A catalyst for evolution and growth in the training and support of musicians. Biography If, as the Whole Musician model suggests, variety is a hallmark of most musicians’ work life, then Janis Weller is in the midst of a Whole Musician career. Janis has been active in the arts community of Minneapolis/St. Paul for many years as a flutist, teacher, residency artist, author, consultant, and arts administrator. She is the former dean of individual and group instruction at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, where she also taught flute and served in other administrative roles for over seventeen years. She founded the Elision Institute in 2003. The E.I. is devoted to working with individuals and institutions in musician support and development. At the center of this work is the quest for authentic vocation—honoring, following, and maximizing our natural gifts, whatever they may be. Janis is creator/instructor of a graduate course in career development at the University of Minnesota School of Music and teaches Music Business at the University of St. Thomas. She is adjunct professor of flute at the University of Wisconsin—River Falls, and teaches flute, chamber music, and Performance Wellness at MacPhail. She has presented vocation studies for music students and faculty under “Lilly Grant: Exploring Our Gifts” program at Augsburg College. She has presented workshops, papers, and poster sessions on the Whole Musician model of authentic vocation nationally and internationally at conferences of the International Society for Music Education in Barcelona, College Music Society, Suzuki Association of the Americas, Minnesota Music Teachers Association, National Careers Conference 2005, and National Flute Association. Janis has created and presented courses and workshops at MacPhail, Wesley Balk Institute for Opera and Musical Theatre, University of Minnesota, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota All-State Orchestra, and for numerous high school and college students. She also coaches individuals at all career stages, (students to mid-career professionals), on Whole Musician, vocation, and performance wellness issues. Janis has presented residencies, clinics and workshops in schools, and worked with teachers on curriculum design and professional development through the National Flute Association, National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota Music Educators Association, and Arts Curriculum Expertise program. Her book, Bowing for Dollars: Exploring Careers in Music, has been widely used by schools, colleges, teachers, youth orchestras and music camps throughout the country. As a performer, Janis is particularly devoted to working with living composers and new music. She has premiered over 100 new works and been part of over 30 commissions. A founding member and co-artistic director of the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble, Janis has also performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble, Minnesota Composers Forum, and many other ensembles. She freelances in the Twin Cities. Janis earned an M.A. in Human Development from St. Mary’s University, is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at the University of St. Thomas and is completing an apprenticeship in Performance Wellness/New York. She completed masters coursework in flute performance and musicology at the University of Minnesota, and holds a B.A. in music from Luther College. Janis draws on this broad and deep experience in the music world to provide a creative, big picture approach to the training and support of musicians. Return to About The Elision Institute