Jeanne Baxtresser had been Principal Flute with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for three seasons when I was chosen to be in her first class of students at McGill University. Even though she was only a few years older than us, we were all in awe of her! And although I now consider her my friend and colleague, I have never lost the wonder I first felt listening to her beautiful tone and expressive playing.
I learned many things from Jeanne, both tangible and intangible. She played a lot in my lessons, and I can still hear her tone and phrasing in my memory when I revisit repertoire that I worked on with her. She was always very patient, encouraging and respectful. Jeanne made me feel that I could accomplish whatever I put my mind to if I applied myself. To that end, she gave me a strict practice routine to follow which I use to this day with my advanced students.
Jeanne was a natural teacher from the very beginning, and a wonderful role model. She always displayed great personal as well as musical integrity, refusing to say anything negative about other musicians no matter what the circumstances. I have tried to carry this with me always.
Her photo sits on my desk as an inspiration, and to remind me every day of her beautiful tone and heart as I welcome each student into my life.
—Vicki Blechta
As your mother was a concert pianist, and both your parents loved piano and string chamber music, you first studied the piano and then the violin and cello, but none suited or appealed to you. Then by chance, you heard a woodwind quintet concert, and fell in love with the sound of the flute, which you began studying at age 9. At age 14, you were chosen to play a concerto with the Minneapolis Orchestra. Can you tell us some more about your early studies and playing experiences?
I think the most important experience of my younger years in music was finding the instrument that suited me. I absolutely loved music, and I was undoubtedly a musically-inclined child. But I really had no emotional affinity or physical talent in particular for the piano, or violin or even the cello. My parents were fine with this “instrument hunt” I was on, but I remember that after the violin, they felt it would be safest to rent rather than buy any future instruments I wanted to try! My search for fulfillment was becoming expensive!
I think the lesson from my experience is that sometimes it can take a bit of searching for some children to find the singular instrument that will inspire them to want to play, to practice and to perform. When a child hears the sound of an instrument that makes them desperately want to play that instrument, it is a wonderful indicator. Equally important, when that child holds that instrument in their hands, it must feel like it was meant to be. This certainly was the case with me.
From my first attempts to make a sound on the flute, the idea of my breath going into that silver tube to make it play was key for me…I felt as if the very sound of the instrument was being created from my body. I am glad I was so persistent and didn’t give up on my search!
In high school, you went to the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and afterwards attended the Juilliard School of Music, where you studied with Julius Baker who was principal flute of the New York Philharmonic for many years. How did these experiences and/or teachers influence your performing and teaching career?
I recently picked up an autobiography by the actress Ellen Burstyn. I was very touched that the dedication of her book was simply, “To all my teachers”. I feel the same deep gratitude to all of my teachers…starting with my mother. All the wonderful experiences that were to come my way in the world of music were a direct result of these dedicated people.
We often forget what keen observers children are…. I remember so many things about my teachers that have nothing to do with the flute or even music: how they interacted with their their family members, their general mood, and their pleasure with the activity of working and spending time with a young person like me. Each one of them, I remember, always seemed happy to see me—I felt welcomed and important to them, which contributed so much to my enjoyment of my lessons in those early years.
Each of my teachers also possessed the ideal skills and talents that matched my needs at the time. I would love to mention them, starting with my mother, Margaret Baxtresser, Mary Roberts Wilson (my first teacher), Gary Sigurdson and Ramona Dahlberg (at Interlochen), and Julius Baker at Juilliard.
I love teaching and I strive always to remember that I hope to give each of my students a love of the serious study of music and the flute. But I also want to give them the knowledge that I value them above and beyond their accomplishments as flutists. The final path each student chooses to take may not necessarily be the one I chose. Each student must feel free to follow their instincts and knowledge about what choices will bring them the greatest satisfaction and effectiveness in their lives.
When you were a senior at Juilliard, you auditioned for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (without even telling Mr. Baker!) and won the principal flute chair. How did you find the transition from school to professional life? Do you have any advice for young players in the early stages of their professional careers?
I remember that I wanted to be in a symphony orchestra more than anything in the world. For a flutist, it is the place where you can play the world’s greatest music every day, and be part of a fascinating community of accomplished musicians. So when it happened, I was thrilled at first, and then a bit terrified to think of how much I would have to learn…on the spot. There is no easing into a principal wind position in a major orchestra…you jump in and start swimming!
It is natural to think of being accepted into an orchestra as a culmination of one’s work. In actuality, it is just the beginning of another journey. Julie Baker used to say, “Being in an orchestra is the greatest music education in the world,” and I completely agree! The work and dedication of a new player in an orchestra is constant, but the education involved in every moment of it is also a gift.
