Practice Junkie

Terri Sánchez is a flutist, pedagogue and author whose work centers on expressive communication, creative practice and helping musicians develop more authentic relationships with their artistry. She serves as Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, is a Miyazawa Performing Artist (performing on a Miyazawa Classic Rose Silver flute) and is the author of The Aspiring Flutist’s Practice Book Series.

​

Sánchez’s playing has been praised for its expressivity, presence and ability to connect with audiences. Legendary flutist Paula Robison writes, “Sánchez has a beautiful presence as a player, and her sparkling clear sound spins out and fills the air with poetry.” Composer Chen Yi described her performance as “like speaking out in my native language, so virtuosic and authentic that I was deeply excited and touched,” while composer George Chave calls Sánchez “a musician’s musician,” praising her ability to “pull the audience in and take them along for the ride.”

​

Sánchez’s practice book series is an internationally distributed collection devoted to helping flutists approach practicing with greater creativity, curiosity and awareness. The series includes The Aspiring Flutist’s Practice Companion, The Aspiring Flutist’s Sound & Scale Book and The Aspiring Flutist’s Sing-along Surrender Etude Book. Her first work of fiction, The Magic Metronome: An Epic Fairytale That Teaches You How to Practice, is a pedagogical book in story form that introduces practice concepts through an imaginative adventure. Her publications have received enthusiastic reviews in The Flutist Quarterly and Flute View, with The Aspiring Flutist’s Sound & Scale Book described as “a MUST for all flutists.” She is equally committed to making practice education freely accessible. Her Aspiring Flutist Epic Inspiration Course, available free on YouTube, offers 19 videos and more than 12 hours of content designed to inspire creative, thoughtful and engaged practicing.

​

Her newest work extends this longstanding exploration of the practice room through the Enneagram, a self-development system with roots tracing as far back as ancient Greece and synthesized with modern psychological terminology, making it a powerful tool for musicians’ growth and self-awareness. Sánchez holds a professional Enneagram certification from the Enneagram Institute of Ohio and is completing a second professional certification through the Chestnut Paes Enneagram Academy. She is currently developing an introductory book called The Enneagram for Musicians, which explores how habitual patterns of thinking and feeling emerge in the practice room and how greater awareness can lead musicians toward more present and authentic music-making.

​

Sánchez currently serves as President of the Kansas City Flute Association and as a member of the National Flute Association Pedagogy Committee. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder, master’s degree from Southern Methodist University, doctorate from the University of North Texas and previously served on the faculties of the University of Texas at Arlington and the Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts.