Teaching Schedule

I teach flute out of my home studio in West Cary/Apex on Monday/Wednesday/and Thursday afternoons, and teach flute and saxophone at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh on weekday mornings.

My studio is currently full, but am taking names for the waitlist. I also work with flutists wishing for once a month, or as available lessons and fit these lessons in as I have holes in my schedule. 

Link to the 2021-22 Studio Policies Document


Link to the Student Information Sheet

The main books I work from are listed on the following link to make ordering easy. These include method, etude, scale, and technique books. The books are linked to a page to order directly from Sheet Music Plus. 

Nivison Studio Music List

Clinics and Masterclasses Offered

I am available for flute clinics at local schools and masterclasses with music schools and universities. I work regularly with the flute section at Enloe High School and other wake county schools through out the year. Topics covered include blend and balance within a flute section, intonation and finding your pitch tendencies, articulation and rhythm precision as a section, support and breathing for a beautiful tone, and much more. Presently, I am available during teacher work days at Ravenscroft or on specially scheduled occasions worked out well in advance.

Masterclasses in baroque and classical performance practice are available to universities and schools of music. Students can perform on either the modern silver flute or the traverso/one-key flute. Topics covered include the concept of resonance and how to transfer that to the modern silver flute, articulation variety, simple ornamentation and the Quantz/Telemann style of ornamentation, tempo choices, the idea of good and bad beats and how it shapes a phrase, and more. Rates vary depending on the length of the masterclass, and performances/recitals can be added.

Flute Choir

Interested in playing in a flute choir? The Raleigh Area Flute Association has three different flute choirs to choose from. Silver Winds, conducted by Kristin Davis, requires no audition, at least 2 years of playing experience, and meets mostly every other Sunday for a little over an hour. Silver Pipes, conducted by Amy Holt, requires an audition and also meets mostly every other Sunday for an hour and a half. Silver Fantasy, conducted by Amy Holt, requires an audition and is for advanced high school and college level players. They meet every Sunday afternoon from 3 - 5pm.

More information about RAFA and the flute choirs can be found at

http://www.rafaflutes.org/flute-choirs.html

Teaching Philosophy

My mission as a teacher is to fuse historically backed artistry and innovative teaching to help students find the self teaching musician that is inside all of us. I believe that building trust between a student and teacher is of utmost importance, and not only provide excellent music education, but also give my students the support and encouragement they need to be confident musicians. Students will also learn to become more comfortable in performance situations, and will develop an understanding of how their body functions when they perform in order to prevent injury and tension. My goal is to educate my students in how to become self sufficient, because they will not always have a teacher at their side to guide them in the right direction. I offer lessons to further musical knowledge, all-district and all-state preparation, and college audition preparation. I welcome students of all ages and ability levels.
 
A large part of the first year of studying with me, whether privately or in a university setting, includes a heavy emphasis on fundamentals. It is through mastering fundamentals that students will have the tools to better express themselves in their music. I believe that teaching fundamentals should be done at all stages of performance study very similarly to Jerome Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum. The fundaments of tone and embouchure nuance, for example, should be tweaked over the student’s time studying with me since new developments in these areas give rise to the capability to achieve even more.