Woodwinds and Winds of the Woods

Everything happens for a reason...and everything seems to be connected!  When I was asked to offer a flute workshop for music teachers last August, I was thrilled and humbled!  I am on this path of learning myself, and I hoped that I had something to offer that would be of benefit to these band teachers, elementary music teachers, and other colleagues!  At any rate, it would be fun and would be a day of music!!!

The workshop class was a small group and we spent most of the day exploring the sounds and legacy of the Native American Flutes...even making ABS plastic flutes in the key of Aminor.  Everyone seemed very happy with their day... 

Two amazing collaborations came out of the event!  One fellow was inspired to develop an online virtual education course for our school district.  He worked with technicians and myself to gather materials, links, resources, and videos from which our distance education students could benefit.  Songs of the Peace came to be, and as a pilot project for this year, has proven most successful.

The second collaboration takes place tomorrow!  Banding Together! Yes, the high school band wind ensemble from a high school in our district, will be touring out to visit our little school!  The band teacher found the flutes to be inspiring and beautiful and quite different from the instruments with which his students were familiar.  He delivers the music program to some 30 members of the wind ensemble and together his students and my students will number in the realm of 65 musicians playing for each other and with each other!  Neither group is familiar with the instruments or style of the other group, and yet, at the end of the show, the two groups will play together on some popular tunes! 

It shall be so much fun!  The rest of the school and indeed, the surrounding community, is invited to come and share the music!