I think any flutist wanting to achieve an optimized embouchure and/or acquire a new head should be able to hear differences before and after such changes are made...

There is no other time in flute history where we have been so fortunate to have so many excellent choices of head joints available...

On December 26th, 2011 I had the pleasure of sitting down with Helen Spielman via Skype to discuss her growing popularity as a performance anxiety coach...

"I believe I have to suffer in order to perform well," said Isabelle, a beautiful woman and professional singer who came to me for performance anxiety coaching. Although she passionately loved to perform, Isabelle often felt terrified, as though she was ‘going to die’ before walking on stage. She received great praise for her performances but thought of herself as "not that good" and described her inner experience as "being strangled, as though hands were twisting around my lungs"...

Five years ago, I put an ad in the paper and posted flyers on bulletin boards, advertising my services as a flute teacher. I prayed that at least a few adults would find their way to my studio. Although I adore children, I wanted a varied student population so that my teaching day would be interesting and stimulating. God answered my prayers in a big way...

This is the third and final in a series of articles on selecting a headjoint. The first article explored preliminaries and included general advice about preparation for the hunt, an overview of the headjoint market, and an overview of influences on headjoint design. The second article explored in detail the various attributes of sound that can be affected by different headjoints, such as projection, loudness, intonation, color, and responsiveness. This final article explores the effects of different materials, such as gold, silver, platinum, and wood, and the effects of alterations in the design of parts such as crown and stopper assemblies and risers; it concludes with a brief discussion of how to learn more and what to do next...

This is the second in a series of articles on selecting a headjoint. The first article explored preliminaries and included general advice about preparation for the hunt, an overview of the headjoint market, and an overview of influences on headjoint design. This second article explores in detail the various qualities of sound that can be affected by different headjoints, such as projection, loudness, intonation, color, and responsiveness. The third article explores the effects of different materials, such as gold, silver, platinum, and wood, and the effects of alterations in the design of parts such as crown and stopper assemblies and risers; it concludes with a brief discussion of how to learn more and what to do next...

This is the first in a series of three articles devoted to exploring the world of headjoints with a goal of arming you with knowledge to overcome (or at least reduce) the stress and confusion of finding a new headjoint. This article discusses preliminaries and includes general advice about preparation for the hunt, an overview of the headjoint market, and an overview of influences on headjoint design. The second article will explore in detail the various qualities of sound that can be affected by different headjoints, such as projection, loudness, tuning, color, and responsiveness. The final article will discuss the effects of different materials, such as gold, silver, platinum, and wood, and the effects of alterations in the design of parts such as crown and stopper assemblies and risers; it will conclude with a brief discussion of how to learn more and what to do next....

Maria is a 67-year-old amateur flute player who has been in love with music all her life. Brent is an intelligent 51-year-old businessman, a capable and responsible executive who runs a medium-sized company. Kathy is a talented college student who majors in voice. While Maria, Brent and Kathy all perform confidently as soloists and in their ensembles, they have one anxiety in common: they get nervous about going to a music lesson.