In my conversation with Sami Junnonen we talk about his newly released recording of the Ibert, Jolivet and Rodrigo flute concertos, as well as the power of teachers, music competitions, and the idea of Life as Art, and Art as Life! Flute Concertos / Ibert, Jolivet & Rodrigo is recorded on Resonus Classics: RES 10335 Learn more about Sami at www.sam…

Hi! Join me for an informal coffee meeting where I catch you up with all the flutey things I've been doing this spring, as well as an overview of Finnish flute events happening this summer, and a sneak peek at some upcoming happenings here in The Flute Suite!By Dr. Kathleen Weidenfeller

Reflections and stories on communication and community as The Flute Suite reaches the one year mark!

This is part two of my short series on practicing: How to help your students become more motivated to develop a personal practice. How to move from a 'telling' teaching style towards reflective questioning to develop awareness. The importance of being specific, lowering your expectations, and including movement, space, and awareness in lessons. Rea…

I invite you to reflect on your own personal practice: not so much What you practice - but How you think and talk about it. 3 Pillars of good practice: Cultivating Joyful Curiosity, including Movement and Novelty, and remembering the need for Space and Time. Some of the resources mentioned in this episode: #music_360 #violincase (Hillary Hahn) #jus…

Really nice to be back after a longer than planned break! A quick update and preview of up and coming episodes and other projects! Nice to be back and talking with all of you - I'd love to hear from you as well! @theflutesuite www.kathyweidenfeller.com If you enjoy The Flute Suite, would you consider buying me a coffee! It doesn't have to be much -…

Reflections on this fall and the start of The Flute Suite as we reach the end of 2023! Thank YOU for listening! Reach out – you can find The Flute Suite on Instagram and Facebook, or me as Kathy Weidenfeller,flutist and at www.kathyweidenfeller.com Would you like to help support The Flute Suite? Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/kathy25562 And sha…

Here is part two of the wonderful conversation I had with Jaana Laasonen, flute teacher at the East-Helsinki Music Institute and developer of the Colour Flute method of early-instrumental teaching. 2.10 Challenges in the Finnish instrumental education system 12.00 Our students are our best teachers 22.00 Solfege as a tool for musicianship and compo…

Jaana Laasonen is Lector of Flute at the East Helsinki Music Institute, and the creator of the ‘Colour Flute’ method, part of the 'Colourstrings' family: a method for beginning instrumentalists based on the theories and methods of Zoltan Kodaly. In this first part of our conversation, we talk about the importance of family and folk music in early i…

Here’s a conversation with the lovely Beatriz Machias: orchestral flutist, opera singer and founder of the Tampere Flute Festival here in Finland. In this episode, we talk about teaching, practicing, the possibilities that competition holds for young flutists – and especially being more than your flute! · 1.41 How it all started! · 6.15 Singing and…

In this episode, I sit down with Annika Gummerus-Putkinen, flutist, composer, writer and teacher at the Pop & Jazz conservatory in Helsinki. We got to have a wonderful converstaion about the similarities and differences between our approaches to introducing our students to improvisation, and the important role improvisation can play in teaching, an…

Today I’m continuing my ’back to basics’ series by talking about how to use singing and playing in practice and teaching. Once again, I’ve created a companion video to go with this episode, where you can see and hear how I produce and use this effect. You can find the video here. In the episode, I mention John Wion’s workbook entitled ‘Sing’, sold …

Dr. Lea Pearson is on a mission not only to help musicians perform freely and without pain, but now, also to help teachers use that information to create a safe space in our studios where students can freely explore and develop their musical selves. We talk about grounding ourselves and our students, being present and aware while teaching, how soma…

This week I'm starting a short series where I'll share simple improvisatory explorations you can do in your own practice room, and with your students. Each episode will have a companion video (you'll find the link in the notes), and I invite you to share your own improvisations with us at the general hashtag #TFSBtoB or #TFSimprov. In this first ep…

Taking a break this week - I'll be back soon!

Some summer musings about common themes I see come up over and over in online flute discussion groups. Our online spaces can be wonderful resources, if we know how to make the most of them. I talk about three themes that come up pretty often in discussion groups that might be better addressed in different ways. Thank you for listening! And stay tun…

Since we’re in the height of the summer season here in Finland, in this episode, I share some of the best of what Finland has to offer flutistically this summer. A few concerts from the past few months that have been recorded - you'll find the links below - new albulm releases, and upcoming concerts. Hopefully those of you located outside of Finlan…

I'm sharing some of the exercises I use with my own students to encourage them to play with scales (and learn something in the process!). I've made a companion video for this episode to demonstrate these easy exercizes that you can find here: https://youtu.be/fh4BgfnzHn8 I also mention the flutexpansion's guide to singing & playing, which you can f…

Flute ensemble directors - this one's for you! I'm going to talk about how I improve my ensemble's intonation without using a tuning note.By Dr. Kathleen Weidenfeller

In this episode, I'm going to take you on a visit to my own flute studio: I'll give you an overview of the Finnish music education system, and share some of the lessons I've learned from my students this year! I share some examples of how important it is to create a supportive space where students feel safe to bring their whole selves to lessons an…

Looking for ways to add more improvisation to your practice, rehearsal or lessons? I'm sharing a few tips and some resources to help you get started right away. Visit our website: https://www.kathyweidenfeller.com/the-flute-suite/ And send me a message to let me know what you think! https://www.kathyweidenfeller.com/contact/ Links for resources men…

Welcome! Here's a short introduction to me and this new podcast.