on Czech flute sonatasthat included the Martinu, Feld, andSchulhoff, and performing a graduaterecital that included one of her favoritepieces written for flute, George Crumb’sVox Balaenae.

Favorite practice routines: In Beth’swords: “I try to incorporate Taffaneland Gaubert [T&G] into my daily prac-tice routine in interesting ways—isolat-ing small sections of whatever piecesI’m currently working on and using sec-tions of T&G to improve on those. Iused to think of T&G as a chore, butmy perspective on that is changing con-siderably. Overtone exercises alwayshelp my tonal focus, and long toneshelp ME to focus at the start of a prac-tice session. Wendy Mehne has a great‘undertone’ exercise for practicing softlyin the high register. Right now, I’m alsoworking on a lot of etudes to help withmy concentration and technique. I don’thave as much time to practice as I didwhen I was in school, so all of thesethings help me to get the most out ofmy practice sessions.”

Other interests: Reading, writing (theoccasional NYFC interview, for exam-ple!), attending musicals and operas,traveling, and spending time with herfamily (saxophonist husband Erik andtheir Jack Russell terrier). As a fairlyrecent arrival to NYC, Beth enjoys theexcitement of exploring something newin the city on a regular basis.

Advice for NYFC members: There’s aplace for everyone in the music worldwho wants to be involved. In yoursearch to find your niche in this excit-ing and sometimes overwhelming city,remember that the members of the NewYork flute community can be very sup-portive and helpful.

Member ProfileElizabethHolmgrenNYFC member sinceSeptember 2006

FLUTE

HAPPENINGS

4 — NYFC Newsletter

On February 26, 2008, the New YorkPhilharmonic gave the first-ever per-

formance by an American orchestra inthe Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea (DPRK). The concert, the center-piece of a 48-hour visit that includedmasterclasses and a rehearsal open tomusic students, featured Dvorák’s NewWorld Symphony, Gershwin’s An Ameri-can in Paris, and the traditional Koreanfolksong Arirang as the last of threeencores. According to the New YorkTimes, the visiting contingent numberedsome 400 people, including the musi-cians of the Philharmonic, the orchestrastaff, television production crews, andabout 80 journalists. A few days aftertheir return, I found associate principalflutist Sandra Church and piccoloistMindy Kaufman delighted to sharesome thoughts they came back with.Additional information about the trip(including audio and video) may befound on the New York Philharmonic’swebsite (www.nyphilharmonic.org).—Ed.

SANDRA CHURCHFrom the moment we landed at the

Pyongyang airport, the fanfare made itclear that our tour was an historic event.We posed for photos as an orchestra infront of the South Korean airline,Asianna, which had generously provided

a 747 plane for our flight from Beijing (aswell as one for our return flight backfrom Pyongyang to Seoul, South Korea).Then we posed for another group photoin front of the Pyongyang airport termi-nal, complete with the photo of thefamous “Dear Leader,” Kim Jung Il. It wasa fairly long ride to our hotel, and whilewe watched the rural countryside goingby, we saw many people bicycling andwalking to their destinations. We weretold later by our minders (interpreters)that these people were specifically told tobe there on the streets so that we wouldhave an impression of a bustling, busy,and populated Pyongyang. We also sawno older people, and later found out thatpeople older than 55 are not allowed tolive in Pyongyang. That ended the jokesabout retiring there!

Once at the hotel, which was locatedon an island, we had approximately 40minutes before reporting downstairs toattend a special entertainment event oftraditional Korean dance and music. Theperformances were spellbinding displaysof virtuosity and artistry. Afterwards,some of us went down to the orchestrapit to congratulate the musicians whohad accompanied the performance. Themusicians were surprised to see us andwere very friendly. The orchestra itself,though miked, performed at a very high

Sunday 3:00 pm“An April Fool’s Concert,” withMARGARET SWINCHOSKI, flute,

in music for assorted instruments (includingglass armonica and theremin) and voice byRossini (with the flutist singing in the “Cat”duet), Beethoven, Gershwin, and Vanhal.

• Bronxville Women’s Club, 135 MidlandAvenue, Bronxville, NY. • Info, call 914-337-3252 or email info@bronxvillewomensclub.org.

Saturday 7:30 pmEight Strings and a Whistle, withSUZANNE GILCHREST, flute, Ina

Litera, viola, and Matthew Goeke, cello, willpresent a program of 20th- and 21st-centuryworks.

