Welcome!

(I'm new here, too)

Hey! My name is Gillian Derer, but I'm better known as “gill flutes” on my online platforms (Instagram and Youtube). I’m a flute and piccolo player from small town Ontario, Canada, currently studying at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA with Alberto Almarza in pursuit of my Master’s of Music. I’ve studied in both the university and conservatory systems and am currently on the orchestral audition circuit, chasing my dream of a full-time orchestral position.

On Instagram, I’ve been sharing practice videos, flute selfies, and moments from my life as a student & gigging musician since May 2020, and on Youtube, I share day-in-my-life videos, full-length performance videos, and vlogs from recording an album, to performing at Carnegie Hall. I’ve been receiving questions about my own journey, how I practice, things I’ve learned so far, etc., since the very beginning- and I’m planning to share all of that here, on my Substack.

Stay tuned for posts on my practice routines, favourite technique books for Flute, favourite books on classical music/practicing/habit building/skill acquisition, stories & personal anecdotes from my life in music school and as a young flutist learning to gig/become a professional/be a human, and everything else!! Welcome to The Practice Room :) Go practice!!

XOXO

gill flutes

ps. don’t forget to subscribe below, and leave a comment telling me what you’d like me to write about next!