I encourage my students of all ages and levels to develop informed and meaningful interpretations of the music that we study through personal connections, historical context, and musical analysis. I believe that thinking critically about how to present works of music to audiences not only ensures impactful performances, but can also transform a performer's perspective and enhance the learning process. I also advocate for beginning to learn contemporary techniques from the earliest stages of practice: learning these techniques is both rewarding on its own and helps to refine traditional flute-playing.