• Peter Norton Symphony Space, LeonardNimoy Thalia, 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street),NYC. • Admission: $25 for adults, $20 for Sym-phony Space members, and $15 for students/seniors. • Info, visit www.symphonyspace.org.

Sunday 5:30 pmJONATHAN BRAHMS and NormanDee, flutes, and Dianne Frazier,

piano, will perform works by Mozart, Schu-mann, Doppler, Ravel, Ben-Haim, and Casella.

• Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue(entrance on East 54th Street), NYC. • Admis-sion is free.

Monday 7:00 pmSHARON LEVIN will conduct theStamford Young Artists Philhar-

monic Flute Choirs.

• Ferguson Library, 1 Public Library Plaza,Stamford, CT. • Admission is free; post-concertreception. • Info, call 203-557-3973 or emailslflute@gmail.com.

Wednesday 8:00 pmThe Sylvan Winds with SVJET-LANA KABALIN, flute, and guest

artist Claude Frank, piano, will perform Bar-ber’s Summer Music, Op. 31, Mozart’s PianoQuintet in Eb Major, K. 452, Schifrin’s LaNouvelle Orléans, and the Brahms PianoQuartet in G Minor (arranged by S. Baron).

• Weill Recital Hall, 154 West 57th Street, NYC.• Admission: $30 general, $25 students/seniors.

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FLUTE

HAPPENINGS

MAY ’08

C L A S S I F I E DAcclaimed PERFORMANCE ANXIETYCOACH Helen Spielman, MA, is available inNYC for private sessions April 25–26.Enhance confidence, joy, and freedom onstage. Info, www.unc.edu/~hbs; to schedule,hbs@email.unc.edu or 919-929-4520. “I enjoy a level of performance satisfaction Inever knew possible.”—a grateful client.

NNEEWW YYOORRKK PPHHIILLHHAARRMMOONNIICC FFLLUUTTIISSTTSSBBAACCKK FFRROOMM NNOORRTTHH KKOORREEAA

Lorin Maazel leads the New York Philharmonic in Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, a work thatreceived its world premiere by the Philharmonic on December 16, 1893.

Chris

Lee

April 2008 — 5

professional level, equal to any in theworld.

Following the concert, we weredriven to another impressive building topartake in a formal 15-course meal. Wewere assigned tables, and at my tablethere was a star dancer, Ro Mi Song, whohad performed the Fan Dance, andwhose picture later appeared on the frontpage of the New York Times. With thehelp of our interpreter, we asked her andher teacher many questions about her lifeas an artist. She, too, performs four timesa week, just like we do for the Philhar-monic subscription series. I asked her forher autograph, and she responded withhumility and a purity of heart throughoutthe dinner. There was muchlaughter, and after such a largedinner, I didn’t feel the need toeat the next day. Our hosts weregiving us the red carpet treat-ment—we were their specialguests, and they treated usaccordingly.

The next day was the momen-tous concert day, and we donnedour concert black, so that thecameras could have a taping ofthat rehearsal. The audience wasall students, also formally attired.The concert hall was excellent,but very cold backstage. How-ever, there were waiters set up toserve us beverages, and especiallypopular was the ginseng tea.Onstage, we were comfortable, andbackstage we had friendly exchangeswith the five North Korean musicianswho originally were to play the famousAirirang folk tune with us. However, inthe concert, they did not play with us.We did not know why.

Many of us had beautiful hotel suiteswith two bedrooms, two baths, a livingroom, and a large refrigerator. Therewere two televisions, and I have to admitto watching a North Korean soap opera,and a couple of Russian stations. Thestory lines were all love stories, some-thing I could tell with no translation!

Finally, we were onstage for the con-cert. There was a strong feeling of respectfrom both the audience and the orchestra,back and forth. Playing our nationalanthem for them made me quite teary.

We were doing our best to communi-cate our desire for some way to reachout for peace. At the close of the con-cert, our efforts were rewarded by theovation that wouldn’t stop, even as the

musicians filed off the stage. The audi-ence began waving at us, and we beganwaving back, and this went on for along time. Maestro Maazel came backout on stage several times with GlennDicterow to acknowledge this emotionalovation. I know many people weremoved to tears. That is a feeling I willalways remember from this amazing con-cert. It was like the audience saved alltheir emotions until the very end. We allhope for better relations between ourtwo countries, and I hope that somedaya North Korean orchestra can come toperform in New York, to make the cul-tural exchange complete.

