BIRD'S EYE VIEW 7

July 22 a bus arrived and all musicians left Rhederoord. Fortunately my friends in Amsterdam had sent me a message that they had seen a poster at the Concertgebouw, showing that the flautists were going to perform there. So I left early to fly to Amsterdam myself. And WOW, what a great concert they gave. I am so proud of what I call 'my Neflac flautists' now. Thanks for giving me this exceptional week. Although you never noticed me, I was there every minute to watch and listen. You inspired me to work on my own sound (can't say I am anywhere near a nightingale) and to start teaching young ambitious birds to improve theirs. May be next year we have a group that can also perform for you with the trees as our stage. See you!!

zaterdag 21 juli

Na een spetterend concert schrijven wij met ons laatste restje energie de laatste blog van deze week. Vanmorgen was een hectische morgen, om 08:00 uur moesten we met ingepakte bagage beneden staan om ons te verplaatsen naar het Koetshuis. Daarna de laatste warming-up en fluitlessen van Emily, Jeroen en Wieke van NeFlAc 2012. Na een snelle verkleedpartij vertrokken we, al etend, met de bus naar park Sonsbeek te Arnhem. Gelukkig heeft al het duimendraaien/kaarsjes branden/bidden geholpen!! Het was mooi weer wat resulteerde in een fantastisch concert met ontzettend veel publiek en leuke acts, mooie trio’s/kwartetten en natuurlijk niet te vergeten het bijzondere fluitorkest!!! Vol enthousiasme gingen we weer terug naar Rhederoord om daar snel even een maaltijd te nuttigen (en niet te vergeten het bijzonder lekkere toetje, aldus Laura). Met de laatste happen achter onze kiezen stapten we in de auto’s van de fantastische neflac-vrienden, die zo aardig waren om ons naar de Dorpskerk in Rheden te vervoeren. Alle solisten hebben heel leuk en mooi gespeeld, in het bijzonder “onze” harpiste Lavinia Meijer. Er was bijzonder veel energie die wij, hopelijk, op het publiek hebben overgebracht. Het was geweldig!!!! In een razend tempo hebben we dit blog afgemaakt, snel slapen, morgen ons allerlaatste concert!! Laura (NTK), Fabiënne (NTK) en Rozemarijn (YIP)

BIRD'S EYE VIEW 6

This afternoon my friends and I reserved all the trees in the STEILE TUIN in PARK SONSBEEK in ARNHEM to listen to and encourage all the Neflac flautists who are going to perform in an entertaining conert AT 15.00h. ALL BIRDS IN THE REGION: GO!!!!!!

Hello Everyone, this is Ai from Japan, Zsuzsi from Hungary, Rosanne, Fiona and Lisette from the Netherlands. Today we had a very CONTEMPORARY programme – ROBERT DIIIICCCCCKKK.:-) After the daily warm up with Wieke we started the masterclass with the living legend of contemporary music. (10.15-13.00). We began with his studies “Flying lessons” and the piece “Lookout”. Actually we have to admit we were scared at first but he said: “I am here to help you not to judge you!” and it worked because he kept his word. He amazed us with all sorts of fantastic approaches towards extended techniques. Also he taught us how to produce a beautiful, resonating, in tune sound – mainly by singing in the right way. Another major subject was multiphonics so finally we realised how to find them correctly. YAY!!! We tried to make notes so that we will remember all of it back at home, too. At the NTK masterclass with Emily (14.00-15.15) we played!!!( Rosanne and Lisette) Emily also used some of Robert Dick’s techniques today! She made Lisette sing in order to use her body resonance. At the afternoon session (15.30-18.30) YIP-ers performed contemporary pieces to our special guest. We learned how to grunt and how to sound like a ghost. :-) Among many other things the most important was that also in contemporary pieces music comes first! (When we start to learn a piece we all should begin with making music right away, not just focusing on new techniques without any musical sence.) After a quick dinner we had a general rehearsal in the church in Rheden where we are going to play our evening concert tomorrow. We are going to sleep now because we are REALLY tired! Has been a long and intence day!

