Dr. G’s Flute Horoscopes April 2020
By Rachel Taylor Geier
We are all living in uncertain times. Luckily, in April, the Universe will provide a bit of stability in an unstable World. The signs are moving forward and, astrologically speaking, there are no big surprises in store. We can all take a relaxing pause for now. Mars will remain in one house all month. Use the super productive energy of Mars to get literally everything done. Check off your to-do lists and get to work on all of those projects that have been lying dormant. Review your New Year’s Resolutions from January. Are you on the right track? What can you do to move things forward this month?
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay positive. Stay home ☺.
Aries (March 21-April 19) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Mars is in your 11th house of groups and communities all month. Make an effort this month to connect with your ensemble members, both large and small. If you are still under quarantine, arrange Skype or Zoom-based meetings to check up on colleagues or, better yet, discuss possible group collaborative opportunities (videos, articles, tutorials, future recital programming, etc.). This is a great time to make future plans with your team.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 3rd house of communications. If the Mercury Retrograde in March (and working remotely) has caused any miscommunications with others (family, friends, colleagues), Venus will help you clear the air. This is also a great time to write blog posts about interpretation and larger, more abstract, concepts about flute playing. Your writing will flow a bit easier with Venus in this house.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 7th house of relationships. There may be a toxic relationship in your environment that needs to change or even possibly come to an end. Keep in mind during this Full Moon that we all have choices in our lives. If there is a student that simply does not devote the necessary time to their instrument, and parents that do not seem to care, you may need to have a serious discussion about the future of their study.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 1st house of identity, joining the Sun. Create an updated list of New Year’s Resolutions! It has been three months since January 1st, making this good time to review your progress. What goals are no longer relevant? How can you repave the path towards your most important goals (given your current circumstances)? Are there any new goals that have popped up since the beginning of the year? Write them down and devise a new set of action plans.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 2nd house of income. This is a good time to consider new opportunities at your daily job. The Sun will give you the energy to look at job boards and peruse audition notices. Is there an interesting new teaching opportunity in your community? Apply!
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 2nd house of income. This New Moon suggests that whatever new work opportunities you have been exploring will lead to a promotion or a new job offer. Congratulations! What can you prep now to make your transition to this job as seamless as possible (ex. lesson plans, repertoire to prepare, etc.)?
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Mars is in your 10th house of career goals all month. Have you considered where you would like to be in your career in the next year, five years, 10 years, and beyond? Mars will help you get to work on the most important tasks to bring you closer to both your short-term and long-term goals. This may mean signing up for refresher courses in music history or theory, applying to positions that seem way outside of your comfort zone, or preparing for auditions in orchestras around the World. Go for it!
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 2nd house of income. This is a great time to ask for a raise. You are quite persuasive and eloquent when making the case for yourself during this time. Raise your lesson rates on your webpage – You are worth it!
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 6th house of daily work and health routines. Something in your daily schedule needs to change during the time of this Full Moon. Are there currently too many commitments to students and ensembles that limit your practice time? What can you delegate to somebody else? Are you getting enough time to eat, sleep, and exercise? How can you move self-care higher on your list of priorities?
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 12th house of behind the scenes activities. Do you have a flute blog yet? This is a really good time to write about practice tips! How do you most effectively use your practice time? What can others learn from the way you organize your time? Share your ideas with a larger internet community.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 1st house of identity. Use the energy of the Sun to rethink some of your most important goals. Review your New Year’s Resolutions. Are you on track with your goals? Are there new goals that you would like to explore in the future? What matters most to you at the moment?
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 1st house of identity. The New Moon signals that something very important to you, likely based on the goals you have set for yourself at the beginning of the year, is about to enter your life. Perhaps this is a new job or a new relationship. If you are planning a recital (and are not in a state of self-quarantine), this is the best to perform (even on YouTube).
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Mars is in your 9th house of travel all month. Although you may not be physically able to travel under the current restrictions, this is a great time to plan future trips. If you could go anywhere in the World, where would you go? Mars will help you research travel grant opportunities to study fascinating flute-related projects abroad. Plan a trip for a future date.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 1st house of identity. Venus will encourage you to undergo a makeover. Treat yourself to a new recital outfit. Buy some new, perhaps more practical but still stylish, black shoes for your next orchestra concert. You could even makeover your flute during this time. Have you shopped for crowns lately?