We left the DPRK with a strong feel-

ing of the strength of these people’s tal-ent and humanity.

MINDY KAUFMANWhen I was asked to give a master-

class, I wasn’t sure what to expect.Would the students play Western music?Since they have no contact with the out-side world, what would their concepts ofsound be like?

The masterclass was in a small studio,presumably because it was (over)heated,as opposed to the rest of the school andthe corridors, which were pretty cold.There were only five of us in theroom—the student, the student’s teacher,the accompanist, my translator, andmyself. Much to my surprise, the firststudent played the Martinu Sonata. Mytranslator was not a musician, so I hadto use common words, not musicalterms. He was actually my “minder,” theperson who keeps tabs on you. The stu-dent was quite good. She played the firstmovement straight through, and I sug-

gested a few ritards that were notmarked in the music. Her teacher toldme through the translator that the stu-dent wanted to remain faithful to thescore. I told him that is usually great,but, in this case, the music needs tobreathe and be more free, and thatsometimes I take liberties with the musicthat the composer doesn’t notate. I’m notsure if they believed me, but the studentdid try to play more freely. I also talkedsome about breathing, basically, thesame concepts that I tell any studentsthat I teach in New York. The secondstudent played the second movement ofthe Mozart Concerto in D major, and,again, I worked on being more free. And

when I spoke about breathing,the teacher started showing thestudents how to breathe properlyand repeating in Korean what Iwas trying to demonstrate, whichwas getting the tongue out of theway. This was obviously some-thing he had spoken of with hisstudents.

I realized that the studentshad a very good and caringteacher, and that many of theteachers had studied abroad andbrought some European con-cepts of playing back home withthem. But the students have lim-ited access to CDs, and possibly

music, and certainly to opportuni-ties for hearing international per-

formers. And their instruments could bebetter, too.

We also had a chance to hear someKorean flutists at the dress rehearsal,though they did not play at the concert.I believe their flutes were bamboo.Because the Arirang solo that I played[on piccolo] is usually played on a bam-boo flute, I tried to have a concept ofthe Korean flute in my mind when Iplayed, rather than a traditional sound. Ialso tried to think about the Koreanlandscape, and of the music we hadheard the night before, so that I couldplay with the right kind of color.

Lastly, the experience of seeing theaudience wave to us after Arirang wastruly moving. I had tears in my eyeswaving back, and felt truly connected tothe people, even though we didn’t speakin words. I think they felt the same way,and I think through the music, we wereable to have a common bond. I continueto think often of the two days we spentthere.

For the rehearsal, members of the DPRK’s National Philharmonic joined Mr.Maazel and the Orchestra in the traditional Korean folk song, Arirang, a workpopular throughout the peninsula.

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6 — NYFC Newsletter

This article was written in responseto a question posed by NYFC mem-

ber Barbara Highton Williams:Given the fact that so many flute stu-dents seem unaware of what isgoing on harmonically in the musicthey play, I wonder what teacherscan do just within the weekly lessonto better instill harmonic awareness.How much can be done without ref-erence to the keyboard?

For the flute teacher, incorporatingharmonic awareness into a lesson pres-ents many challenges. Traditionally,music theory is taught with reference tothe keyboard. Without this reference, wehave to find different ways to integratethis knowledge. In his essay “To Seeand Not See,” Oliver Sacks1 describes asituation where a blind man who cansuddenly see still cannot really use hissight because his brain lacks the neces-sary references to decipher and processthe information of seeing. Perhaps this isa drastic analogy, but many flutists are“blind” to the larger context of melodies,sound, and finger technique they mayhave practiced for years. Bart Feller,principal flutist of the New York CityOpera, New Jersey Symphony, andSanta Fe Opera, says, “For me, if youdon’t know what harmony or chord isbeneath your flute part, you’re not pre-pared to make important decisionsabout how to play your part, especiallyregarding phrasing and color.”

