This weekend, I’m writing to you all the way from Fresno, Calif., where I’m attending the California All-State Music Educators Conference. It’s always fun to attend sessions, meet up with colleagues and hear performances, but I think that any musician would tell you that the best part of a conference is the exhibit hall.
Exhibits are a wonderful way to try out new products from companies, and get to know some up-and-coming companies as well. And for musicians, we have to be able to try out the products — instruments!! You can read all you want about the latest, shiniest, sleekest clarinet, but until you can actually give it a toot, there’s just no way to know if you’re going to like it or not.
Karin and I recently checked out the exhibits at the NAMM Show, and we had such a great time! I really liked this pink tenor flute that Karin tried. It was incredibly lightweight, and had a surprisingly rich sound — considering it’s made out of plastic. Click here to read more about the manufacturer, Guo Flutes.
But in all honesty, our greatest find at the NAMM show was this super cool music folder. It’s a folder on the inside, but it has an elastic strap that attaches it to your music stand, and then three sturdy, full panels fold out to support your music. It’s hard to explain, but trust me, some composers that we absolutely love and adore sometimes write music for us that has absolutely no opportunities for page turns. That turns each performance into a risky high-wire act, where we are constantly worried about whether we’ll be able to make the page turn in time to play the next note. Don’t even mention the variable of windy weather at an outside gig!
So now we are proud owners of these Fourscore Folders from Manhasset, and can’t wait to use them at our next show. Yippee!