BIRD'S EYE VIEW 5

I think I am getting old. I flew to so may concerts around the country in my birdlife, but what I heard last night was totally different. No Mozart, Beethoven, Bach. Sounds based on a singer called Jimmy? Who the... is Jimmy? Gamelan and African music, a tour around the world on one flute. A flute where the head can glide. I am in shock! But to be honest: a positive shock. Because what this man did was amazing!! YES!!!

Donderdag 19 juli, 2012

Het was vandaag de 'open dag'. We zijn begonnen met de warming-up zonder fluit. Dit deden we dit keer binnen, want het regende buiten. We hebben een aantal verschillende oefeningen gedaan. We hebben o.a. op een leuke manier geleerd om tot 3 te tellen (stampen, klappen en praten). We zijn na deze warming-up uit elkaar gegaan (de yippers en de NTK's) om van elkaar apart verder te gaan met de warming-up met fluit. Na de warming-up met fluit begonnen we met de prive lessen. Hier stroomden verschillende mensen binnen, de meesten waren docenten. Er kwam gedurende de dag ook familie langs, en 'de F-jes'. De F-jes zijn de dwarsfluitleerlingen van 9 tot 12 jaar oud. Zij kwamen hier 1 dag, en volgden lessen van dwarsfluitdocent Francine Post. Ook kwamen zij bij de masterclass van Emily Beynon luisteren. De zaal was erg vol met docenten, ouders en 'F-jes'. Na de masterclasses gingen we verder met de ensemble coaching. Verschillende ensembles werden klaargestoomt voor het concert van zaterdagmiddag (15.00 uur in het park 'Sonsbeek' te Arnhem). Toen alle groepjes gecoacht waren, gingen we verder met studeren met het fluitorkest. Dit deden we tot 19.00 uur. Daarna hadden we een heerlijk diner. 's Avonds gingen we na het diner verder met de dagelijkse workshop. Dit keer was het wel een heel bijzondere workshop. Deze werd gegeven door werelds legende Robert Dick (http://www.robertdick.net/). Deze workshop was heel inspirerend. Hij speelde moderne muziek op de fluit. Met multiphonic, en op een Eva Kingma systeem fluit die kwart tonen kan spelen, en met een glissando kopstuk. Robert Dick zal tot morgen blijven, en er zullen verschillende leerlingen een stuk van hem moeten voorspelen. Zij zijn al heel erg nerveus. Het was een zeer inspannende dag en we zijn allemaal heel moe, we gaan nu lekker slapen. Tot morgen! Ariaan Pereboom (NTK), Delphine Dewald (YIP), Annemiek Heijboer (NTK), Erica Droz Dit Busset (YIP)

Wednesday

7.30 AM - Alarm Clock Rings! C’MON LETS GET OUT OF BED!! 8.00 AM- 8.30 AM - Breakfast. Run! Run for the croissants! Run like if it is the last day of your life! 8.44.51 AM - Pedro arrives for his breakfast! Lucky him! Today is not late. 8.45 – 9.15 AM - Warming-up without flutes in the forest. Birds, green, trees, sheep! How relaxing and stimulating at the same time. We were doing great exercises, but sadly we were not going to participate in the London Olympic Games. 9.15- 13.00 AM - Mirna has a lesson with Wieke and Pedro with Emily. Where are Eunna and Pieter? Are they free? How lucky they are! What were they doing? Sleeping, practicing, cooking, milking a cow? We will never know! Lunch Ruuuunn! Run again for the dessert!!! :) 2.00-3.15 PM - Emily is giving a masterclass for the NTK’s. Everybody had to listen. Amazing teacher and player, isn’t she? 3.15-3.30 PM - NTK’S have an special price in scores!! RUUUN, RUN AGAIN! I WANT THIS BACH! FREE UNTIL THE FLUTE ORCHESTRA AND DINNER (Thank God) 8.00- 10.00 PM - But the best part of the day is still coming! A WORKSHOP RITHM! Niels van hoorn (percussionist of Percussa) has brought lots and lots of percussion instruments. We were playing the Cancan with all different tubes! Not so easy as it sounds! And do you think clapping, walking and singing is easy? You haven’t been there!! OH GODS OF OLYMPUS!! What a funny lesson! Pedro Lopez Campos (YIP), Pieter Verslype (NTK), Eunna Kim (YIP) and Mirna Ackers (NTK)

