Ornamentation is an integral part of your daily life.  In the morning you decide what you want to wear, weather or not your clothes will match, what accessories you will add to compliment your outfit, and so on.  Ornamentation is also an essential part of every day speech.  You can take one simple sentence ("I like chocolate") and say it many different ways by changing the words: I adore chocolate, chocolate is my favorite, I can't get enough of chocolate, and so on.  You can also say the same sentence by changing the inflections: I like chocolate, I like chocolate, or I like chocolate.  However, musicians don't think about ornamenting music, they think about playing exactly what is on the page. 

In the Baroque period, musical scores were blueprints for the performer to follow and elaborate upon. Performers are musical architects, taking what is on the page and bringing it to life.  Through elaboration, simple musical ideas are transformed into eloquent phrases creating more meaningful performances. Bach to the Future is an interactive class that allows students to learn what ornamentation is, why we ornament music, where to add ornamentation, and how to develop an ornamental language.  In addition, the class encourages students to experiment with ornamenting simple melodies in a variety of ways.

Bach To The Future Classes

The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX - April 2020

National Flute Association Convention
Salt Lake City, UT - August 2019

Corvallis Middle School and High School
Corvallis, Montana - May 2019

University of Louisiana at Lafayette 
Lafayette, Louisiana - January 2019

Northwestern State University of Louisiana 
Natchitoches, Louisiana - January 2019

Wheaton College Conservatory
Wheaton, Illinois - March 2018

Elmhurst College 
Elmhurst, Illinois - March 2018

Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan - November 2017

Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan - April 2017

Testimonials 

"Leighann Daihl Ragusa's fantastic classes on Baroque performance were a delight in her recent visits to both Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges.  Leighann is a natural teacher with a keen ability to distill ornamentation and period practices into clear and concise concepts for flutists of all skill levels.  An elegant performer herself, her demonstrations were a pleasure to hear.  I was especially impressed with the exercises she prepared for the students and the useful suggestions she shared for practicing and studying baroque ornamentation.  I highly recommend inviting Leighann to any collegiate institution to bring her baroque performance and pedagogy presentation to students of all levels."    - Jennie Oh Brown, Professor of Flute at Wheaton College and Elmhurst College

“The class on ornamentation that Leighann Daihl presented at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette School of Music was so inspiring.  My students felt free to experiment with the ideas given with a free rein of imagination and creativity.  I am sure that they will continue in this direction because of this exposure to baroque flute performance and specifically,  ornamentation.” - Andrea Kapell Loewy,  Professor of Flute/Theory at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

“Ms. Daihl presented material on baroque ornamentation, a topic often feared by students, in a way which made it accessible and inviting- dare I say fun? In the masterclass setting, she has an uncanny ability to connect with students in a very short period of time. This makes for a positive and productive class.” - M.M. student

“The master class really portrayed new tools for ornamentation. I think we are all used to seeing ornamentation as a really strict set of rules, but Leighann really encouraged all of us to think outside of the given norm. Doing so exposed a new exploration in the world of ornamentation. I also really appreciated how everyone was able to participate at least a couple of times.” - B.M.E. student

“Ms. Daihl Ragusa gave her “Bach to the Future” lecture to an undergraduate chamber ensemble I coach. I opened it up to the public, and was thrilled to be joined by other professionals looking to refine their ornamentation skills. Even as someone who studied baroque performance practice a few years back, I learned a great deal more about ornamentation than I did back when I was studying! It was so nice to have it all clearly presented in one easy-to-follow presentation. As an added bonus, Ms. Daihl Ragusa stayed behind to take questions from students, and even offered her email address for any follow-up questions. The whole process was wonderful!” - Dr. Laura Bennett Cameron, Assistant Professor of Bassoon and Chamber Music at The University of Texas at Arlington