I often get asked how I practice on the road. This was meant to be posted when I was travelling in BC in February for teaching but I got a nasty cold and then another nasty cold and this post just kinda sat around waiting for me to finish it. 

Playing flute in hotel rooms, air bnb's, billets, tents, etc, has always been an adventure and also nerve-wracking. Am I violating those sacred covenants of travellers - or am I? No one is usually in their hotel room at 12 noon except me. And when everyone is in in the evening, I am usually on the concert stage. This poses a conundrum.

Air BnB: I am often away from a house in a separate dwelling or in a standalone house. With this, no challenges! Only my own will to practice is the barrier.

With the new rules in BC of owners living on the property it means there are more basement suites and attached suites than before. While in Nelson, I was able to practice during the day while everyone was out. Once, in a hotel, I was advised to hang up the blankets around the closet and play into the closet. This worked! I had no noise complaints. While some of you may think the flute is "pretty" and "shouldn't bother anyone" When I am practicing exercises, or repeating difficult passages as I work through technical challenges - the flute can become a "not pretty' sound 😂

Hotel: Making sure my neighbours are gone. This usually means aiming for 11 am - 4 pm practice time if I can. If it is in the evening I stay away from high-register technical parts and aim for low-register practicing and try to do less repetitive exercises. Once I jammed with Erroll Kinistino until midnight but the flute/guitar music was lovely and we were in a corner unit with the laundry next to us.

I have no advice for tents as I tend to avoid camping and would worry about environmental outdoor damage to my instruments. Please let me know if anyone has practiced while camping in a tent! I will happily take any advice!

One thing that I do when I can is internal hearing/visual practicing with the score. I cannot tout the benefits of visualization practice enough. I had a professor introduce this to me for a conducting exam and translate it over to performance nerves and this advice and practice got me through my undergrad. It also helped me get through my stage fright and stage nerves. If you want to learn more, let me know and I am happy to share this technique. 

- Vee

We often don't get studios with mirrors. This is mostly a financial issue since the closing of Evergreen Studios. I used to have such a hated relationship with mirrors. Through many years of dancing I realized that they are tool to be used when needed and weaned off - of so as to not create a dependance on the tool. I remember coaching inter-disciplinary groups as a TA and I took the mirror away once and it was interesting to see who relied on it for visual feedback and those who relied on it for cues/following instead of remembering the choreography for themselves. 

I like using the mirrors when working with powwow dancers as they can see how they look and change their style up to match what they see in their minds. For first-time-in-studio powwow dancers the mirror can trip up as well. Mirrors are not an accurate reflection of who you are as most of the time they are warped. Moving from the use of the mirror as self-reflection to a tool to analyze movement and purpose of movement is a difficult journey. 

For the first time since starting my orchestral project I was able to use the mirror. Now - what I thought I was doing was not what I was doing. 😂 This is where I am going to look forward to maximizing my time with a mirror. I can create and move with intention but I will need the mirror feedback as I get back into dance. My brain and body need to match up and until they do - leaning on the mirror for movement analysis and body-picture-making is going to be key. 
     
​       - Virginia

The mirror is the tool of the outside eye
until ...
I ask a human to come into the studio to be my outside eye. 
​- Vee​

I often get asked about my creative process and what I think about things. I decided that maybe I would try adding a blog post to my website. This series will specifically look at my creation process through dance and music. I currently have 2 commissions, 1 orchestral project, and 1 album project on the go for 2026-2027. All of the work started Jan 2026. 

Today I am entering the second studio time for my new Symphonic Dance (working title) I often am working on several projects at once and time management is key for me. I also an relentlessly thinking about my projects at any given time. During my non-studio time I am spending time reading relevant texts, watching videos/films around my idea, visiting with mentors/elders, and gathering this knowledge for studio time.

For this project I am starting with a blank page. I have some structural limitations such as, there must be hoops in it, ensemble instrumentation and stage space. I think the hardest start is when you have all the potentialities open. One has to just take 1 step forward in any direction and follow that to where it may end and that in itself can be a barrier of ones own making.

My own in studio process:
I set up camera for documentation purposes. These exercises are not "performing for the camera" but a tool for me to watch back and make observations a few days later away from the process. If I only have a short time, I try to make it to the idea improvisational portion of the studio practice.
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• Improvised movement to a random playlist - serves as a warm-up. I go through dance warm-ups, favourite moves, powwow dancing, floor work, etc.
• Improvised movement with hoop to a random playlist
• Writing/Reflection
• Improvised movement on an idea. This could be a situation, feeling, thought, quote, specific musical selection, etc. It has to be 1 idea. 
• Journal, writing exercises, reflecting on the movement and potential direction of the piece
• 2nd improvised idea session using research material/props/costume pieces
• Start building a section. This part is purposeful and a commitment to creation. This may or may not end up in the final piece but it helps me to commit to a final outcome. This portion will go through much exploration and edits in this process.
• Journal and wrap it up, stretch, cool down etc. 

I don't look at this guide as hard-enforcing structure. Often by step 3 I have a good idea of what I will be working on. If I don't, I follow all steps to the end. I will be sharing other exercises and tools I use in my process in later posts. 

- Virginia