BIRD'S EYE VIEW 4

toe-ke, ta-ke, boem-pak.....the sounds of drums, bells and clapping hands. And I thought they were playing flute there! The friends I had invited in my tree yesterday evening for a nice flute concert, didn't understand either. 'Why listen to monkeys making noise when you promised us flutes that sound like singing birds?' they asked. 'You bragged about how talented they are and how well they play...!' I felt so ashamed that I almost fell down from the tree. If birds could blush, the feathers in my face would have been bright red!!

BIRD'S EYE VIEW 3

This morning they came into our bird territory, walking in the forest and making weird movements with their arms and hips. One female bird with 2 windows on her nose gave instructions and they all did what she said. It is like us when we migrate. One leader, the rest follows. At the end they started running, I thought they were going to take off for a flight. Yes! I could have given them a cool air tour as their leader in the sky. But no.... they disappeared in the main house before I could call them. Back to their flutes.

Tuesday 17 july

We are Kim, Agnes, Katinka and Pija. We started this day with a warming up with a canvas. We all stand around the canvas and waved it. It was very funny and when it was at it's highest point we needed to run under it to the other side. The NTK-ers had a theme lesson with Wieke and Jeroen. We focused on breathing and your posture. Kim had a lesson with Wieke and it was very interesting. Katinka had her masterclass with Emily there was so much to learn and time was going to fast. The YIPers Pija and Agnes - Agnes had a busy day she had lessons with Joost, Jeroen and Emily, and Pija had lots of fun on her masterclass. The welcome relaxing time is at Neflac flute orchestra, when everything can happen. At the evening we had a workshop with Wieke. It was about the brain and practicing. We learned a lot about efficient practicing, about the things which distract our concentration and how to confront them and find solutions. So we are going to have a break now cause our brains are overloaded with informations and experiences.

BIRD'S EYE VIEW 2

Last night I slept like a bird, as all of a sudden the high notes of an unknown songbird woke me. What is this???? I tried to go back to sleep folding my wings over my ears to block the sound, but my curiosity won and I flew to another tree to see what was going on. The bird was locked inside a big room with people listening to him. Looking better I saw the bird only had some curly black feathers on his head. Against his beak he held a black stick with holes. What bird needs a stick to sing..?? When he moves his fingers over the tiny stick he can sing. How sad....,a bird that can only sing with a stick! But I have to admit, I envy him how beautiful he can sing with that tiny stick. I might find one myself and try as well!

16-7-2012

Hi everyone, We are Alice Thompson and Dorien Houkes. Today was the second day of the NEFLAC. We started the day with a warming up, taken by Wieke. We had to run around and hop to really wake up and get warm. We learnt how to be really grounded on the floor by trying to push each other off balance. Then we had to split :-( The YIP-ers sight read through a piece by Wil Offermans which might lead to some improvisation and the NTK-ers had a themed lesson. This time we focused on posture. Feet a little apart, head to the left and relax your shoulders. After a delicious lunch (and stroopwaffles) the YIP-ers had ensemble rehearsing with lots of big flutes; two contrabasses, two basses and six altos!!! At the same time the NTK-ers had a masterclass with Emily. It was very informative for both: the listener and performer. Alice came to watch me, because she's my buddy :). Everyone ended up dancing, because my piece was a Sicilienne. Then everything switched around. The YIP-ers had masterclass time with Emily (Pedro, Oliver, Delphine and Zsuzsa played) and there was a bit of filming too. Whilst the NTK-ers practised for the big ensemble and indiviual smaller groups. We all came back together to form one large flute orchestra! The evening workshop was about the piccolo taken by the amazing Vincent Cortvrint...Alice now likes the piccolo and Dorien also...Hurray for the piccolo!!! Now it's over an hour past Dorien's bedtime and Alice needs her bed too...night night and enjoy the rest of the blogs to come!!!

