Teaching Philosophy

Bonita Boyd believes in unlocking, cultivating, and nurturing the unique artistic and creative gifts in each student she works with.  This includes developing the highest level tonal, technical, and performance skills in order to provide the vehicle for individual expression, in order to enable each student to achieve their professional career goals.

Inside the Eastman Flute Studio

The Eastman Flute Studio is comprised of an exciting group of gifted flutists, both undergraduate and graduate, from the United States and abroad.  A warm and supportive atmosphere to enable the development of each person’s excellence and a strong sense of community are hallmarks of the studio.

Flute lessons are every week with Bonita Boyd, and focus on sound, technical development, artistic study, solo, orchestral, and chamber repertoire of all periods.

There are bi-weekly studio classes, one focusing on general repertoire, and one focusing on orchestral repertoire.  There are also guest artist master classes.  Recent guests include:

Andreas Blau
Emanuel Pahud
Robert Langevin
Mindy Kaufman
Mark Sparks
Jean Ferrandis

Paul-Edmund Davies
Jonathan Keeble
Jeffrey Khaner
Marina Piccinini
Susan Milan
Katherine Hoover and many more!

All freshmen are placed in a woodwind quintet and are coached weekly.  Many quintets continue on and have regularly won major competitions such as Fischoff.  Chamber music in all combinations is performed and coached throughout the four years of undergrad and in graduate degree study as well.

The Eastman School large ensemble program includes two major orchestras, two major wind ensembles (including the famed Eastman Wind Ensemble), and Musica Nova, a world-class new music ensemble.  Operas are also programmed regularly.  All undergraduate and Master’s level flutists rotate groups and positions and play throughout the year.  Freshmen also play in orchestra at Eastman.

Piccolo lessons are offered by faculty member Anne Harrow.

Flute students typically give two solo recitals a year, as well as appearing frequently on other colleagues’ recitals.  They compete in national and international competitions, and regularly participate in major summer music festivals.

Eastman flutists stay very busy, but still manage to have fabulous flute parties!!

A Sampling of Students' Orchestral & Solo Positions

 (partial listing only- see the Alumni Gallery for more)

Hilary Abigana- Soloist Flutist and Founder, The Fourth Wall Ensemble

Haley Bangs- 2ndFlutist, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Jeffrey Barker- Associate Principal Flutist, Seattle Symphony Orchestra

Joanna Bassett- 2ndFlutist, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (former)

Daria Binkowski- Principal Flutist, Beijing Symphony Orchestra (former)

Kimberly Blake Stein- 2ndFlutist, Seattle Symphony (former)

Bruce Bodden- Principal Flutist, Spokane Symphony Orchestra

Carolyn Brown- Principal Flutist, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

Catherine Broyles- Principal Flutist, United States Coast Guard Band (former)

Hye Sung Choe- 2ndFlutist, Rochester Philharmonic (former)

Ann Choomack- Solo Piccolo, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Pam Daniels- Flutist, United States Army Field Band

Julie Duncan Thornton- Solo Piccolo, Colorado Philharmonic Orchestra

Amy Eyles- Principal Flutist, Great Falls Symphony Orchestra (former)

Luke Fitzpatrick- Principal Flutist, Ft. Wayne Symphony Orchestra

Aaron Goldman- Principal Flutist, National Symphony Orchestra

Norman Gonzales- Principal Flutist, Montana Symphony Orchestra

- Principal Flutist, Ft. Collins Symphony Orchestra

Brian Gordon- Solo Piccolo, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra

Alyssa Griggs- Solo Piccolo, Omaha Symphony Orchestra

Johanna Gruskin- New World Symphony Orchestra

Maria Harding- Principal Flutist, Omaha Symphony Orchestra

Anne Harrow- Principal Flutist, Lake Placid Festival Orchestra

Martha Herby- 2ndFlutist, Oregon Symphony Orchestra (former)

Larry Ink- Flutist, Soloist, “President’s Own” Washington, DC. (former)

Allison Jewett- Solo Piccolo, Houston Symphony Orchestra (former)

Alyce Johnson- Solo Piccolo, Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra

- 2ndFlutist, Grant Park Festival Orchestra

Jessica Johnson- Solo Flutist and Founding Member, “The Alarm will Sound”

