I was born in 1956. My great love for music started when I was really young. However, unlike most other children, I was never mesmerized by that one instrument which was the most beautiful of all for me. In addition, I was fascinated by many different music styles, as a result of which I came into contact with increasingly more instruments. As an adolescent my dearest wish was to be able to play all instruments, although I knew perfectly well that this is impossible. In the end I had to make a choice, but I did not limit myself to one instrument. Instead I graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Maastricht, the Netherlands, with degrees in percussion, the flute and the double bass. I am fully aware of the fact that this is an unusual combination, but it works for me.
For several decades now I have been teaching both children and adults to play these instruments. My educational specialties are teaching rhythm as well as tone production. The rhythmic accuracy which all percussionist are trained in, I also teach my flute and bass students. This gives them an additional edge which immediately becomes apparent whenever these students play in a band or orchestra. As for tone production for flautists, I pay much attention to e.g. the lip position and breathing technique, as a result of which my students are able to produce a stable and large tone in all three octaves (C1 through C4). An additional benefit is that playing in tune (which can be difficult for flute players) no longer needs to be a problem.
Although I love teaching, I am also passionate about composing. For me, writing music is especially transforming a story or a feeling to music. For obvious reasons the flute, percussion and double bass (often a solo instrument) play huge roles in my work, but I certainly do not limit myself to these instruments. I am fascinated by beautiful melodies in combination with syncopated rhythms, polyphony and polyrhythms. Furthermore you will hear influences from classical music as well as from jazz and world music.
Have a look around! I have added (computer)demos of nearly all pieces, so you can get an idea. Of course I am interested in your opinion, but I also sincerely hope that you will want to play one of my compositions.
Best wishes,
Frank
