Dawn Doeringís passion for music has taken her down a road not traveled by many Minnesotansóor many Americans, for that matter.

By Cynthia Scott

Of all the charming features that adorn the classic old farmhouse outside of North Branch that Dawn Doering lives in, itís the crock full of flutes that catches your eye.

It sits in the sunflower-colored room just off the kitchen that doubles as Doeringís music studio and home office for Field Notes, her environmental consulting business.

Flutes of various sizes and colors stand in the basket as if waiting patiently at attention should Doering be seized by the desire to playówhich she undoubtedly will. She has played the flute and other instruments since childhood, and one of the ways she makes a living is by teaching flute lessons in her home studio.

Music is one of Doering passionsóher environmental work is the otheróand it has taken her down a road that not many Minnesotans, or even Americans, have traveled. Doering is a member of Amwaaj, a five-person ensemble based in the Twin Cities that performs traditional middle eastern music. The group recently performed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and will be playing next at Winona State University on Feb. 2.

Doering plays the nay (pronounced nigh), an Arabic flute made of a reed which resembles bamboo and grows only in the middle east. It is extremely difficult to learn, even for an experienced flute player such as Doering. One of its difficulties for an experienced flautist like Doering is that the nay requires positioning the lips in an entirely different position than does the western flute.

ìIíll joke and say I have to go change my lips,î she said. ìThe nay is notorious for people not even being able to get a sound out of it. But I was lucky. I was able to pick it up and get a sound out of it. Itís very humbling to go from being well-versed on an instrument to being a beginner. Very humbling. But exciting.î

That Doering has been able to persevere with the instrumentóshe has played for about five yearsóis due in no small part to the relationship she has forged with the community of middle eastern master musicians living on the east coast who have become her teachers. Last summer, for example, she was able to have a private nay lesson with Boujemaa Razgui, who is originally from North Africa and now lives in Boston. And once a year for the past five years, Doering has traveled to New York to attend the weeklong Arabic Music Retreat. And last August, thanks to a grant from the East Central Arts Council, she was able to take private lessons with Bassam Saba, a master in nay and flute.

ì[These opportunities] are very importantólike a shot in the armófor an artist as a source of inspiration and knowledge,î Doering said.

The five musicians who comprise Amwaaj, which means ìwave,î are Minnesotans who met at the retreats.

ìItís very passionate music, and the retreat is very intense. You end up becoming family with these people,î Doering said of the community of students and teachers who gather at the retreat.

One of Doeringís inspirations is Simon Shaheen, a world-renowned classical Arabic musician who has encouraged Doering to continue her study of the nay.

ìOne of Simonís personal missions is to educate people about this music,î she said. ìTraditionally itís a very rich music form. I find the music intellectual, soulful and passionate.î

Like her mentor, Doering is also committed to educating her students about international music.

ìI try to expose my students to various forms of international musicóBulgarian, Spanish, klezmer. They donít get it otherwise,î she said.

One of Doeringís challenges is keeping herself inspired to continue practicing and learning during the 51 weeks of the year that sheís not attending the retreat in New York. Playing with Amwaaj is key, and so is listening to CDs of Shaheen and other middle eastern musicians.

ìOften what Iíll do is listen and listen and listen to a piece over and over again to pick up nuances of what the nay is doing and then I incorporate that into my playing. Iíve also put together a little tape and will sometimes play it at night to soak it in. Iíve really learned with this music how important it is to listen to music and let it soak into my brain,î Doering said.

In addition to pursuing her study of Arabic music and running her environmental consulting business, Doering teaches music lessons about 10 hours a week. Like her environmental business, her music school is called Field Notes flute studio.

ìIt would be nice to have more students, but I need the mix of the music and the environmental work that I do,î she said, noting that her twin passionsómusic and biologyógo hand in hand.

ìA lot of biologists are musical and a lot of artists draw inspiration from nature,î she said.

Doeringís sources of natural inspiration include the companions who share her farmhouse and five acres: Cede (short for Mercedes) the three-legged dog, Lulu the six-toed cat, two vocal donkeys and a bevy of hens.

And, of course, the crock of flutesówhich are both the source and the result of Doeringís inspiration.

For more information about Amwaaj, go to Amwaajmusic.com.

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