Kent Jordan- Jazz performing and recording artist

Mindy Kaufman- Solo Piccolo, New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Jill Krochok- Jazz performing and recording artist

Kate Ladner- Solo Piccolo, Houston Symphony Orchestra

Jina Lehja- Flutist, Soloist, U.S. Army Field Band (former)

Kasumi Leonard- Flutist, Soloist, U.S. Army Field Band (former)

Robert Lovasich- Principal Flutist, Mannheim Opera Orchestra

Elizabeth Diener McGinnis- Flutist, The President’s Own, Washington DC

Melissa Ngan- Principal Flutist, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (former)

Sean Owen- Flutist, U.S. Army Field Band (former)

Gina Park- Associate Principal Flutist, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (former)

Jennifer Parker-Harley- 2ndFlutist, Columbus Symphony Orchestra (former)

Evan Pengra-Sult- Principal Flutist, Northwest Ballet Orchestra

Tallon Perkes- Principal Flutist, San Antonio Symphony Orchestra (former)

Diane Peters- Principal Flutist, Singapore Symphony Orchestra (former)

Jennifer Regan- Principal Flutist, Ft. Wayne Symphony Orchestra (former)

Jacob Roseman- Principal Flutist, Green Bay Symphony Orchestra

Charlotte Roth- Solo Piccolo, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra

Adam Sadberry- Flutist, Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Susannah Self- Associate Principal Flutist, Baltimore and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (former)

Richard Sherman- Principal Flutist, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

 - Principal Flutist, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (former)

Melissa Shuler- Flutist, Singapore Symphony Orchestra (former)

Emily Skala- Principal Flutist, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Merrie Siegl- Principal Flutist, Idaho Symphony Orchestra (former)

Jessica Sindell- Associate Principal Flutist, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra

Joel Tse- Principal Flutist, Toledo Symphony Orchestra

Valerie Watts- Principal Flutist, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra

 - Principal Flutist, New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra

Katie Wendtland- Principal Flutist, Florida Orchestra (former)

Jennifer Zhou- Flutist, U.S. Army Field Band

Heather Zinninger- Associate Principal Flutist, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

A Sampling of Students' Professorship and Festival Artist Faculty Positions

 (partial listing only- see the Alumni Gallery for more)

Jacqueline Arrington- Professor of Flute, University of Oregon

Caroline Brown- Professor of Flute, University of Central Arkansas

Jennie Oh Brown- Professor of Flute, Wheaton College, Elmhurst College

Chris Chaffee- Professor of Flute, Wright State University

Ann Choomack- Artist Faculty, Eastern Music Festival

Karen Demsey- Professor of Flute and Music History, William Patterson University

Tabatha Easley- Professor of Flute, Virginia Commonwealth University

Cynthia Folio- Professor of Theory and Composition, Temple University

Sarah Frisof- Professor of Flute, University of Maryland

Sophia Gibbs Kim- Professor of Flute, Houghton College, ECMS- Eastman School of Music

Aaron Goldman- University of Maryland, Peabody Conservatory

Amy Hamilton- Professor of Flute, Wilfrid Laurier University

Anne Harrow- Associate Professor of Chamber Music and Piccolo, Eastman School of Music

Emlyn Johnson- Faculty, Missouri State University

Alyce Johnson- Faculty, De Paul University 

Jonathan Keeble- Professor of Flute, Illinois University

Carmen Lemoine- Professor of Flute, Kansa State University.

- Professor of Chamber Music, San Francisco Conservatory (former)

Carol Winterbourne Lockart- Flute Professor, Ventura College

Jennifer Parker-Harley- Professor of Flute, University of South Carolina

Richard Sherman- Professor of Flute, Michigan State University

- Artist Faculty, Chautauqua Music Festival

Donna Shin- Professor of Flute, University of Washington

- Artist Faculty, Sewanee Music Festival

Jessica Sindell- Faculty, Cleveland Institute of Music

- Artist Faculty, Blossom Music Festival

Emily Skala- Faculty, Peabody Conservatory

Carolyn Sonnet- Faculty, SUNY Buffalo

Chris Vaneman- Professor of Flute, Converse College

Mihoko Watanabe- Professor of Flute, Ball State University

Valerie Watts- Professor of Flute, University of Oklahoma