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 5th house of creativity and joy. A creative project that you have been working on will need to change or even be abandoned at the time of this Full Moon. Have you been composing a new piece for flute and piano? Is the first movement a bit long? How can you shorten your work without sacrificing quality of musical content? Take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 11th house of groups and communities. Schedule a number of chats with your ensemble members. They may be creatively stuck and concerned about the future of the group. Put your heads together to come up with great collaborative ideas moving forward, of course taking the challenges of the present circumstances under consideration.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 12th house of behind the scenes activities. You will be self-quarantining in the practice room when the Sun moves signs. Practice everything! This is a great time to read through repertoire for your next recital. What pieces do you genuinely enjoy performing and which ones pose attainable challenges? Bracket the sections in each piece that will need the most work. Roll up your sleeves and get to practicing!
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 12th house of behind the scenes activities. You may encounter some new, but very technically challenging, orchestra repertoire for the next concert season. This will take up more of your practice time in the weeks ahead. Start with a game plan – Break the work into smaller chunks and practice each separately before putting everything back together. Be patient with yourself when learning something new.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Mars is in your 8th house of banking and finance all month. Have you done your taxes yet, Cancer? If not, Mars will help you roll up your sleeves and start compiling those dreaded tax forms. Remember to research all of the requirements for your Schedule C in advance and save your records in one place.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 12th house of behind the scenes activities. I wish we could all have Venus in our 12th houses all of the time because Venus helps us to enjoy our practice time. Practice from the heart! What pieces do you love to play? Which ones inspire you? How much time do you typically devote to improvising? Add some designated improv time to the end of each practice session.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 4th house of home and family. Something in your home environment will need to change at the time of this Full Moon. Cancers tend to be the proverbial moms of the Zodiac - You may have noticed that something in your home is seriously not working for your family and it has caused you some stress. Perhaps it is your home studio space. Do you need better soundproofing? Your loved ones may be trying to get their own work done while you endlessly practice Peter and the Wolf excerpts. Explore practical and inexpensive ways to improve the soundproofing capabilities of your space. Schedule noisy practice sessions when your family is otherwise preoccupied with non-essential work tasks.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 10th house of career goals. This is a really good time to journal about your career goals. Write it all down – Where do you hope to be in your career in a year? Two years? Ten years? What is your ultimate career goal? Do you hope to be a top-notch recital performer? Are you aiming for a principal chair in a world-renowned orchestra? Do you want to teach at a large research institution? What are the action steps you will need to take to get there?
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 11th house of groups and communities. Your focus will shift onto the groups you perform with when the Sun changes signs. Has your concert season recently been postponed? How will you collaborate with your colleagues between seasons? Is it possible to do Zoom-based gig sessions or sectionals? Use this time to think about how to best work with your ensemble moving forward.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 11th house of groups and communities. You may be asked to participate in a new ensemble at the end of the month. Congrats! You won the audition! How can you best incorporate your new performing responsibilities with your current rehearsal schedule? This is also a great time to start preparing new repertoire for the upcoming concert season in your new group.
Leo (July 23-August 22)
Mars is in your 7th house of relationships all month. Spend time with the people you love this month. Mars will help you plan some fun activities that everyone will enjoy. Many orchestras around the country are livestreaming orchestra concerts. Grab some popcorn and gather your family in the living room to watch the Seattle Symphony perform some Beethoven. You will have a rare opportunity to share your expertise about the piece between movements.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 11th house of groups and communities. If possible, use this time to create beautiful music with the members of your ensembles. Can you perform Zoom-based gig sessions? Organize a socially-distant drum circle with your local friends at a park. The musical inspiration will be an important form of self-care for yourself and your colleagues.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 3rd house of communications. A writing project you are currently drafting may need to changed or be abandoned (I know – nobody likes hearing that). Take a step back and do some serious proofreading around the time of the Full Moon. Edit out what does not need to be there. Is there a better direction to take your ideas? Re-read your thesis – Do your ideas connect to the larger argument that you are trying to make? Do you need more research in a particular area?
