“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well". ― Mark Twain

Summer is officially here and to keep my students moving I've put together a Summer Flute Challenge! that is full of rewards and (most importantly) technical workouts. It's really easy to lose steam in June and July without the structure of school and I thought it would be fun to see how my students respond. I'll post an update at the end of July to show their progress.

                                            (Full Disclosure: Thanks Morgann for the inspiration! You can check out her Studio Scale Challenge here.)

Selecting live music for your wedding or event says a lot about your style. Wedding musicians in Wichita, KS play just as beautifully as pros in any major city - you just have to know who to contact.

I've put together a few recommendations for local wedding musicians and, while I'm partial to the flute, there are many stellar performers in the area on a variety of instruments (and many more than I'm highlighting today....). Good Luck!    
         --- Ellen Johnson Mosley

“Mostly I’m a thinker, a worrier … it’s not that there’s no free spirit in me. 
But it’s a free spirit with a five-year plan” 
― Elizabeth Bard, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes

This fall begins a new chapter in the flute studio at Butler Community College. Butler's new START SMART program offers tuition reimbursement for high school flutists who take lessons at the Andover, KS or El Dorado, KS locations. If you follow these guidelines you can have your flute lesson tuition completely reimbursed. Wow!!

Once you've completed the application, submitted the release form, and documented eligibility as described above, enroll for your preferred location by visiting the course schedule and searching for all courses taught by Ellen Mosley.

MU 160 - APPLIED BAND 1 (FLUTE) 
CRN 16117 1.0 Credit Hour--------W-------Andover1810 N. Andover Rd/Andover HS Applied Class
CRN   9809 2.0 Credit Hours---By Appt----El Dorado Music/Theatre, Room 725        Applied Class

Please Note:
Spaces may fill quickly at the Andover location and scheduling will be determined on the basis of which students contact me with their preferred lesson time(s) first. If you'd like to touch base please contact me today. Thanks!

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” 
― Groucho Marx

I'd like to highlight a performance opportunity for high school flutists in central Kansas. The Senior Orchestra of the Delano Summer Youth Orchestras has space for two flutists, and scholarships are still available. Please contact me for more info today!

Summer break is a great time to focus on the flute and perform music with young players from the Wichita area. (It sure beats watching reruns on Netflix!) Check it out:

“Some writers enjoy writing, I am told. Not me. I enjoy having written.” 
― George R.R. Martin

It's that time of year when approximately four of my Facebook friends will post a barrage of Game of Thrones theme song covers. And I, of course, have to watch every single one..... In the spirit of generosity (?) I've compiled my Top Three flute covers (+ one honorable mention) to throw into the fray. Enjoy!

This one is pretty epic. It needs no introduction:

I may have to show this one to my Music Appreciation class. It offers a fine glimpse of the performers and the music itself.

Meet the Flute Family and hang out for a while:

“Another year is fast approaching. Go be that starving artist you’re afraid to be. Open up that journal and get poetic finally. Volunteer. Suck it up and travel. You were not born here to work and pay taxes. You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. The world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at TGI Fridays. Take pictures. Scare people. Shake up the scene. Be the change you want to see in the world.” 
― Jason Mraz

“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” 
― Albert Einstein

So, you've started to build your skills as a musician and gigs are starting to land in your lap. That's fantastic! But if you're like most musicians staying organized isn't on the top of your priority list each day. Sure, you may imagine yourself taking a day (or a week) off to finally go through those stacks full of financial "stuff" eventually. Yeah, eventually sounds good....

Here are my top five tax organization tips for musicians. Learned the hard way by someone who is now more organized (not more enthusiastic) when it comes to self-employment tax prep.

1. Have a Current Box or a Drawer that's sole purpose is to house music-related receipts for meals with colleagues, hotel stays for gigs, mileage logs, gig info/arrangements, instrument insurance, health insurance, rent/utility bills, music trip tolls, etc... If it's financial throw it in. If you hate organizing your life this is the most important first step you can make. Working on self-employment tax is often frustrating, so know where most of your info is supposed to be instead of tearing through random drawers and boxes in search of that Affidavit of Purchase Price for that used car you bought or sold last year.
   
