Jana's Story
Little Fife Player
Jana's flute story begins with me, her mom. As a violist, I always assumed that my children would play string instruments since that is what I know! But my mother, her granny Jill, gave her a little fife for her sixth birthday. Jana and I figured out how to play it together, and she played it all the time, picking out little songs, and enjoying herself immensely.
Port Angeles Symphony
When I began playing in the Port Angeles (Washington) Symphony, Jana loved to come with me. She would listen, sit, read, and drink hot cocoa during rehearsals. She came with me weekly for several years. Once in a while, she took her fife to Port Angeles Symphony rehearsals with her, and played it for Sharon Snel, the principal flutist there, who recommended the Yamaha fife with its flute-like fingering system.
First Teacher — Sharon Snel
Eventually, for her tenth birthday, her aunt surprised her with a flute. When our friend Sharon Snel first heard Jana play I Am a Child of God on that flute, she couldn't stop thinking about her. Sharon wanted her to have the best chances possible, which meant a solid foundation. Sharon saw that Jana was going to play the flute with or without expert guidance, and Jana was highly motivated to begin flute lessons.
Having learned through experience that free lessons are not conducive to a solid foundation, Sharon made a deal with Jana. She knew my budget was tight, so Jana vacuumed Sharon's house every week in exchange for flute lessons. She practiced diligently, playing every assigned exercise without complaint.
A year and a half later we moved to Utah. We cried. A lot. We loved Port Angeles, my husband was an LDS bishop when we left, and we felt terrible about taking Jana away from her flute teacher since they got along so well — and she practiced so hard for her.
Second Teacher — Jane Wadwsorth
On Sharon's recommendation, Jana began studying with Jane Wadsworth in Salt Lake City. Jane continued to give Jana an incredibly solid foundation. Soon Jana began to play in—and win—various competitions.
The Trevor James Flute
From the moment she got her first flute, she began saving money. She knew there was only so much she could do with that flute, and she wanted a better instrument. If someone gave her birthday money, and whenever she babysat, she paid her tithing, and she deposited her money. Her granny paid for flute lessons, and I paid for transportation to Salt Lake (eventually including seven-hour FrontRunner trips), and she always paid for her flute books and entry fees for competitions and accompanists (a rather large expense), even when she was just 13 years old.
Finally, in November 2006, she had saved $1900. She did not want any of my help to buy her flute, but the flute she chose was $2000. She finally let me pay the last hundred dollars — as long as I was just paying her back for her $25 + $75 investment in that year's State Fair competition plus what she had paid the accompanist that year!
What an incredibly independent young lady!
Since she replaced her "Gemeinhardt" with her "Trevor James" flute with its offset G and split E, Jana grew by leaps and bounds as a musician and a lovely young lady. She earned her LDS Young Womanhood Medallion, played in many competitions, and had been recognized by the State Fair Music Competition, the Utah Federation of Music Clubs, the Utah Flute Association, the Utah Symphony Youth Guild, and Weber State University. She had also soloed with the Lincoln Youth Symphony in Brigham City.
Early College at Weber State — Cindy Henderson, Teacher
In the autumn of 2008, while performing in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competition, Jana met Cindy Henderson who teaches flute at Weber State University. Cindy heard Jana performing through the door and began asking questions about her. When she learned of our home schooling, she immediately recommended that Jana look into doing Early College at Weber State. Cindy said this would give her the intensity — and transcript — that she would need in preparation for auditions at prestigious music schools.
It was a tough decision to enter college at age 16, but after discussions with Sharon and Jane, and meeting Dr Thomas Root, director of bands at Weber State, Jana realized that all great musicians have benefited from the mentoring of several teachers, and that there is much she can learn from a new perspective. Jana became a student of Cindy Henderson at Weber State University where she made quite a splash. Auditioning for their Concerto Night, she was chosen as a soloist for the April 19th, 2009, concert, and she was also selected to go with their Wind Ensemble to Carnegie Hall on April 4th, 2009.
She then attended the Flute Fest at Snow College, where she had a lesson with Linda Chesis (Manhattan School of Music), participated in various master classes, and was featured on the final recital; and the Oberlin (Ohio) Flute Institute in June-July 2009 where she was also featured in the final recital.
Another New Flute
In 2009, she entered the MTNA competition once again. It seemed as if the year had come full circle. Her beloved Trevor James flute began to give her trouble — not because there was anything wrong with it, but because she was putting more into it than it was willing to give. She played the October 2009 state level of MTNA on a borrowed Muramatsu flute, which, after she won, she used again in January 2010 to win the division.
She began hunting for a better flute, and ended up replacing her Trevor James with a fabulous Powell Conservatory flute. This time, we took out a loan to pay for it; it will be an investment. She has also had many people willingly donate towards her new flute, and we are very grateful for their help. She loves the colors & tones it produces under her expert playing. She loves the C# trill key, the split E, the offset G, and the gold riser on the lip plate. The sound, to my ears, is heavenly!
With that flute, she auditioned at CU Boulder, and also performed at the National finals in March 2010 where she took second place (a $1000 prize). She decided to name her new flute Jean Valjean.
University of Colorado at Boulder — Christina Jennings, Teacher
During the time of the MTNA state competition in October 2009, Christina Jennings of CU Boulder came to Utah for a Utah Flute Association Master Class. Jana participated in this master class, and also had a private lesson with Christina Jennings who was impressed with her willingness to learn and to try new things. Christina invited Jana to audition at CU Boulder and waived the preliminary audition CD. This paved the way for Jana's audition in February 2010, and she was offered a scholarship to come to CU Boulder and study with Christina Jennings for the next four years. The music school at CU Boulder is world-renowned, and Jana is looking forward to an intense four years of study. She has already spent a week auditing Panoramic Flutist seminar, and she has also met her future roommate. She heads for Colorado in August 2010. (There are many additional expenses involved, so anyone wanting to help out will not be turned away!)
Big Dreams
Jana has shown that she is not afraid to dream big; nor is she afraid of hard work. Practicing 4 or 5 hours a day, she knows she can reach her goals. It took years for her to save babysitting money for a nice flute, but she did it by keeping her eye on her goal. She will use these skills throughout her life.
Along the way, she has had fabulous teachers throughout her development. Between Sharon Snel, Jane Wadsworth, Cindy Henderson, and soon Christina Jennings, her dreams have come even closer. As she has transitioned from home schooling to her current status as an early college student at Weber State University, her dreams have begun to be fulfilled.
I know she has the heart, talent, and work ethic to make it.
Julie Gardner