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 9th house of travel. Although you may not be able to travel at the moment, this is a great time to discuss your travels on a blog platform or even as a series of YouTube videos. Have you recently taken an adventure to London to attend an orchestra performance by the London Symphony? What was your last masterclass experience like? What can others learn from your experiences traveling for musical events? Blog about it.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 10th house of career goals. The Sun will encourage you to take a critical look at your career goals. Where would you like to be in your career in the next year? Two years? 10 years? Are you on the right path? Have your career goals changes? Ask yourself the ever-so-important, yet sometimes cliché, question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 10th house of career goals. As you reconsider your career motivations, you may find that the Universe sends you a career gift at the end of the month. Is this a new job? A new student? A new performing opportunity? Whatever it is that shows up during the New Moon, make the most of it! This may be the answer to some of your prayers.
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Mars is in your 6th house of daily job and health routines all month. Get back on track with your workout routine. Mars will give you the energy to go the distance! You may also find yourself super projective at work this month. Do all of the things! Reschedule all of the lessons. Practice next year’s concert repertoire. Prepare for your next recital. Plan masterclasses in your studio for the next school year.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 10th house of career goals. Take some time to think about what you love about the flute and how to bring more of that into your career. Do you love to teach? What are some ways to bring more teaching opportunities into your life? Love to perform? Can you clear your schedule in the upcoming months to have more time to prepare for a recital?
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 2nd house of income. Something in your job may need to change or end at the time of this Full Moon. Take a critical look at the time you spend at your job. Are you happy? Do you like your work? If not, how can you change your current job to work better for you? Are there other opportunities out there that are better suited for you? It is okay to move on to bigger and better things.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 8th house of banking and finance. This is a great time to work on your taxes! Or, if your taxes are already done, this is also a good time to create savings plans moving forward. Have a chat with your financial adviser about your options. Would you like to purchase a new instrument by the end of the year? Are there any loan options available to you to make this happen? What is the repayment schedule?
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 9th house of travel. Your focus at the end of the month will shift onto adventures abroad. Do you have summer study plans? Would you like to travel to an interesting music festival this Fall? Are you preparing for a masterclass in another state or country?
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 9th house of travel. A new travel opportunity will present itself to you at the end of the month, Virgo. Your application to perform at that interesting festival in Greece next year has been approved. Congrats! Start planning your trip. What does your itinerary look like?
Libra (September 23-October 22)
Mars is in your 5th house of creativity and joy all month. This is the best time to start working on any type of creative project. Mars will give you the motivation to get things done. Is there a project that you have been procrastinating because you simply do not know where to start (a video series, a composition, a recital idea)? Take the first step.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 9th house of travel. Start daydreaming about the places you would like to visit. If it is possible, under the current circumstances, to visit a place that truly brings you happiness, pack your bags. This could be as simple as walking to your favorite park, visiting your favorite tree to meditate under, or simply taking a bike ride through your town, riding through familiar places that bring you a sense of peace.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 1st house of identity. This is a time for reflection. Reevaluate what the most important motivations are in your flute playing and in your life in general. Something may have derailed. How can you fix it? Is it worth fixing or is it better to move on? It is totally okay to move on. Not all flutists are the same – some of us are teachers, some of us are performers, some of us are writers. Use the energy of the Full Moon to find your niche.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 7th house of relationships. You will be very communicative with others at this time. Use the Mercury energy to set up meetings that you may have had on the backburner. Chat with an old colleague and pick their brain about new collaborations. Chat with your advisor or another flutist you admire. Share your ideas and be open to suggestions made by others.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 8th house of banking and finance. Your focus will shift onto your finances when the Sun moves signs. Are you saving up to purchase a new instrument? Have you gone flute shopping yet? What is available in your price range? How much money will you need to put aside each month to make your purchase by the end of the year?
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 8th house of banking and finance. You may have a lightbulb moment around the time of the New Moon in the form of a financial gift to put towards the purchase of your new instrument or information about a new, very practical, loan arrangement through your local banking institution. This will undoubtedly help speed up the purchase of your instrument.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Mars is in your 4th house of home and family all month. You will be busy around your house this month, Scorpio. This is the best time to work on projects with your family. Gather the troops and clean out the garage. Scan all of your family photos. Start planting your Spring garden. Try to avoid being the stereotypical Scorpio task-master, though. These projects should be fun for everybody (not just you).
