I’ll never forget the day it started.  I sat down in my chair in the orchestra pit and warmed up as usual for a minute or two.  Everyone quieted down to prepare for the tuning “A” from the oboe.. and the second the oboe began to play I crumpled in my chair and covered my left ear.  Why was the tuning “A” suddenly so loud and painful?!  As the rehearsal progressed, it only got worse, especially when the oboe to my left had any louder passages.  I sat there wondering.. “do I have an ear infection?”, “why is it just the oboe bothering me so much?”, “is he suddenly playing ..read more

As a freelance flutist finishing my first 12 month maternity in the times of covid I can certainly say, the challenges abound! I had struggled with all the normal levels of post baby career anxiety when I decided to take the first year to stay home and care for my son. What would happen to my career networks? What would become of my flute playing? Would I have any time for myself? Are the best years of music making behind me? Never did I foresee the next world wide pandemic overlapping with my already drastic life change. Needless to say, it’s been a tough, pretty much vertical learning curve ..read more

On October 19, 2018 my world changed forever.  My husband, Luke and I became parents that day when our beautiful daughter Violet was born.  In reality, I knew my life was going to change when we decided to start a family.  I knew I’d have less time, less sleep and an endless stream of diaper changes.  What I didn’t anticipate, however, is what a profound shift this would have on me and my attitude towards my career.   As musicians, we basically ARE our careers.  “I’m Sara, I’m a musician.”  “I’m Sara, I’m a flutist.”  We wear our careers as proud m ..read more

Following these simple steps will help you get the most from your flute lessons. One of the biggest challenges of teaching undergraduate students is that there simply isn’t enough time to address all of the issues that I notice as a teacher. Generally teachers will prioritize issues in playing with the steps listed below. The more initiative you can take to address what you can do yourself, the more you will get out of your flute lessons and the higher the level you will reach. LISTEN to your piece. There are many recordings available through various mediums; it is usually always possible t ..read more

With the end of the orchestra season approaching, it seems the appropriate time to take stock of the past year.  Personally, I felt a roller coaster of emotions attached to the 2015-2016 orchestra season, from the highest level of musical connection and joy, to moments of utter despair (and I am not referring to how the music itself made me feel – rather the experience of working).  I’ve been reading “Daring Greatly” written by Brene Brown and it has gotten me thinking a lot about shame.  I’ve written previously about ego, and I think the ego’s rotten cousin (at times enemies at ..read more

When I think back to my earliest recollection of a connection or pull to music, I don’t think of my first piano lessons or even picking up the flute for the first time.  Neither was there a cathartic moment while attending a live performance that I said to myself, “I must do this for a living”.  What I truly DO remember is sitting in my bedroom as an angsty, high strung teenager blasting the loudest, angriest music I could find.  It was in those days that I made the connection that music could allow me to resonate with or release emotions that were unacceptable to wear on one’s ..read more