Marissa Vickrey
About
Born and raised in Riverside, California, I am a musician, photographer, and educator. I earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from CSU Long Beach in 2023 and recently graduated with my Master’s degree in Flute Performance. Throughout my higher education, I have been heavily involved in K-12 education and coach different band programs. I teach both marching and music making to students in middle/high school with my youngest students in sixth grade.
Outside of education, I have performed in multiple venues and chamber ensembles. In 2023, I had the priviledge of being a judge and guest artist for the International Guitar Festival in Reno, California and have accompanied my dear colleague in many of his faculty recitals at Riverside City College. The two flute choirs I have participated in, The Pacific Flute Ensemble and CSULB's Flute Choir, performed at the National Flute Convention in Arizona 2023 and one will be performing again for the convention in August 2026.
Beyond my music career, I have a passion for both digital and analog photography, with a particular focus on nature and live concerts. My photography has become an essential outlet for my creative expression, allowing me to destress after long practice sessions. With aspirations to build a multifaceted career in the arts, I strive to merge my talents in music and photography, aiming to offer a rich, multisensory experience that inspires and connects with my audience.
Teaching Style
As a young and aspiring musician, I often reflect on the journey I've taken to become the flutist I am today. For me, it was crutial to understand the "why" behind flute technique and the "how" of the instrument's mechanicms work. When it comes to beginning flute playing, it is important to have a solid foundation and remove bad habits before they soidify. Proper breathing, anatomy, and the science behind the flute are all things I tie into standard technique teachings.
I believe every student is capable of not only becoming an amazing flutist, but can understand the instrument and continue growing their skills outside of their lessons. I tailor my teaching approaches to individual needs rather than following the same lesson outline for every student. By learning all of their scales, arpeggios, thirds, and basic music theory, students will be able to identift reoccuring patterns in their music. When difficult sections of music arrise, they will be given the tools and different exercises they can utilize to isolate each intricate passage.
Curriculum
A good amount of my teaching revolves around pedagogy and the American flute school ideals of flute playing. I use the Flute Doctor articles that my old flute professor Dr. John Barcellona wrote. They provide handy exercises and in-depth explanations of different topics such as tone development, breathing, vibrato, and dynamics.
For newer students, I will teach two major scales a lesson and move on to the minors once they have a good understanding of the circle of fifths. For exercises, I will be applying pedagogy and pattern recognition through small and shorter solo flute pieces. Their lessons will revolve around helping them learn rhythms and passages they might not see until later in their K-12 education. They will recieve one solo flute piece that they will learn and be able to use for any honor band auditions they wish to do outside of their school's band program.
For more experienced students who have a solid foundation, they will be given an etude a week from either the Anderson Etudes Op. 33, the Kohler Etudes, Filas High Register Exercises, or the Moyse Tonal Development Through Inrerpretation collection. I will also have a pool of orchestral excerpts and solo pieces in which they choose one of each to work on and master. These students will have a solid library of pieces to pick from for auditions and will have exposure to the required excerpts that might appear in audition packets.
For those who love the flute and are learning outside of K-12, I will be teaching the basics, pedagogy, and a bit of theory. They will alternate between one etude or orchestral excerpt each week and will have a solo flute piece as their main focus. Flute technique will be explained and applied both outside and inside of their music. My goal is for these students to have a solid understanding of the instrument's mechanics and how/why the flute funamentals work the way they do.