TEACH RELATIONSHIPS OF PITCHESWITHIN THE SCALE: Teaching har-monic awareness to students with noprior sense of reference requires manysteps before advancing to harmonicanalysis. It is necessary to create a ref-erence between the names of the notesand their relationship to one another.Flutists can’t “see” the half step on thekeyboard the way pianists do, or “feel”the interval in their fingers the waystring players are taught. Unlike singers,who have to hear the melody in theirmind before they can sing it, flutists aretaught to use certain combinations offingers to produce a certain pitch.Sometimes I draw a picture of the notes

of a keyboard to enable the student to“see” the relationship between thewhole steps and half steps. Sometimesconstructing major scales just by hear-ing the relationships of whole and half-steps without having to name the noteshelps to develop this sense of pitchrelationship.

USE PEDAL TONES: Another issue withflutists is the difficulty in actually hearingthe bass line. David Roitstein, pianist,composer, and director of the JazzDepartment at CalArts, concurs, saying,I have noticed that most musicianscan identify pitch information clearlyand easily when they are listening totheir own instrument–bass playersrecognize bass notes, flutists recog-nize top melody lines. However,when it comes to hearing a fre-quency range that they do not oftenspend time playing in, such as flutistshearing bass notes, it is more unfa-miliar to them, and therefore seemsmore difficult.

Since the bass is most responsiblefor determining the harmonic context ofmusic, it is essential to be able to hearthe bass accurately. Any musician (evena flutist!) can do it with practice. It is askill that can be developed, and it isthe key to understanding harmony.

Using the flute as a pedal tone toaccompany the students as they playtheir scales serves as a reference pointfor them to hear chords as well asintervals. This also works with theirpieces; once they identify the key ofthe piece, they can play the melody asthe teacher plays the tonic as a pedaltone. Doing this in reverse, with thestudent playing the long tone enableshim or her to practice air control whilehearing a (hopefully) good model ofaccurate intonation. Students can prac-tice this at home with an electronictuner sounding the drone.

TEACH INTERVALS: Music that we typ-ically use to develop tone and tech-nique is ideal for identifying the namesof intervals. Moyse’s De La Sonorité, forexample, helps develop the sound of

the intervals, from half-steps to anoctave and beyond, in a very basicway; the next step (no pun intended) isto be able to name them. Taffanel andGaubert’s Daily Exercises are anothergreat source for both hearing and iden-tifying scales and arpeggios. In myattempts to multitask, I mine harmonicreferences from materials that would beused anyway during the course of aregular lesson, looking for opportunitiesto identify intervals, scales, and arpeg-gios in the already-assigned music. Asan example, a young student playingLightly Row will be able to identify the“scale” at the end of the first phrase,and the “arpeggio” at the end of thesecond. However, additional materialscan be useful—for example, the text-book and accompaniment CD,Flute/Theory Workout,2 in which musictheory fundamentals are introduced atthe same time as flute technique.

USE HARMONICS: Using harmonics isa means of combining both tone pro-duction and ear training. Robert Dick,in his book Tone Development ThroughExtended Techniques,3 has very detailedharmonic exercises, which includesinging and playing at the same time.With these exercises, the flutist not onlylearns about the harmonic series, bysinging and playing, but can experiencechords as well. Also, when singing inunison with the flute, the effect soundssomething like an electric guitar, quite anew sensation for a flutist!

Another way to incorporate harmoniccontext into the lesson is with tuningand intonation based on harmonic rela-tionships. The following duets, whenplayed with good intonation, magicallyreveal a third melodic line: Trio for TwoFlutes in Kincaidiana, by John Krell;4

Rondeau Gracieusement by Boismortier;5

and Trio by Mike Mower.6 All threepieces rely on “resultant tones,” some-times called “difference tones.” This phe-nomenon is discussed in detail in articlesby John Barcellona (“Woodwind Intona-tion”)7 and by Albert Tipton (“AnApproach to ‘Just’ Intonation by Employ-ment of Difference Tones”).8

TTEEAACCHHIINNGG HHAARRMMOONNIICC AAWWAARREENNEESSSSWWIITTHHOOUUTT AA PPIIAANNOO IINN SSIIGGHHTT by Wendy Stern

April 2008 — 7

CREATE DESIRE: Not only do we needa point of reference to learn about har-mony, we also need a desire to learn it.For me, the “Aha” moment came at alesson with Tom Nyfenger as he impro-vised an accompaniment to my Ander-sen etude. The suites for solo flute byJ.S. Bach and C.P.E. Bach, the Telemannfantasias, and the Andersen etudes arewonderful vehicles to teach harmonicanalysis. Using these pieces, the studentcan learn about dissonances and resolu-tions, passing tones, suspensions,chords, inversions, and cadences. Musi-cal decisions about dynamics, phrasing,and contour all have their basis in theimplied harmonic context. We can con-nect the artistic choices with the practi-cal application. This is somewhat easierin the literature for solo flute becausethe score is complete—there is not apart of the score which is missing.

