Flute Pro Shop's Snow Day Survival Guide

Hello all you fans of snow, ice and days off!  But then there are times when we all have had enough.  Enter Flute Pro Shop with our exclusive Snow Day Survival Guide.  A sure fire cure for a dose of cabin fever.

Circuit Training

Start this early in the A.M. and you’ll feel saintly by the end of the day.  Comfortable clothes are recommended.

PowerLung®
 1 set of 10 reps at your most comfortable setting.
*
1-mile brisk walk on the treadmill (or ‘dreadmill’ as my friend calls it.) No treadmill?
Walk up and down a flight of stairs 20 times.
•
30-minute flute practice:
Long tones and chromatic scales/an etude/a new piece for you!
•
Upper body stretches
•
15-minute flute practice:
Any etude that is a challenge, or orchestral excerpts/standard repertoire that may have become rusty for you.
•
Repeat an additional 2x.

Guaranteed to make you exempt from shoveling! (At least that’s how it works at  Flute Pro Shop.)

No snow in your region of the country? No problem! Choose a location that gets lots of snow—like Buffalo, NY or better yet for this year, Alaska—and ‘adopt’ it. When they get snow, you do too—virtually, of course.

Celebrate the Snow!

My neighbor invites us over for Brandy Alexanders the evening of the first real snowfall (it being Delaware, we haven't had one yet: snowfall or Brandy Alexander...) and it has become one of my most-cherished traditions. Take this opportunity to meet or get reacquainted with your neighbors.

Comfort Foods

I always keep the ingredients for chili and cornbread on hand for the above occasion. Check out the next blog for a copy of my favorite chili recipe, and by all means, use it to create your own tradition!

Advice from the Animals

There is nothing more enjoyable than watching dogs frolic in the snow. My two Labradors love it!
Watch your pets and try not to smile. Better yet, throw a bumper for them and give them a piece of puppy heaven.  Take a Nap. Enough said!

Power Outage?

What a mess.
Once the generator is running and you have a little light, read that travel book you’ve had on the coffee table since 2006 and enjoy pictures of the Caribbean!

Learn New Music

Prepare for the inevitable with the purchase of some exciting music.

Here are some of my favorites to get started:

Joseph Jongen: Sonata for Flute and Piano, Op. 77 Fabulous, and your technique will improve from the practice of this fine piece.

Boosey & Hawkens: Anthology of Flute Music (Composers include Harty, Lees, Gorecki, Del Tredici, Alwyn & Butterworth.) Some wonderful works that are not always in the standard repertoire.

Pizzolla: Histoire du Tango for Flute and Piano, Guitar, or Harp.  Wonderful, evocative works that will make you think of warmer climates.

Khachaturian: Concerto for Flute and Piano. Originally for violin; fabulous for low-register articulation.

Geisiking:Sonata for Flute and Piano, editied by Trudy Kane.  A real gift to the repertoire and destined to be a standard.

Gaubert: 3rd Sonata for Flute and Piano.  Not for the faint of heart!

All of this music is in stock at Flute Pro Shop.  Please email: info@fluteproshop.com to order!

Snow Day Flute Party — Woot! 

Invite your flute friends over and play fun games like
~Nail that Scale, 
~Scale Roulette, or
~ Last Flutist Standing!
Look for all the rules in the next Blog!

Here are Blitz and Maverick having a great time!  Last year.

Now that you are all set and prepared for your next snow day, share some of your snow survival stories with us.  Comment on this blog, or post them on the Flute Pro Shop Face Book Fan page.