Twitter inspired gifts for the flutist in your life

A twitter friend of mine posted a couple of weeks ago that she was decorating her tree with flute angel ornaments and they were all gifted to her in some way. I responded that perhaps as flutists, we block out seeing anything remotely flute related on the shelves except when we’re bombarded with all sorts of goodies at flute fairs.

So if you have a flutist in your life that can’t bear the thought of receiving another ornament (as beautiful as they are), here are a few twitter inspired ideas for you:


Meerenai Shim’s Sometimes the City is Silent – this debut CD would make a great gift for all levels of flutists. I got the opportunity to see Meerenai perform at the Andover Educators’ Biennial Conference last June and her energy on stage is infectious. She preserves that same energy on her recording. Follow Meerenai on twitter as she continues to premiere new works!





Fluterscooter Flute Case Cover – I bought one of the new canvas bags earlier this year, and I love it. Stylish and roomy, this bag does everything I need it to. For flashier types, you'll love the patent leather and silver options while low key flutists will find the canvas bags attractive. Fluterscooter is on twitter, too!




Consider a gift certificate from Flute Pro Shop. Owner Joan Sparks is regularly seen at flute events in the Mid-Atlantic region with loads of flutes, music and accessories. My current favorite thing on her site is the Flute Resting Pad, a velvety soft cushion for you to place your flute when not in use. Follow Flute Pro Shop on twitter!




Body Mapping for Flutists: What Every Flute Player Needs to Know about the Body – this guide by Andover Educator Lea Pearson is a must have in every flute teacher or flute student’s library. If you have questions about balance, hand position, or breathing, this is the resource for you!

4) Fluteworld gift certificate – need I say more? Follow the store here.

Happy holidays from The Sensible Flutist!

Flutronix: Review

Through a chance meeting on myspace, a unique duo was born. Brooklyn based Flutronix is a classically trained pair of outstanding flutists that have made the crossover into a widely appealing electroacoustic fusion. Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim are combining their passion for the flute and composition and forging a new way, creating more accessible pathways for people that may not otherwise know about classical music and engaging new audiences as a result.

I was pleased to receive a copy of their Kickstarter funded debut album. Mesmerized from the onset by the layers of sound in Joachim's piece "Crazy," the album delivers a diversity of styles in each track from electronica to hip-hop to reggae. As a fan of Steve Reich, I particularly enjoyed the loops in "Stacked" which is reminiscent of Reich's "Vermont Counterpoint."

This album was arranged to showcase the duo's multiple influences without tiring the listener. The vocals in "Aware" and "Wander" further showcase the duo's compositional and multimedia abilities to produce two intriguing duets between flute and voice. I also enjoyed the more virtuosic flute pieces, "Bit of Everything" and "Pray." For flutists, the licks sound so familiar (like Taffanel and Gaubert familiar) but made cool by pairing with electronica.

As a classical flutist with a non-musician spouse, I am constantly searching for music that will appeal to my husband while also being able to appreciate it for its artistic value. He enjoyed Flutronix's offerings as did my brother-in-law. I was excited to share this with them if for no other reason than to give them an example of great flute playing within a context they could appreciate.

I hope that Flutronix will continue this project, and that their creativity will inspire others to pursue their unique projects. You can purchase Flutronix's album from their website (http://www.flutronix.com/) in addition to iTunes and Amazon.

Check out these other links:

http://www.facebook.com/flutronix

http://www.wqxr.org/blogs/q2-blog/2010/jun/02/brooklyns-darmstadt-flutronix/

http://www.myspace.com/flutronix

http://www.youtube.com/user/flutronix