Mary Jensen
Professional Flutist & Music Educator
Mary Jensen is Principal Flutist of Symphony Tacoma, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra, and is Principal Flutist and Artist-in-Residence of the Lake Chelan Bach Festival. She has also appeared as Principal Flutist with such orchestras as the Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Opera Orchestra, Federal Way Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Heritage Symphony, Lyric Opera Northwest Orchestra, and South Shore Chamber Orchestra.
As a chamber performer, Mary has performed with the Lake Chelan Bach Festival, Second City Chamber Series, Icicle Creek Music Center, Seattle Happy Hour Concerts, and as a guest performer for the Asociación Nacional de Conciertos de Panamá. Mary has appeared as a concerto soloist with numerous orchestras throughout the Northwest region, including Olympia Symphony, Federal Way Symphony, Icicle Creek Chamber Orchestra, Lake Chelan Bach Festival Orchestra, and Tacoma Young Artists’ Orchestra.
Mary maintains a private studio in Tacoma, where she also is a flute and chamber music coach for the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and is on the faculty of the Evergreen Music Festival. As a sought-after adjudicator, clinician, and Masterclass presenter, Mary has recently taught Masterclasses for NAfME All-National and All-Eastern Honor Groups, Pacific Lutheran University and Tacoma Youth Symphony. She conducts flute clinics, adjudicates Solo and Ensemble competitions and coaches sectionals for school programs in the Puget Sound region. Ms. Jensen holds a Performance Diploma from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where as a student of Michel Debost she was a recipient of the Dean’s Talent and Merit scholarships. Additional studies were with Hal Ott at Central Washington University and baroque flute studies with Kathie Lynn Stewart at Oberlin Conservatory.
Part 1 – Introduction
Meet Mary Jensen, a Wenatchee High School alum who is now a professional flutist and music educator based in Tacoma, Washington. Mary shares how she started her music journey.
Part 2 – How do you prepare for a concert?
Mary walks us through the process of preparing for a concert, including listening to the piece of music for the very first time for a point of reference.
Part 3 – What school subjects do you use when creating music?
Mary talks about all of the school subjects she uses when performing and teaching music, including math, physics, and anatomy.
Part 4 – The Pathway To Becoming A Professional Musician
Mary talks about the importance of determination, perseverance, and finding enjoyment in something even when it is hard, and how teachers can support students by encouraging them to be patient with the process.
Part 5 – The Importance of Accessibility
Mary talks about the perceptions of classical music that she is constantly trying to break down and the importance of accessibility for elementary school students.
Part 6 – Demo: Mary Plays the Flute (for students)
Use this video to introduce Mary to your students! Mary walks us through ideas behind a couple of musical pieces and then plays them for us.
The NCESD Early Learning team has prepared a lesson plan for you to use in your classroom that was inspired by Mary’s work. You can view the document below or click the “pop out” button in the top right corner to open it in a new tab to download the PDF file.
