MASTER CLASS TOPICS
The Whole Flutist - Yoga Principles as they relate to Flute Playing
As a certified yoga instructor since 1999, Laura has enjoyed sharing the principles of this ancient practice with flutists in order to help facilitate greater ease and freedom in their music making. This workshop illustrates how yoga breathing techniques increase lung capacity and breath control, balance poses enhance concentration, restorative poses help manage performance anxiety, and muscle strength and agility create resilience against injury.
Sell Art, Not Out - Six Keys to an Authentic Career in the Arts - link here for handout
As the Co-Artistic Director and founder of the Painted Sky Music Festival from 2002-07, author of the Carl Fischer Publication, “Expressive Etudes for the Flute”, and producer of the highly acclaimed recording “Echoes of a Blue Planet”, Laura has valuable insight to offer young musicians forging their own unique careers. This workshop does not simply provide the usual “how-to” promotional skills for our profession. Instead, Laura discusses how a healthy attitude and a resilient approach are key to success. She also illustrates the importance of learning from entrepreneurial experts, outside of our field, in order to thrive. And she lifts the taboos from the word "sell" by proving that one can find an audience for their work while still maintaining artistic integrity.
Good Vibrations –What Beautiful Sound Feels Like
After years of body awareness training in yoga, Alexander Technique, and various athletic pursuits, Laura has learned to teach flutists how to feel their way to good tone production. She uses a keen understanding of anatomy and the physics of tone production to help students identify sensations in the body which relate to resonance and freedom of expression. This workshop introduces several exercises which heighten students’ body awareness as well as their ability to reproduce ideal sensations which lead to glorious flute playing.