Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Burr.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ellen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began playing flute to get out of fifth-grade social studies. It was a perfect fit. I could make a sound right away because my dad had taught us how to play across soda bottles and hear the tone change when we drank the soda. For the first time, I could make noise and my parents didn’t tell me to be quiet!!
I began in the band program in Detroit, MI. When we moved to Kansas, the band met before school and played simple songs, so I just played songs from the Fifth Dimension and Mary Poppins at home and figured out notes and songs with a fingering chart. It was like a box of crayons except with sound. My parents didn’t know about private lessons, so I started lessons when I was 14 at the recommendation of my middle school band director. When I was fifteen, I was section leader in the high school band. I started teaching one year later when someone in the lower band at my high school asked for some help with her audition music. It was so much fun!! I’ve been teaching ever since.
In addition to private lessons, I give clinics to school bands, flute sections and jazz bands from middle school through college level. I’ve also presented workshops at musical conventions in the U.S. and Portugal.
As a Yamaha artist, Yamaha helps with some of the funding so that I can share my love of playing with more students.
I play with the Los Angeles Flute Orchestra and many of the free improvisers (also known as creative music) in the L.A. area. Most recently, with co-host Jeff Schwartz, I have a standing gig at the Industry Cafe & Jazz in Culver City on the third Thursday of every month. I play with Andrea Centazzo’s “West Coast Chamber Jazz Trio”. In addition to getting acclaim for our first album, we’ve had several tours to Italy. (See our video trailer: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=west+coast+chamber+jazz+trio) The most recent creative project I’m involved in is with Jeff Schwartz, bass, Anne LeBaron, electric harp (professor at CalArts) and Charles Sharp, reeds (professor at CalStateFullerton). We just released our first CD and came back from a performance and presentation at ISIM (International Society of Improvising Musicians) in Minnesota.
I am a twenty-first-century court musician when I play for weddings and parties with piano, guitar or string trios. For a while, I had some nerve issues and had to stop playing these gigs. I also couldn’t practice and started making jewelry to fill the time. I talked with a flute maker about how exciting it is to solder metal. She sent me some flute keys to “play with”. I started making fine jewelry with them and now it’s been eleven years that I’ve been selling my sterling silver jewelry as “Music for Your Eyes”. I’ve expanded into using clarinet keys, bassoon reeds, bow hair, and imitation ivory piano keys. (www.flutejewelry.com)
My creativity keeps bubbling over into other mediums. I’ve written music for plays and dancers. Currently, I am exploring the art of acting. Performing music and acting are so closely related. Music is emotion without words and acting is the emotion behind the words.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The struggle has been accepting who I am, which is not the traditional path. I wasn’t interested in teaching in a university or playing in a symphony or pit orchestra. So I had to learn how to promote myself and see how what I do gives value to others.
When I do what is in front of me, the path is smooth. I like to jump around from thing to thing.
Task to task. This ignites my creativity and connection between disparate concepts. If I fight it, the road is rough. When I let myself go between things, all gets done.
I’ve had to support myself after college with other jobs until I developed a teaching studio that sustains itself with word of mouth. I’ve not had to do anything except for my music and art since 1990!
The biggest challenge right now is social media and marketing. I like creating my art–whether it’s an improvised flute solo or piece of jewelry–more than spreading the word about it. I’m just learning how to take selfies and realize that others are interested in who I am and what I do and sharing that will help spread positive energy.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Ellen Burr Flutist and Music For Your Eyes Jewelry – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
My specialty in teaching is teaching how to practice, see patterns and apply the insights to other areas of music and life. What sets me apart is that I know how to relate and communicate to different personalities. I structure my teaching to fit how each individual processes information. I’ve been told that my enthusiasm is contagious.
I am most proud of my improvisation card deck being included in Theresa Sauer’s book of graphic scores “Notations 21.”
My jewelry is different than other jewelry made from instrument keys because each key is individually cast out of solid sterling silver. “No flute was harmed to make this jewelry.” I use semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls as well as 14k and 24k gold on several pieces. The designs are sophisticated pieces of jewelry–not a flute key. You have to be in the know to recognize the key!
I make other jewelry besides the music line. I am most proud of my “Caged Porcelain” pendant that was in both the 500 Pendants and 125 Pendants Lark book publications.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I just signed with By Arrangement with Jack Price. So I hope to get more opportunities to solo with orchestras and bands, as well as being part of liberal arts college’s new music festivals.
The Present Quartets CD release concert event is happening at Art Share, DTLA, on July 3, 7:30pm
I will be the featured soloist on Peter Senchuk’s “Jazz Concertino” with the Los Angeles Flute Orchestra at the National Flute Associations convention in Salt Lake City on August 3. My jewelry will also be on sale at Carolyn Nussbaum’s booth at the convention.
I have new designs with my Music For Your Eyes Jewelry that I am going to fabricate for the holiday season. I’ve started posting regularly on my Instagram, so I plan to get new photos so that I can build my online presence.
Pricing:
- Private Flute Lessons in Santa Monica $60 for 45 minutes
- Sterling silver jewelry starts at $49
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flutejewelry.com, www.ellenburr.com,
- Phone: 310.428.9281
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Burr_Ellen_1, flutejewelry_la
- Facebook: ellen burr
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