USE THE SCORE: It is the curse of the“one line instrument” that we are play-ing only part of the music, and seeingonly the part we are playing. A simplesolution is to learn the music with refer-ence to the whole score. Create thehabit of always having the piano partaccessible and available as a reference,during both practice and lessons. Evenbefore identifying specifics in the score,it is possible to see elements of pattern,contour, and contrast. Write into theflute part any rhythmic or melodic mate-rial that will help clarify the music, espe-cially during rests in the flute part. Thesevisual cues will help remind the flutist ofwhat else is happening during their partand is a way of focusing and guidingone’s listening to the accompanyingmusic. Our pencil markings can be cluesto the music rather than mere correc-tions. Perhaps the most obvious way toinstill awareness of the piano part is tolisten to recordings with the piano score,not just following the flute line.

Even when there is no piano in theroom, it is possible to hear the otherparts in the score by singing, tappingout rhythms, or using the flute. EleanorLawrence was known to play the lefthand of baroque keyboard sonatas onher flute as accompaniments with herstudents. A favorite activity of mine isto create a duet out of the right hand of the piano part. In the Bach sonatas, I play the treble part of the keyboard

music on my flute while the studentplays the melody, and then we willswitch. This works well for manypieces, including the beginning of theDutilleux Sonatine and the secondmovement of the Poulenc Sonata. InGluck’s Minuet and Dance of theBlessed Spirits, I actually teach the har-mony part before I teach the flutemelody; it allows the students to inter-nalize the harmonic movement, whichenables rhythmic understanding inaddition to merely counting.

USE TECHNOLOGY: I don’t think thereis any substitute for working with apianist. Unfortunately, because of lackof time, money, or rehearsal space,proper rehearsal with the accompanistis often limited. Even though I am loathto mention it, there is a software pro-gram that digitally “realizes” the pianoscore and can play it back on a com-puter. Unlike “Music Minus One” thereare ways to adjust the tempo, create apractice loop, add chord accompani-ments to scales, and assess the “accu-racy” of a performance. This potentiallyevil program9 is called SmartMusic, andI must confess that my students whouse it are enjoying it very much. Usedas a harmonized metronome, it is ahelpful practice tool. However, while itcan prepare one for the actual workwith the pianist, it does nothing to cap-ture the collaborative essence of musicmaking. I learned about another com-puter program10 from Keith Underwood:“The Amazing Slow Downer,” whichcan adjust the speed of music withoutchanging pitch; again, it is like a glori-fied harmonic metronome, but with therecorded sound of real musicians.

USE YOUR IMAGINATION: This isprobably the most valuable resourceamong teachers. Several NYFC membershave shared their original ideas withme. NYFC president David Wechslerapplies his jazz background as he hasstudents hear the chord progressions inAndersen etudes. Carolyn Steinberg hasfound that the Bach solo violin sonatasand partitas are great to play on flutewhile looking for chord progressions.Barbara Highton Williams has createdan original narrative, anthropomorphiz-ing tonal and harmonic relationships ina family dynamic. Theory, ear training,and instrumental technique do not need

to be separate events. In the absence ofa piano, there are many other tools withwhich to instill varying degrees of har-monic awareness. Educating our flutestudents within a harmonic context is anexciting prospect because it connects“what we do” with “why we do it.” Ourlessons are more than just namingchords and intervals, they are opportu-nities to apply harmonic understandingto melodic choices. Bruce Adolphe,composer and author of What to Listenfor in the World,11 says, “Understandingis often a matter of noticing and nam-ing. Inspiration is often a matter of see-ing without naming.” In our quest toinstill harmonic awareness in our flutestudents, I guess we have to do it all.q

rWendy Stern is a freelance flutist andteacher in the New York area. She earneda master’s degree from the JuilliardSchool, where she studied with SamuelBaron and Julius Baker, and has been amember of Flute Force since 1988.

