Flute Lessons with Clarissa Tracy

Hey everyone! I am officially back in Spokane, Washington giving flute lessons for anyone who is interested!
Come visit my page “Flute Lessons with Clarissa Tracy” or message me directly for more info😄

Yesterday, I won the Musicfest Northwest Young Artist competition (flute division)😄 I will be performing my solo with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra in the Young Artist’s concert tomorrow night at 7:30pm at The Fox downtown. The concert is FREE for anyone who would like to come😊

This discussion is open to anyone who has a perspective on marching band or is thinking about taking on a leadership role: Demand vs. Empower🤔

Recently, I had a student from Kennesaw Mountain high school (Georgia) contact me and conduct an interview on my experiences as a section leader in marching band. We had an amazing time as we talked about different perspectives on the subject. I was one of the section leaders of the flutes at Kennesaw Mountain my sophomore year in 2013 and was also a section leader at Central Valley high school (Washington) my senior year in 2015. I am bringing up this post because as I was a part of this interview, an interesting thought came up that I felt I needed to share. During the two times I was a section leader on two very opposite corners of the country, I learned a lot about myself. Both times that I was section leader, I felt that I was always battling the same challenge. Demand vs. Empower. The first time I was section leader, I took on a more demanding position. I wouldn’t say I was a complete shouter, because I honestly do not have the talent for it, but I found the job highly difficult, and that could have been partly due to my age. It is hard to demand respect from peers who are around the same age or older than you. So no matter how many people told me I was doing a good job, I always felt inadequate. The second time around I lived in a completely different state, and a whole new band. I had a more vocal co-section leader so I took on the approach of empowering others by working with peers individually especially when it came to flute playing or questions they may have had. I felt more respect and was way more in my comfort zone. When I discussed this with the Kennesaw Mountain student, she said that her second approach was much like mine but she felt she was a little criticized for it.

I am opening up a discussion on a subject that was really hard for me and is probably hard for other people as well. Demand vs. Empower, what are the limits? Both have been used and both have been widely accepted. What advice can you give to help anyone in the future who wants to take on a leadership role? I am welcoming anyone who has graduated or is in high school, or anyone with an opinion to be a part of this.🎼🎷🎺