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 8th house of banking and finance. This is a great time to participate in fundraisers. Is your local band program in need of donations to purchase new instruments? Host a GoFundMe site and use your Venus-inspired popularity to raise the funds needed to make a difference.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 12th house of behind the scenes activities. Do not lose your cool around the time of the Full Moon when something does not come together in the practice room. Your stinger will come out and it is likely that you may toss your music stand across the room in a fit of rage (we have all totally been there). Instead, take a step back a reevaluate what isn’t working. Have you tried slow practice? Have you broken the music up into smaller chunks? Finally, and more practically, do you need to play this music? Can you find another piece to practice that does not send you into a Scorpio rage?
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 6th house of daily work and health routines. This is a good time to be super direct in your communications and get things done in the most efficient way possible. Scorpios generally like to keep to themselves, but you may find yourself having to send 9 million emails about everything under the Sun. You may find yourself wanting to write very long, very detailed messages. Just keep in mind that most people are not going to read them. Short and simple is best.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 7th house of relationships. Save some time in your schedule to connect with others when the Sun moves signs. You may find yourself scheduling several meetings with colleagues, friends, family, EVERYONE. Your students will likely want make-up lessons - Book them. Your boss wants daily check-ins – Schedule them. Your family wants to hang out and have a movie night – Grab some popcorn and hang out.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 7th house of relationships. You will make an important new friend or work colleague during the time of this New Moon. This will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Are there any projects that you can collaborate on together? Could you host a joint recital? Start planning.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Mars is in your 3rd house of communications all month. Are you writing a book, Sagittarius? An article? A series of blog posts or recording a video series? Mars will help give you the motivation to roll your sleeves up and get to writing (or recording). You will be super productive this month!
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 7th house of relationships. This is a great time to make new friends or simply spend some quality time with the ones you love. Venus wants everybody to be happy, healthy, and safe. If you cannot make connections in person, set up a few video chats. Connect with old colleagues and friends. Email your favorite former conductor – how are they coping with all of the changes going on in the World? Call your mother.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 11th house of groups and communities. Your affiliation with an ensemble may be changing in significant ways or may even be coming to an end. Keep in mind during this time that as one door closes, often another door opens. You may already be on the path toward a better chair position in a more prestigious orchestra. Keep things positive during this time.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 5th house of creativity and joy. Are you working on a creative project such as a composition, a CD recording project, or a recital series featuring newly composed music? Blog about it! Share your experiences with a larger audience. What is working? What is not working? When can we purchase your cd or your book?
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 6th house of daily work and health routines. How is your daily routine, Sag? Are you maxed out at the end of each day? Are you getting enough time to eat, sleep, and exercise throughout the day or are you too booked to be bothered? Are you making the most effective use out of your workday or are there opportunities to delegate certain responsibilities to others? Take a critical look at your daily priorities and find creative ways to streamline your time.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 6th house of daily work and health routines. A new set of responsibilities will be added to your plate at the end of the month. This could be a new student, a new performance opportunity, a new class to teach. Make sure that you are clearing enough space in your schedule to best meet the demands of this new opportunity.
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Mars is in your 2nd house of income all month. You are quite literally, as the saying goes, “snappin’ necks and cashin’ checks” this month, Capricorn. Mars will help you earn some additional passive income through online lessons, affiliate links, and other money-making ventures. Roll with any income-generating ideas at this time.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 6th house of daily work and health routines. Venus will help make your daily life balanced and beautiful. While some of your other work colleagues are in a perpetual state of panic, you have managed to keep everything afloat, while still maintaining a proper exercise schedule and practicing self-care. You should be feeling quite at ease during this time. Teach others how to get to the same state of relaxation (Alexander Technique, anyone?).
