Being a musician often means lots of hard work in a room by yourself, but that’s not really music. That is the exercise, the daily practice, and it prepares you to create meaningful moments out in the real world: with people, and for people.

I recently had the opportunity to perform with an indie singer named José González in a concert at The Van Buren in Downtown Phoenix, and it was an amazing experience! I wonder how many of those people had heard a flute live before, let alone a bass flute? This felt like a special kind of opportunity for me, not just because José González is an amazing singer-songwriter, but because I got to play some beautiful flute music for a new (to me) kind of audience of over 1,000 people. Collaborating with José González while he was in Phoenix was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m hoping I touched some people through his music and my flute!

You never know where you’ll end up playing music, or who you’ll play it with. There’s not much cooler than that.