Today we’d like to introduce you to Jody Miller.
Hi Jody, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in rural south Mississippi, where I joined the band as a fifth grader. Band was our only art option in our small public school. I was completely consumed in learning to play trumpet. Not long after, my mom and I were shopping in Rose’s Department Store and I found a green plastic soprano recorder in the toy section. The notes to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” were on the back of the box, enabling me to learn the correct fingerings. The mid-80s was pre-Internet, so I developed quite a few bad playing habits over the next few years. It was clear, though, that this was an instrument I loved. In high school, I found a music supply catalog that offered other sizes of the recorder and saved up enough money to buy an alto recorder.
As I stumbled upon sheet music for the instrument, I found a store in New York City that specialized in recorders and recorder music. Richie and Elaine Henzler, for whom I am eternally grateful, were proprietors of this shop. Not only did they talk to me over the phone, but they also let me put a set of better instruments on layaway—garklein, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass recorders in plastic, but still the best available at the time.
Though I was a high achiever in math and science, I couldn’t imagine a life without music. I decided to major in music education at the University of Southern Mississippi. My piano teacher, Dr. Dana Ragsdale, was a well-known harpsichordist and was friends of Steve Rosenberg. Steve, at the time, was chair of the music department at the College of Charleston (SC) and was also a renowned recorder virtuoso. My mother was generous to give me enough money to fly to Charleston to take my first recorder lesson and it further solidified my desire to play recorder.
I had long ago given up trumpet as my primary instrument, switching to French horn in high school. As a horn player in college, I was expected to practice diligently, but my horn teacher (who passed away a few weeks ago) had a terrible time trying to twist my arm to practice horn more and recorder less. By the time my senior recital rolled around, I convinced him to let me play half the recital on horn and the other half on recorder.
After graduation, I was fortunate to get a job teaching middle school band in Cobb County, Georgia. Cobb County is nationally known for having strong music programs. My middle school position, which I held for 30 years, afforded me the opportunity to teach thousands of students to play instruments, but one of my favorite activities was an after-school recorder program I offered.
Along the way, I continued to take lessons from various recorder teachers and was soon teaching private lessons and in group settings. By my mid-30s, I had been hired to be on the faculty of some weeklong workshops and had formed a Baroque chamber ensemble with a few friends.
I have since retired from my middle school teaching job, but I am busier than ever. As a teacher, I travel (both physically and through Zoom, at this point) to teach weekend and weeklong workshops, as well as offer private lessons. As a performer, I have gotten the opportunity to play with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, New Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Harmonie Universelle Baroque ensemble, and quite a few others. With Dr. Alexandra Dunbar, I am co-director of Amethyst Baroque Ensemble, which already has a full concert schedule.
Now a member of the Board of Directors of the American Recorder Society, I hope to continue to influence recorder players and help educate the public about this amazing instrument.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As someone who loves to perform, I have to admit that my real strength is in teaching. While I like to play with the “big kids” who are often much more famous than I am, I have to really put a great deal of effort into keeping up. On the other hand, the recorder and early music community is really supportive. The difficulty has always been that I try to do too many things.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Recorder players are most often attracted to early music—more specifically, music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. I do like performing Baroque music (which feels comfortable on the recorder) and teaching Renaissance music (which is usually within the reach of most amateur musicians), I have to admit that I love music written by living composers most of all. I have been fortunate to have given premier performances to nearly a dozen pieces. Composer Timothy Broege, whose music I first learned about when my middle school band played his works, also plays the recorder. He understands the instrument quite well and he has written ensembles for the middle school recorder ensemble I directed, but he also composed pieces specifically for me. It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite work, but I am especially fond of a piece for piano and recorder he wrote for my dear cousin’s funeral.
I have recently begun collaborating with Dr. Gregory Hamilton. Gregory has a well-established career as a harpsichordist and theorbo player, but he also composes quite nicely. I mentioned to him in an interview that he hadn’t written anything for recorder yet, and then he quickly got to work. I’ll perform a new composition of his in December 2022, but he is already working on a second piece for me.
Aside from the contemporary compositions, I find it hard to process how many amazing performers I’ve played with. The same people whose names adorned jacket liners in cassette tapes and CDs I owned in years past have played alongside me in operas, orchestras, and chamber ensembles.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love making music with others. The concept of “ensemble” is singular, not plural. To get together and play music successfully, people have to somehow get a grasp of how the others in the group perform. The finished product is always a surprise!
But I also love teaching people how to play recorders so that they can experience the musical and social joy that performing can bring!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fippleflute.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jody.miller.9
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcP_ZQPzf3RO0VdiYcbk2yA
Image Credits
Jacob Bitinas, Alex Thompson, Soladin Bell
