Alison MacHaffie

Alison has been playing flute for nearly 25 years. She has been deeply moved by music since she was very young. Her parents were not very supportive of music, so at the age of 13 she worked until she had enough money saved to buy her own flute. She quickly rose to first chair in the junior high band. She was also first chair throughout high school. She attended West Virginia University for her undergraduate degree in music where she was under the instruction of Joyce Catalfano, who studied at Julliard. Alison then attended graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she studied ethnomusicology with Scott Marcus. Her main areas of focus were Middle Eastern and North Indian classical music. Alison played the nay (Middle Eastern reed flute) in the acclaimed Middle East Ensemble, as well as bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) in the sitar ensemble. After graduate school, she began taking students, and has taught flute privately ever since. Styles she teaches are Western classical and a variety of world music styles. With a diverse musical background, Alison brings a wide perspective and well-rounded approach to the music lesson, including an enthusiasm for working with youth!