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Beautiful Tone

“After years of struggling to manipulate the sound out of my old flute, I finally could not take it. When I bought my new Miyazawa, everything changed for the better! Playing is such an ease, and there’s no ‘fighting’ to get the beautiful tone I want. I have received countless positive comments on my playing, and wanting to know the brand of my flute. If anyone asks me what brand to get, I always respond with Miyazawa. Not only are the flutes an amazing fit for all types of flute players, the customer service is phenomenal!”

ALLISON RAINS

Michel Bellavance

We had the opportunity to ask Michel a few questions. Take a look at his thoughts on playing styles in different parts of the world, his teaching philosophy as well as advice for upcoming flutists.

What is your teaching philosophy? 
 
I would say my teaching is based on three main principles:  honesty, independence, and versatility.  First, honesty means that as interpreters we must remain faithful to what composers have produced. In other words, the students must learn how to translate the music as it is written.  This includes articulation, dynamics, tempi.  As Aurele Nicolet said, ‘before interpreting the piece, play what is written.’ Second, I want the students to be independent and able to progress further with intuition. I use question-asking as a tool, rather than telling them to do things.  This greatly enhances the teaching efficiency, as the students remember better what they have discovered themselves. Thirdly, I insist on the students being fully versatile, like today’s actors in the theatre. They must be able to be authentic in music going from baroque to classical or contemporary, to give just a few examples. And finally I insist a lot on sound quality, including having a full range of colours.

What is the most valuable lesson that the flute has taught you?

Flute playing has been a wonderful way to share my feelings with others. In other words, I am not trying to promote my own person through music, but I rather use the flute to communicate with others and try to inspire them.

What musician has had the largest influence on your playing?

As far as flutists go, I think I have been influenced the most by Aurele Nicolet and Patrick Gallois. Of course, there have been many others, but I cannot name them all here. I am more attentive to what singers do in their technical and musical work. I also learn a lot during my travels around the world, including classical and other music types.

What do you think is the most important thing you emphasize in your teaching and in your own playing?

In my teaching I try to emphasize the physical aspects of flute playing. To be a flautist, we need to understand exactly how the human body works in relation to the playing. There is nothing philosophical about it. This is purely physical. I want the students to know exactly the name of muscles involved, how does the support work, the difference between quantity vs. speed in the air stream, and all these things that you need, among others, to be a good flautist. Often I can see that when I ask questions, the new students don’t know these things and tend to think about pure artistic concepts. Of course, interpretation is all about expressing yourself, but it is so important to master the physical part too.

What is your typical practice routine like?

I don’t have one (LOL). However I start every day’s practice with a rough sight-reading to warm up.  That I have learned from Paul Renzi.  Only after that do I do some sound exercises or scales or repertoire (not necessarily in that order). I find this works better for me, as I need to be warm to be able to work. 

What is your day to day schedule like currently with COVID-19? Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests during this time?

I live in London and teach in Geneva Switzerland, at the HEM (university), which means I usually commute between the two cities on a weekly basis.  However from March 2020 onwards I taught online like everyone else.  I was having one-to-one lessons with my students (who often had gone back to their home country).  I also conducted group lessons, which actually were the best part of this whole experience.  These included selecting a different composer every week, who had written flute studies.  The students had to send me a recording of the study of their choice, we would listen to the recordings all together and then a randomly chosen student would make comments on the recording of their classmate, followed by my own comments.  I was also sharing my own recording with the group which motivated me to keep practising (but my students were not commenting on my performance LOL). During these group lessons, we also had each time a surprise flautist guest talking about their own experience of the confinement and how to keep motivated.  These included Emily Beynon, Mario Caroli, Francisco Lopez, Nicole Esposito, Julien Beaudiment. Now that face to face classes have started again in Geneva, my schedule has gone back to normal, except that there are no concerts and tours for the time being.

Do you have any upcoming events you are looking forward to?  (Live or virtual)  

Yes, I have a lot of live events planned for early 2021, however I am not sure these things will actually go ahead.  For example, in January I am due to take part in a flute festival in Slovenia.  In February, I should be at the Music Festival Gramado.  Later that month I am due to play Reinecke’s concerto in Canada.  There are more events to follow during the year.  I have been participating in a lot of virtual flute festivals, such as in Venezuela and Ecuador.   And on 22 November 2020 I am participating in the Peabody Masterclass organised by Marina Piccinini. 

If you had one piece of advice for an upcoming flutist, what would you tell them?

Get a Miyazawa flute (LOL)! More seriously, I would tell them that on top of practicing a lot, they will need to open up to the world. So many students are trapped in their little flute world. There is so much more out there and we must be part of it. Listen to all styles of music, do other activities, broaden your horizons!

What has been the highlight of your career thus far? 

Since I have become a Miyazawa Artist in 2011, I have enjoyed playing in many prestigious music festivals around the world. And of course, when it comes to career highlights, I must mention my appointment to the Geneva HEM (Haute Ecole de Musique) as professor. I was so thrilled!

How did you choose your Miyazawa?

I met the Miyazawa team during the 2010 NFA convention in California. I was not particularly looking for a new instrument, as I was happy with my own. However, I noticed a special flute on the Miyazawa stand and then found out this was a platinum flute. Having tried it, I decided that this was exactly what I needed. It combined the qualities of my previous gold flute with a bigger range of dynamics and a superb mechanical system. We then agreed that I would have a platinum flute made for me and this is how I became a Miyazawa artist. I flew to Tokyo to pick up my new flute and have been totally delighted with my new instrument all these years.  


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