At the end of 2019 I was starting to morph into a ragged shell of a human after a packed-out flutey year. Exhaustion was definitely nipping at my ankles, begging me to take a little break. You see, in 2019 I gave 8 public recitals, ran 4 Boho Flute Retreats here in Cornwall, released […]
I was desperately late to pick up my 1-year old from his nursery. Alice, his caregiver, had been waiting for me to arrive for quite a while now —and in doing so I was breaking their Main Rule— the one that I even had to sign a form about—Avoid Being Late to Pick Up Your Child!!! […]
Life is short, so I’ll hop to the point: I’m writing today to remind you that you have permission to shape your music-making to fit your lifestyle — whatever that means for you: Between your demanding cray-cray work schedule. Your ridiculous commute. Your conference paper presentation. Your sacred family time. Taking your cat to the vet. Sweating for […]
A few weeks ago I blogged about my latest album release of Astor Piazzolla’s 6 Tango-etudes for Solo Flute, here. But don’t be fooled by the perfect packaging—-> I want to tell you a little behind-the-scenes story of this recording. Including the big flute competition I didn’t win, how these tracks got me out of burnout city and the magical UK […]
I am dee-lighted to announce that I have just released an album of these gorgeously written 6 Tango-Etudes for Solo Flute by Astor Piazzolla. It would be an honour to present it to your ears! Listen for free at: Spotify YouTube Deezer Or it is available to purchase at Amazon UK Amazon USA iTunes […]
Struggling with your upper register? Does just the thought of playing high notes make you feel tense? Secretly want to avoid them altogether? If so, this 10 minute video is for you. In this chat, I talk about a more holistic* approach to playing that moves away from solely ‘fixing’ the technical side of things. Why? Because your musicality is waaaay more […]
In her lesson recently, Jane said with an apologetic voice, “I’m so sorry, Jessica. I didn’t really get to practice much. My work has been manic lately. I think I only got 4 sessions in since I last saw you. Lately I am choosing to spend my free time in the evenings with my teenage kids, it’s really […]
A letter landed in my inbox last week… Hi Dr. Quiñones, I am currently a graduate student in flute performance. I have always had a drive & joy about choosing this career path. It’s always felt relatively easy to connect with why I want to be a musician or an educator. Lately, though, I’ve felt […]
As I’ve eased back into my teaching again after my maternity leave, you’ve caught me at a really nostalgic place. Now in my 20th year of giving flute lessons, I’ve been reminiscing about the hundreds and hundreds of students I’ve taught over these past two decades–it must be thousands of flute lessons that I’ve given […]
Lately, I‘ve been pondering the thought what’s in store for my new baby boy over the next century and all the ‘what ifs’ that come with it. I know I’ve written about it in past blog posts before, but world events happen that bring me tears of deep frustration because I just don’t know what […]