I have realized, in retrospect, that you really have to play all the major symphonic repertoire at least once before you can start to feel like you really belong in that chair. It took me three years before I felt that I was a true member of the Montreal Symphony team, rather than the “rookie of the year” with a lot to prove.
In an interview from 1995 you stated, “I have begun to see my future in terms of my students, not in terms of my (performing) career…Each student is a new experience, a new challenge.” What made you want to become a teacher? What do you find to be the most satisfying, and the most challenging aspect(s) of teaching?
I have taught for all of my professional life, starting at McGill University in Montreal when I was about 23 years old. I hadn’t really thought seriously about teaching when I began…I was asked, and it just seemed the thing to do. But after 30 years of playing principal flute in three remarkable orchestras, I realized I wanted to be able to teach and to write about playing, without the heavy responsibility of four or five performances every week. As much as I adored playing, after a while I felt a gravitational pull to another world…the need for a new musical episode.
As a teacher, the greatest challenges occurred in the first ten or fifteen years. I was still finding myself as a player and building my performing career. This takes a lot of time and energy. While in the studio with my students, however, I had to be very careful to focus all my attention, above all, on what the student needed. You studied with me during this time, Vicki, so maybe you could tell me if I was successful?
My students have always been at the university level and beyond, and many of them have possessed staggering facility on the instrument. On the outside they may appear to be very secure and confident, but they are not…they are filled with doubt and fears about an uncertain future ( just as I was). It is so easy to forget what a profound effect a teacher can have on a student…we have such power over their feelings about themselves. For this reason, I came to realize how my words to them in lessons could carry great consequences. I try always to keep this uppermost in my thoughts.
The most important duty is to establish the need for disciplined and dedicated work from the student, to inspire them to reach their greatest potential, and above all, to have them know that you value them for themselves more than any accomplishment on the flute in the present or in the future. As I think back about my former pupils, I am overwhelmed at what extraordinary people they are, and I am so proud of each one for their immensely varied contributions to society, worldwide.
Your publications of orchestral excerpts and duos from the orchestral repertoire are an invaluable aid to flutists. You also recorded a CD of many of the solo excerpts with spoken commentary. Can you tell us about your current projects?
Thank you, Vicki. I am so pleased these books have been helpful to flutists. Well over 20,000 copies have been sold, worldwide, and this is inspires me to do another!!
Also, as I have been collecting my thoughts about it for many years, I want to write a book on performing. It will be based on my own experience of learning how to truly enjoy playing for people. There are many great books out there on the subject, but I hope that my own personal lessons will be helpful to others. It is interesting…at my various masterclasses all over the world, the questions asked most often by far(!) have to do with performance anxiety. I was not a born performer myself, so the lessons I had to learn were hard-earned!!
Even though you have now retired from the New York Philharmonic, you are presently a University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and give masterclasses all over the world. How do you balance your teaching, current projects, practising and personal life?
Balancing my life has never been one of my strengths, I’m afraid. My husband, David Carroll, is a great musician—he sat right behind me as Principal Bassoon in the Montreal Symphony and in the New York Philharmonic as Associate Principal Bassoonist. We have been very fortunate to have experienced together the richness of orchestral and teaching careers, and our most significant professional affiliations have been parallel (in addition to playing in the Montreal Symphony and New York Philharmonic we both taught at Juilliard and Carnegie Mellon University.) The lines between our work and our personal lives have often been blurred, but this has been our choice. We both have lived just about our entire lives in music, with musicians, and we have loved it all!
When asked to become a member of the SAA Honorary Board, what prompted you to say yes?
From my first contact with the Suzuki method of teaching, I was fascinated and thrilled with what I observed. The ease and joy with which young children were able to come into the world of music was a revelation to me. In my early years in music it seemed that for many young students, taking music lessons was, at best, a chore—for both the parent and the child. How many of these young people would have thrived in the Suzuki environment without all the sturm and drang that often accompanied the more traditional experience of the music lesson!
I am so honored to be a part of such an extraordinary group of people all over the world who share the simple goal of bringing the beauty of music-making into many lives.
Do you have any other thoughts that you would like to share with our members?
I would like to thank all of you for each lesson you give, on behalf of each child whose life is enhanced by your work. All of our communities are enriched when their people are able to participate in the arts…of this, there is no doubt.
Jeanne’s website is a treasure trove of interesting articles and information for flutists and teachers. I invite you all to visit it at www.jeannebaxtresser.com
