Many of us look forward to the new year with enthusiasm, maybe a bit of caution, or possibly even complete reluctance. As I write this article, I am very conflicted and scared about what the universe has in store for me. Despite those personal feelings, when I think about what the Flute Examiner has accomplished over the years and what we are about to do in the coming year, I am very excited, and a bit overwhelmed at the possibilities. We have come so far since our first publication and have grown in the flute community and in our own backyard. Knowing that what I have written over the years has been published and cited many times in academic publications and books helps me realize that I am in fact contributing in my own way to the community. I think we at the Flute Examiner all feel that way about this publication, and we keep trying to find new ways to nurture our readers and inform them on topics that are important to them and to us. That being said, growth can be both exciting and scary, but without growth we become stagnant and irrelevant, so we have decided to expand our publication to better suit the needs of our readers, and it is very exciting!
First, we are expanding our health and wellness team to include a music therapist. Many of you may remember the interview with Dr. Daniel Shineberg from a couple of months ago. I have known Daniel for many years and consider him a close friend and part of my own support system, and he is truly one of the most compassionate and caring people I have ever met. Daniel will be writing about his work in the coming months and addressing many different topics that plague our thoughts and distract or traumatize us, perhaps inhibiting us from realizing our authentic selves. He will help us learn to find and overcome some of our roadblocks and teach us what it is to be a music therapist and how he, on a daily basis, helps people to deal with their own traumas.
Second, we are adding a pedagogy column, staffed by a committee of experienced teachers. This committee will be dedicated to writing about pedagogical topics. We felt that it was important to seek insights from multiple teachers about their approaches to dealing with everyday problems, as well as building and maintaining fundamentals in order to help us realize our full potential and meet our own performing and playing goals. This committee will address topics on efficient practice, tone development, and many other areas connected to preparing for performance. This committee will be ever-evolving, and we will be inviting established teachers from all over to provide guidance on a wide array of topics. Our first iteration of this committee includes Dr. Therese Wacker, Dr. Angela Reynolds, and Dr. Terri Sanchez. These are some pretty heavy hitters to get us started in the first round of this committee, so make sure you keep up with every one of our issues to see what these incredible people have to say. Each one of them has something special to share and we are very excited about the possibilities.
Finally, we are always looking for individuals who might be interested in joining our team on some level and we welcome inquiries if you or someone you know might be a great addition in the future. Our current team has worked very hard for years to build up this newsletter and we all need a break from time to time, or reach a point where other parts of our life need to become our focus. We would love to hear from you if you have interest in working behind the scenes to help us expand and keep this newsletter going, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Editing, publishing, and writing take a ton of time and energy, and many hands make light work. We have all worn many hats at the Flute Examiner and as each year has opened and closed we have all found ourselves evolving with the newsletter and we would love to continue providing this service for our readers.
In the coming year we have so many great interviews scheduled, amazing articles planned, and a bigger team to bring it all to the readership. Thank you for your continued support and cheers to a wonderful and musical 2025!