2. Create a Home Office Space and use it only as a home office. The IRS guidelines for the home office deduction are found here. You can deduct a portion of rent/utility bills for this as long as it fits their guidelines. It helps keep your work and leisure activities separate and is a great place to teach lessons and store old tax records, sheet music and music gear.
   
3. Keep Track of Your Mileage or Travel Costs for lessons, gigs and rehearsals in case you can deduct it. If carrying around a log doesn't work for you (i.e. That thing is going to get lost!), consider using an online calendar or mileage app. Then, be sure to print out the info it stores so you can file it away once January 1st hits. The key is storing the information somewhere. I like using Google Calendar and Google Maps.
   
4. Consider Buying Health Insurance with Higher Monthly Premiums Instead of a Higher Deductible. Sometimes we just don't have the money to be shelling out for the better health insurance. I get that. But did you know that it's a lot easier for those of us who are self employed to deduct monthly premiums than the cost of care associated with reaching your deductible? (If you must go the high deductible route see if you can qualify for an HSA which has significant tax advantages.)
   
5. Save, Save, Save! The first time I got hit with an estimated tax bill on top of the April 15th tax deadline on top of my CPA's fee it took me several months to get back on my feet again. Several estimated tax deadlines fall during leaner times of the year, so create a cushion starting today. Aim for saving 25% of your before-tax income so you aren't sunk when the tax man cometh. Good Luck!
   

As in all things tax-related, be sure to work with a tax professional if you have any specific questions or concerns when filing. Keeping track of your information and expenses doesn't guarantee that you can write them off, but it will make it easier to find out. Also, be sure to check out these guidelines to see if your expenses are considered business or hobby expenses by the IRS.

Play a Haynes Flute:
There's an awesome opportunity for flutists in Sedgwick County (and its surrounding counties) in Central Kansas to play on professional flutes. Each year the Tack Flute Committee hosts an audition and (since there are several flutes available) each flutist has a good shot. Check out the details below!

History:
The George B. Tack Memorial Flute Committee is a nonprofit organization based in Wichita, KS. Each year it hosts auditions for deserving young flutists to play one of several Haynes flutes that have been donated to the organization.

Over the years several flutists' estates in central Kansas have donated Haynes flutes (most are 1950s vintage) so that these instruments could make the lives of flutists who can't afford a quality instrument better. The Tack Flute Committee maintains each instrument and makes these amazing flutes available to deserving flutists for the following year. Check out the bios for some famous Haynes artists!

“Ginger: You know what the greatest tragedy is in the whole world?... It's all the people who never find out what it is they really want to do or what it is they're really good at. It's all the sons who become blacksmiths because their fathers were blacksmiths. It's all the people who could be really fantastic flute players who grow old and die without ever seeing a musical instrument, so they become bad plowmen instead. It's all the people with talents who never even find out. Maybe they are never even born in a time when it's even possible to find out. It's all the people who never get to know what it is that they can really be. It's all the wasted chances.” 
― Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

Today's post is a mash-up of flute competitions that I'd like for my students to consider doing this spring. When I was in high school the idea of traveling outside of the state seemed so far-fetched. I wouldn't have even considered it. Each of the competitions I list here are organized by my colleagues and are well run and easy to find. I wish I would've been a bit braver back then. So, without further ado, here's a list of flute competitions both local and within a day's drive of Wichita. Getting outside of the area can be a great way to stretch yourself and see what the performance level is in other parts of the USA. 

The Colorado Flute Association is offering a really great opportunity for flutists of all ages and levels to perform and compete. They offer divisions for flutists as young as age 5. Consider taking a short trip to Denver, CO for this one!2014 Student Honors Competition

Finally, the Mid-South Flute Society is offering a comprehensive line-up of flute competitions and performances at their festival this March. 

Check these out:

• High School Soloist Competition
  
• Young Flutists Showcase
  
• Student & Adult Flute Choirs
  
• Festival Info @ MTSU with Featured Guest Artist: Goran Marcusson