Meet Dana - Flute Teacher

Dana Carey is a flutist of many genres. She has a background performing and recording rock, indie, klezmer, Southern gospel, classical, chamber, avant-garde, tango, R&B, neo-soul, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of the Pacific (2013) under the tutelage of Dr. Mathew Krejci, principal flute for the Sacramento Philharmonic. She has participated in masterclasses with flutists such as Carol Wincenc, Viviana Guzman, Valerie Coleman of Imani Winds, Bonita Boyd of the New York City Ballet, Claudio Barile, and others. Dana has won several solo performance competitions and one for musicological research. In college she was a member of and music director for Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity and honor society. She also founded and ran a collegiate student music ensemble for modern music.

Dana's teaching style incorporates both classical training and non-traditional approaches. She likes to ensure her students are having fun while learning. Because of that, she has incorporated things like a student’s favorite pop song into tonguing exercises, used another student’s favorite TV show intro song for a long tone warm-up, and allowed one student to use an anime song for his solo piece. She teaches all ages, and from complete beginners to early-advanced. Her classical training is primarily based in the French Flute School, and she teaches out of materials and compositions from it.

Originally from California, Dana is new to Washington. Outside of music, she enjoys exploring this great state, spending time with her cats, hiking, and reading. She also has a background in civil rights advocacy and politics, specifically within the fields of LGTBQ+ rights and voter registration for marginalized groups. She attended graduate school for Social Justice & Human Rights at Arizona State University, and also performed in the college’s contemporary music ensemble, among other music projects. She now balances her career in both music and civil rights.