A little bit about Julie

Welcome to my website and flute blog!  

Before checking out the blog topics,  I invite you to learn a little more about me, Julie McGough, as both a flutist and teacher.  I have written a short bio below, but please view my biography, listen to my MySpace page and learn about The Flute Studio via the links above.

As a performing musician I have had the pleasure of performing in many concert halls throughout the United States and Europe.  My favorite  venue and recital being my debut recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City when I was 24 years old.  I have worked with many amazing musicians in my career and especially enjoyed my concerts with pop star, Lisa Loeb.    I absolutely love performing and I can be seen with many professional orchestras throughout Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.

As a teacher, I have taught for over 20 years and in that time I have enjoyed teaching many talented students (at last count, well over 100).   I teach all levels of flute lessons at my Flute Studio in Bethel Park, from beginners to collegiate students to adults wishing to bring music back into their lives.  I love teaching and watching students grow as musicians and people.  It is a very rewarding job!

I have started this blog as a way to share information about the flute and performing with students, educators, parents and other flutists.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the flute, performing, performance anxiety and teaching.  I would be happy to answer you and maybe write about your question on this blog!  Contact me at any time atflutelessons@msn.com  I look forward to hearing from you!

Trill Chart

      I am very frequently asked about trill fingerings.  Here is a handy chart that you can reference to find common trill fingerings.  There are a few that I have not listed here, so if you have a question, feel free to email me.  

Warming Up

I am a very strong believer in warming up before you start practicing.  I love warming up!  A good warm up routine will help you get set up for the day and get rid of mistakes caused by slow fingers, lips that aren’t ready for big jumps and poor intonation, as well as many other benefits.

No matter what your level of playing, you can have a warm up routine.  And, your routine will change as you improve and increase your practice time.

Here is a sample routine for an intermediate student (10 minutes):

  1. Tone exercises – Long tones, with a tuner (3 minutes)
  2. Scales (2 minutes)
  3. Tonguing (2 minutes) this is your opportunity to work on double tonguing and clear attacks on notes
  4. Wild Card (3 minutes) spend this time on something that you are working on in your lesson – dynamics, vibrato, breathing, improv and ear training, etc.
Now you are ready to play your music… but WAIT… before you start practicing your music for the day, take a minute to stretch, and warm up your body to get ready to play.  This will help prevent injury and give you a chance to mentally prepare for the work ahead!

 

Some great body warm ups:

  1. Large arm circles
  2. Neck stretch
  3. Touch your toes or Down Dog (yoga)
  4. Stretch your arms
  5. Breathing – in through your nose for 4 counts, out through your mouth for 8
Now go ahead and get out your music,  you are ready to start practicing!!

Practicing – Setting up your space

Before we can even think about starting to practice we need to evaluate our surroundings and practice space.  I have always found that it is very helpful to have a dedicated space for practicing – a corner of a home office, spare bedroom, corner of your bedroom, basement, you can be creative within your own house.  Find a space that is quiet so that you can practice uninterrupted and maybe even leave your materials there so you don’t lose them in your room (have you really cleaned it lately??!!??)

Once you have found your designated practice space, gather your materials:

  • Music Stand
  • Pencil
  • Chair (optional, if you practice standing)
  • Music
  • Tuner
  • Metronome
  • Timer
  • Notebook for lesson and practice notes
When I was a student (and had a much smaller library of music) I liked to keep my music in either an expandable file folder or filing cabinet.  This kept it organized and I could find it easily for practicing, or when I was running late for a lesson!
Let’s take a look at a well thought out and organized practice space:

 

Now, let’s take a look at a less than ideal practice space:
What is wrong with the second picture?
  1. No chair – the couch is an invitation for very bad posture!
  2. The TV is on – There is no way to concentrate with the TV on
  3. Not a designated space for practicing – common family area with many distractions
  4. No metronome – this is a very important practice tool
  5. Messy – it is hard to concentrate in a messy space, and very difficult to find missing music
  6. No pencil – you should always mark in your music as you practice.  So that you don’t make the same mistake again!
  7. Flute is on the couch – I can’t tell you how many flutes get sat on!  Don’t let this happen to you!  Don’t leave your flute where someone can sit on it (at home and at school)
In order to make the best use of your practice time you must think about your surroundings.  It will make a big difference and you will be happy to have taken the time to set the stage for your practice session!
Are you ready to practice?  Take a look at the next post, Warming Up
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