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 10th house of career goals. The Full Moon may ask you to take a critical look at your short-term and long-term career goals. Are you on the right track? Have your goals changed? Are you currently involved in any activities (work or otherwise) that are distracting you from accomplishing your most important goals? What can you change or remove from your life to get you back on the right track? Let go of what no longer serves you.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 4th house of home and family. Time to call a family meeting! Your family needs your attention right now. Discuss how changes in your work environments have been affecting them. Are they comfortable with your new practice and/or teaching schedule? Are there opportunities to make them active participants in your work (or less active participants, as the situation may call for). Talk it out. Come up with a good plan moving forward.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 5th house of creativity and joy. Your focus will shift at the end of the month to a creative project. Have you always wanted to host a YouTube channel discussing flute pieces or practice tips? Start brainstorming ideas.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 5th house of creativity and joy. You will likely receive some new inspiration to take action on a creative project. Upload your first video. Just do it! The feedback you will get on your ideas may help you generate even more great content and new ideas for other future creative projects.
Aquarius (January 20-February 18)
Mars is in your 1st house of identity all month. You do you this month, Aquarius. Pull up that trusty list of New Year’s Resolutions from January. Are you on the right track? What other action items can you add to make some headway on your goals? Are you getting enough exercise? Are you practicing enough to perform that Summer recital? Whatever you have been procrastinating can be accomplished with the encouraging help of Mars.
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 5th house of creativity and joy. It is always a happy time when the planet of love is in the house of joy. Do what you can to spread joy. Donate to your local charity. Send videos of yourself playing your favorite Disney music to your young nieces and nephews. Order groceries for your elderly relatives. Read those “soup for the soul” books that make you feel good in this time of uncertainty.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 9th house of travel. Your summer travel plans may need to change or, more likely, will be canceled during this Full Moon. Do not fret – There are great benefits to taking a staycation. How can you experience new and exciting things in your current town? Explore local trails. Take a drive somewhere beautiful. Make the most out of a difficult situation and move your trip to a future date.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 3rd house of communications. It is also a good thing when the planet of communications is in the house of communications. Write up a storm. Do you have a flute blog yet? Start posting! Have you always wanted to write a book? Start drafting your first chapter.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 4th house of home and family. Your focus will shift onto your family toward the end of the month. Schedule a few fun family movie nights. Are there any good streaming orchestra concerts you can enjoy together? Grab some popcorn and watch the Seattle Symphony perform a Beethoven Symphony or two.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 4th house of home and family. You may find yourself engaged in a home project during the time of this New Moon. Renovating your home studio space? What can you bring into your studio to make it work better for you, your students, and your family? This could be an inspirational piece of art, better soundproofing capabilities, or perhaps even new recording equipment.
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
Mars is in your 12th house of behind the scenes activities all month. Practice. Practice. And then practice some more. Mars will give you the energy for those marathon practice sessions you have been wanting to dive into. Practice new repertoire for your next recital. Practice that awesome Vade Mecum book that has been collecting dust on your bookshelf. Take a stab and that terrifyingly difficult etude book. The sky is the limit!
April 3rd – Venus moves into your 4th house of home and family. Spend some quality time at home with your family. Go on a few long family walks in the Spring air. Plan a game night or a movie night. Play catch at the park together. Leave your flute at home and just enjoy your time together.
April 7th – A Full Moon appears in your 8th house of banking and finance. You may discover that one of your loan requests is in need of significant changes or, in some cases, may be denied. Do not fret! This is a great opportunity to take a step back and think about ways to make your next request better. Why was the loan denied? What can you make clearer? Are there alternative payment plans that you can explore rather than taking out a loan? Review and reevaluate. There may be a better way to buy that flute that you have not yet considered.
April 11th – Mercury moves into your 2nd house of income. This is a really great time to ask for a raise. Mercury will help you make the case for yourself, your unique talents, and your contributions to the ensemble. Ask your conductor for more playing responsibilities. Ask the school that you teach at for opportunities to design a course for a larger group of students. Advocate for yourself.
April 19th – The Sun moves into your 3rd house of communications. Have you been procrastinating working on a writing assignment? The Sun will put a spotlight on this project and draw your attention to what still needs to be done. You will have new inspiration to get to writing. Have you started a flute blog yet? This would be a great time to post your first blog.
April 22nd – A New Moon appears in your 3rd house of communications. You might be inspired to write an article around the time of this New Moon. Go for it! Draft your ideas, proofread for accuracy, and submit! What is the worst that can happen? The editor can say no. So what!? Find another publication that will publish your writing. If there are no other publications, then self-publish. You have a lot to say and an entire internet eager to learn.
Happy April!