Adults, teenagers and children, learn how to play classical, jazz and improvisation, worship music, pop or school band pieces

Find out more about Alan

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  I come from a musical family, so music has been a passion of mine. When I turned 11, I started to learn the recorder in Musicianship and Band classes at school. A few months later, I was watching television on a typical day, when suddenly I saw something that just enchanted me. It was a musician playing this transverse instrument that shone like the most beautiful stars. That's when I fell in love with the flute.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Definitely! I basically love all styles of music from Classical to Pop. However, my heart really gives it in for Classical and Jazz. J.S. Bach and A.W. Mozart simply take me somewhere else when I listen to their art. In Jazz, Miles Davis and Bill Evans are my great idols.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  Usually on the flute, things start to get more difficult when we begin to talk about tone colors. Tone colors mean purposely changing your sound to express new feelings and abstract ideas of colors in music as in painting. At the same time, this subject is so beautiful and compelling that none escape from giving their best to master it.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  The flute of course!! Since it's the most beautiful one…lol! The difficult part about the flute is that our embouchure works in a similar way to the violin fingering: any slight change will affect the sound quality, pitch, volume and timbre. But answering the question more seriously, there is no instrument harder to play than the violin itself. Extremely complex fingerings, double stops, and bowing techniques are just the beginning of this very challenging instrument.

• What are your keys to success?

  We can love what we do, but in reality, to strive for success only discipline can take you there. Discipline never has to be something negative. There are many tricks that we can use daily to motivate us to practice every day. I love sharing with my students articles about these things. In sum, for success, I aim to strive for discipline, motivation and self-awareness.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favorite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  #3 Pat Metheny. The greatest Jazz Guitar Player. His energy when improvising is so captivating and full of expressiveness. I would love to get to know how he sees music and life.
  
  #2 James Galway. Revolutionary Classical Flutist. Galway is an inspiration to all of us. Always in a very funny and friendly mood, I'd love to ask him real questions about devotion and passion for flute playing.
  
  #1 Number one is none other than, Hilary Hahn. American Top Classical Violinist. Hilary is known for her rich sound and incredible sensibility for phrasing besides being an extremely humble person. Talking to her about music in general and how to be happy with our career would be a gift to me.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  When I was a younger flutist, I had the habit of disassembling my flute for cleaning. On one occasion with the tube totally "naked", without any key or mechanism on, I noticed that it was a little crooked and decided to straighten it on my KNEE!! It went down very badly, the flute bent in a V shape and I got really desperate! Luckily, I found great technicians who managed to bring it back in shape! After that, I never dismantled another flute again! lol…

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I simply love both people and music. It's such an incredible art.
  For that reason, I find it extremely profound to teach music to a human being. As a teacher, I am always aiming to be very patient and caring with my pupils. Since private teaching is my main job and career, there is always a special touch of devotion and passion in all my lessons.