J. J. Hatfield-CurryCLEVELAND, Miss.— Flute students are invited to attend Delta State’s annual Flute Day, which will be held on Saturday, April 22, in Zeigel Hall.
“Flute Day is a fun outreach event for the flute community,” explained Dr. Shelley Collins, Professor of Flute. “High school, advanced middle school, and community college flutists are invited to join us, along with DSU alumni and other interested musicians. Flute Day will include flute clinics, performances, and rehearsals, culminating in a final group flute choir concert.”
Registration is $25 per student. Admission is free for band directors and private flute teachers, who are also invited to play in the ensemble. Some need-based scholarships are available.
The clinician this year is DSU alumna J. J. Hatfield Curry (BME 2011), who will teach a master class and conduct the student flute ensemble. Additionally, she will perform in the Delta Flute Quartet with DSU music professors Dr. Shelley Collins and Dr. Bret Pimentel, and Ms. Dawn Carlisle, band director at Washington School in Greenville.
At 2:00 p.m., the Delta Flute Quartet and DSU Flute Ensemble will perform works for flute chamber groups. At 4:00 p.m., all the students will participate in the Flute Day Ensemble, performing a short concert of the music rehearsed that day. Both concerts will take place in the Zeigel Band Hall and are free and open to the public.
“For the first time, one my former flute students will be our guest clinician,” said Dr. Collins. “While at DSU, J. J. served as Drum Major for four years, was section leader in the DSU Wind Ensemble, taught private flute lessons to high school students, and was a winner of the Music Department’s Honors Recital. I knew 15 years ago that she would be an outstanding music educator!”
A third-generation flute player, Curry began her career as the Director of Bands for South Pontotoc High School, where she worked for two years. From 2013-2019, she was an assistant band director for New Albany High School and the Director of Choral Activities for New Albany Middle School. Additionally, Curry served as the Bordeaux Winter Guard director and
worked as a choreographer, costume designer, and rehearsal assistant for New Albany’s annual high school musical.
Curry earned a Master of Music from the University of Mississippi, where she is a doctoral candidate in Music Education. Drawing on years of experience in the field, she presently serves as the Associate Director of Bands for Blue Mountain College. Since 2019, she has overseen the wind ensemble, the woodwind chamber ensembles, and taught beginning to advanced instrumental conducting, music theory, and music methods classes. She has been selected on two separate occasions to present at the National Association for Music Education’s conference regarding the practice procedures of junior high school students and student-teacher-intern relationships within the context of classroom management.
Preregistration for Flute Day is strongly encouraged. Please visit http://www.shelleycollins.com/fluteday for the registration link and schedule.