Hello from Douwe and Olly! End of the second day, and feeling exhausted already - it has been a full day! The programme today started with warming up, with and without the flute, to get the circulation flowing on a cold morning. Thanks Wieke! Both NTK'ers and YIP'ers (as the junior/senior groups respectively are now known) enjoyed the first sessions of private lessons, masterclasses, and ensemble rehearsals, with a little bit of practice and getting to know each other fitted in aswell. NTK and YIP combined for one united flute orchestra, a new experience for many, especially with the prescence of the rare (and HUGE) contrabass flutes (not just one, but two!). The day concluded with an inspirational seminar and practical demonstrations by piccolo guro Vincent Cortvrient. Wow! So much to learn from these amazing teachers, with their astounding collective depth of knowledge - even just hearing them play teaches us so much. The teaching has been insightful, challenging, helpful, witty, humorous and always presented in a friendly way. There are always many new things to learn from our new friends aswell! New languages, cultures, and so much more with a so many different backgrounds represented by the flute players here at NEFLAC. Tired, but stimulated; strangers yet feeling close already; challenged and encouraged; and full of inspiration. Day 2 has been a good day and we are sure that it will only be getting better and better as the week goes on. Now off to bed for Douwe and Olly :)

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

Sitting in a tree cleaning my feathers, I see them in front of the main house. I get curious and watch from above. They start moving in a very strange way! What on earth are they doing...? Half of them running around trying to get into a circle formed by the other half. In stead of inviting them into the circle, the circle people block them. How unfriendly! Then they form pairs and start pushing each other. Is this an army training,I wonder. Now they're jumping up and down, shake their arms, make circles with their hips, stretch as far as they can. All very peculiar. If this continues I might consider to move to another tree....

15 juli 2012

Eerste dag Neflac… Onder het genot van een kopje thee willen wij u graag over onze eerste dag op het landgoed Rhederoord vertellen. Van alle kanten van deze wereld zijn er Neflac-ers aangekomen. Van Hongarije tot Zuid-Korea, van Australie tot Japan, deze verzameling van Multi-cultifluitisten nu samen op 1 landgoed. Nadat we op muzikale wijze elkaars namen hebben leren kennen hebben we vertrouwingsspelletjes gedaan met Joost. Zoals met je ogen dicht lopen over het landgoed, en je moest maar hopen dat diegene naast je het goede met je voor had. Er zijn gelukkig geen gewonden gevallen dus met het vertrouwen zit het wel goed! Daarna gingen we lunchen, waarover we niet teveel mogen uitwijden (Maar we willen toch nog graag vermelden dat er overheerlijke cake,broodjes,salade en appelsap was) : ) Daarna hadden we een workshop podiumpresentatie van Roberta Alexandra, veel gelachen en ook veel geleerd, van de manier waarop je moet buigen tot het goed uitspreken van je naam. Roberta wist je op humoristische wijze van je verlegen looks af te helpen! Daarna hadden we een dwarsfluit-marathon van presentatieconcerten. Heel mooi gespeeld en het was zeer inspirerend, maar het vergde wel wat concentratie en energie om 26 verschillende optredens te beluisteren! Tussendoor hadden we nog een dinner met taarten met sterretjes als toetje omdat Fiona vandaag jarig is. Kortom een hele leuke dag. We zijn benieuwd wat de rest van deze week ons gaat brengen! Julia, Myrte, Lydia