REFERENCES1. Oliver Sacks, in An Anthropologist on

Mars (the basis for the movie At First Sight),Alfred A. Knopf (1995); Musicophilia: Talesof Music and the Brain, Alfred A. Knopf(2007), by the same author, also deals withmapping in the brain.2. Lisa Garner Santa, Matthew Santa, and

Thomas Hughes, Flute/Theory Workout, 24Keys (2004), available from the CarolynNussbaum Music Company,www.flute4u.com.3. Robert Dick, Tone Development

Through Extended Techniques, MultipleBreath Music Company, New York (1986).4. Trio for Two Flutes, courtesy of Russell

S. Howland, in Kincaidiana, by John Krell,National Flute Association, Inc. (1997).5. Rondeau Gracieusement by Joseph

Bodin de Boismortier from “Playing Chordswith Two Flutes,” Flute Explorer, February2002.6. Trio by Mike Mower, in his book of

flute duets, Blowing a Storm, Itchy FingersPublications.7. John Barcellona, “Woodwind Intona-

tion,” Flute Talk, September 1998.8. Albert Tiption,”An Approach to ‘Just’

Intonation by Employment of DifferenceTones,” The Flutist’s Handbook: A Peda-gogy Anthology, National Flute Association,Inc. (1998).9. www.smartmusic.com.

10. Google “Amazing Slow Downer” fordownload information.11. Bruce Adolphe, What to Listen for in theWorld, Limelight Editions, New York (1996).

The New York Flute ClubPark West Finance StationP.O. Box 20613New York, NY 10025-1515

Greetings! Hope you all enjoyed last month’sFlute Fair as much as I did. The Young Artist Competitionwinners you will hear on April 27th are YaHsin AngelHsiao (1st place), Benjamin Smolen (2nd place), and SeungYeon Tae (3rd place). Congratulations to all! Flute Fair pho-tos and info about our Young Musicians Contest winnerswill be in our May issue.

Dave Wechsler’s “From the President” this month dealswith the trials and tribulations of being a freelance musi-cian in this day and age. His take on things is that it is the

best of times, and the worst of times, but whatever the time, it helps to be rich.We have two feature articles this month. The first is a long-planned article by

Wendy Stern on teaching harmonic awareness without a piano. The editor’sadvice: when reading the article, don’t overlook the references—they are reallyinteresting! The second is a very up-to-the-minute trip report (complete with pho-tos) from two of the New York Philharmonic flutists, just back from their historicvisit to North Korea (aka the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or NPRK). Ididn’t see the televised broadcast of their February 28th concert, but caught upwith the radio broadcast (archived on the www.nyphil.org website) several dayslater. Definitely quite an experience, even second-hand!

Beth Holmgren, a marketing and development associate for the Orpheus Cham-ber Orchestra, is this month’s member profile subject. Readers will probablyremember her recent (January 2008) interview with Katherine Kemler, and I thinkwe will be hearing more from her in our next issue...

Anyway, all for now. See you soon. Best regards,

Katherine Saenger (klsaenger@yahoo.com)

April 27, 2008 concertSunday, 5:30 pm • Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue (at 54th Street)

2008 NYFC Young Artist Competition Winners

From theEditor

2007–2008 Concerts88th Season

October 7, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pmPAUL EDMUND-DAVIES, flute, and LINDAMARK, piano

November 18, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pmPALISADES VIRTUOSI, MARGARET SWINCHOSKI, flute

December 16, 2007 • Sunday, 5:30 pmCHRISTINE POTTER, alto and bass fluteHoliday reception

January 27, 2008 • Sunday, 5:30 pm KATHERINE KEMLER, flute

February 24, 2008 • Sunday, 5:30 pm GREG PATTILLO, the beatbox flutist

March 30, 2008 • Sunday, all dayFLUTE FAIR 2008—ROBERT LANGEVIN, fluteLaGuardia High School

April 27, 2008 • Sunday, 5:30 pm2008 NYFC COMPETITION WINNERS

May 18, 2008 • Sunday, 5:30 pm ANNUAL MEETING & ENSEMBLE CONCERTGreenwich House Music School

All concerts and events (except as noted) at YamahaPiano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue (entrance betweenFifth and Madison on 54th Street). All dates and pro-grams subject to change. Tickets $10, only at the door;free to members. For more information, visit the NYFCwebsite at www.nyfluteclub.org or call 732-257-9082.