Dear Readers,

I’ll never forget my first NFA convention. It was 1995, in Orlando, and I had just finished my freshman year of college.

I was completely overwhelmed and starstruck, seeing people I had previously only read about in Flute Talk walking around, talking to each other, riding the elevator…it was amazing! I no longer remember specifically what events I attended, but I do remember how I felt at the end of the convention on Sunday afternoon: full of pure inspiration, ready to go home to practice, grow and excel. As a professional, now I most appreciate the “family reunion” aspect of NFA. I love the chance to reconnect with classmates, teachers, and friends I’ve made along the way, and I still have that feeling of pure inspiration when it’s all over, even if (as I did this year) I simply watch events unfold on social media instead of attending in person!

This month’s Flute Examiner is full of convention reminiscence, including an article written by a young Chinese flutist who attended a festival in Shanghai, Amanda’s recollection of a Kodaly workshop she attended in North Carolina, and Kelly and Keith’s experiences at this year’s NFA, right back in Orlando. We hope your summers were just as full of inspiration as ours were. We’d love to hear about them!

 Jessica Dunnavant, Editor, Flute Examiner

In This Edition

	The Flute: Music – Mind – Body – Movement – Muscle at NFA If you weren’t lucky enough to attend the NFA Convention in Orlando or if you were attending another session, here is a summary of a fabulous health care panel from…
	An Inside View of Shanghai Orchestra Academy’s 2018 Flute Festival Guest Post by  Fangyu Huang, Shanghai Orchestra Academy flute student As a continuation of Shanghai Orchestra Academy’s tradition of organizing a festival for an instrument every year, flute was the…
	9mm Piccolo Player – NFA 2018 Family, Friends, and New Directions I have just returned from NFA 2018, I must say that it was quite successful! There were so many wonderful artists, incredible concerts, and new experiences for so many people.…
	My Summer with Kodály What was your most memorable experience as a child in general music class? 6th grade band began my love affair with music. Before middle school, the musical memories I have…