Flutist Gina Luciani has a diverse career in music that includes recording for film and television soundtracks, live performances, as well as international sponsorships through her prominent social media following. She has collaborated with legendary artists such as Paul Coletti, James Conlon, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Sir Neville Marriner, Ronald Leonard, David Newman, and John Williams. 

Gina has recorded on many projects including Emmy nominated soundtracks  BBC’s Planet Earth II, Netflix’s Chef’s Table, and Showtime’s Penny Dreadful. She has also worked on  Warner Bros.Straight Outta Compton, ABC’s The Middle, world famous video games League of Legends andHalo Wars 2. Most recently she played on Alexander Payne’s new film Downsizing and was the flute soloist on theatrically released Birth of the Dragon and SXSW hit, The Ballad of Lefty Brown. She performed with the Wu-Tang Clan at the Coachella Music Festival was the featured flute soloist on Land Down Under with Colin Hay of Men At Work for ABC’s nationally televised Greatest Hits.

 I don't know how I ever lived without the AirTurn DUO! 😍If you haven't seen these before - the pedals allow you to turn the page on your tablet without touching the screen. I love how small and light it is so my gig bag doesn't get super heavy! - Gina Luciani

We’ve looked at four general categories of tools that a musician will need to read music digitally, what I call the “4 C’s”: Computer, Content, Container, and Controller. When it comes to the second C – Content – the type of music you work with will greatly determine the means with which you will get your music into your digital-reading computer of choice. There is a wealth of sheet-music content available on the Internet for instant download – no need to wait for the mailman to deliver to your house or favorite music store. For many musicians, this will be the first place to look, and oftentimes there’s no need to bother with paper versions. We’ll touch on a number of popular online resources for digital sheet music in a variety of genres in a later chapter.

But perhaps you are a musician using paper sheet music that can’t be found in any digital format anywhere on the Internet. Maybe you are working with paper versions that are marked up with precious fingerings and special instructions that are more valuable than the music itself. In that case, you will need to learn the art of a “5th C”: Conversion. By conversion, I mean hardware and software tools used to convert your paper music into digital files that can then be read and worked on in your reading app or program of choice.

There are basically three steps in the conversion process:

1. Scan
2. Process
3. Transfer

Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps.

Scan

To scan is to convert a physical document into a digital format. Basically, you are creating a digital photo of the document, using a hardware device called a Scanner. Scanners come in all shapes and sizes, and are sometimes part of an “all-in-one” office machine that can print, fax, make copies, and make a perfect double soy latte (I’m kidding about that last feature). The type of physical music you need to convert will determine the kind of scanner you will want to work with. Here are three general types of scanners and the types of music they are best suited for:

1. Flatbed – these are scanners that have a glass surface on which to place your music, and a lid to prevent you from being blinded by the scanner’s light. Flatbeds are best suited for music books and bound collections, and usually require a connection to a laptop or desktop computer to process and transfer the digitized images.

Brother MFC-400CN scanner printer

2. Sheet-fed – these are scanners that are much more compact and tend to look like plastic rolling pins. Sheet-fed scanners are best suited for single sheets of music, since only one page can be fed into the scanner at a time. These types of scanners also require a connection to a laptop or desktop computer, although as of this writing, there is a new sheet-fed scanner called the iConvert Scanner that has a slot for your iPad to sit in and receive the scans directly.  More info HERE at AMAZON

iConvert Scanner for iPad

App – Believe it or not, smartphone cameras are becoming good enough to create sharp, legible scans of music. You’ll need the latest smartphones with high-resolution cameras (the latest iPhones from Apple work beautifully, as well as the latest offerings from the various Android smartphone manufacturers) and apps like TurboScan for the iPhone or CamScanner for the Android phones. Scanning apps are best for smaller songs or scanning on the fly when you need to digitize your music in a pinch and don’t have access to the other kinds of hardware scanners. Keep in mind that if you’re trying to scan pages from a bound book that you’ll have to deal with the curvature of the binding, especially if the book is brand new.

iPhone Apps for Scanning

• Scanner Pro
• Genius Scan
• DocScan

Android Apps for Scanning

• Tiny Scanner
• CamScanner
• Droid Scan Pro PDF

Scanning with a smartphone

Process

Every scanner and scanning app will have different settings and options, so you’ll have to refer to their instructions for the specifics on processing your scanned page images. We’re going to want to aim for the following goals:

1. Create a universal file that can be read on as many computers and programs or apps as possible
2. If you are scanning more than one page for a song, then this file will need to be able to have multiple “pages”
3. Make the file as legible as possible
4. Make sure the file is as small as possible to ensure that it loads on any computer quickly and that the page turns (if necessary) are fast
5. Make sure that the file name is descriptive enough for easy cataloging and searches

Thanks to a company called Adobe, the most universal file format since 1993 has been the Portable Document Format, or PDF for short. PDF files were designed to be read universally on every computer, which is why I’ve been able to keep up with the rapid changes in computer technologies since my conversion to a paperless lifestyle in 2001. All my scanned music consists of PDF files, and as I mentioned before, the remarkable thing is that the very first music files I scanned are still as pristine looking as the day I created them, as opposed to their physical counterparts, which have sadly yellowed and in many cases already started to crumble. PDF files have the ability to contain multiple pages – some of my music, after all, is 50-100+ pages in length. Most scanners these days have the option to directly create multi-page PDF files. If not, don’t despair; here are some software options for converting image files created from your scanner into multi-page PDF files:

iCombiner for Mac

This is a great program that does just what its name describes, and it’s free to boot!  You can take any kind of image or document file, drag them into iCombiner’s program box, rearrange the pages in any order you like, press a button, and spit out a single multi-page PDF file. 

http://download.cnet.com/iCombiner/3000-2094_4-190014.html

PrimoPDF for Windows

PrimoPDF is a free program that will give you the ability to virtually “print” image and document files into a single multi-page PDF.  Unlike iCombiner, you can’t mix and match different types of files (images with Word document files, for example), but as long as you work with a single file type you can convert almost anything into a multi-page PDF. 

http://download.cnet.com/PrimoPDF/3000-18497_4-10264577.html?tag=mncol;1

To make your scanned pages legible and as small in file size as possible, you will want to look for options on your scanner to scan in black and white. Scanning in color will make your file look great, but you’ll have to deal with a much larger file size, which can choke the loading and page-turning speeds, especially if you’re using a computer with a slow processor (like the original iPad 1). Grayscale, while smaller than color formats, still creates a file size that’s unwieldy, especially if your song is more than two or three pages in length.

You will also want to set the scan DPI to either 150 or 300. DPI stands for “dots per inch,” and represents the resolution or how fine the image quality of the scan will be. Photographers and printers want a high DPI, but for music-reading purposes the extra dots are unnecessary. In fact, if you find that your staff lines are getting broken up with your scans, you may want to try a DPI as low as 75 – the scanning software will tend to consolidate fine lines better at lower resolutions. Since every scanner and scanning app is different, you’ll want to experiment with a few different DPI settings to find what is optimal for your reading purposes and computer performance. Keep in mind that the higher the DPI, the larger the file size, so you’ll want to find the right balance between legibility and performance (loading and page-turning speed) for your needs. Most of my music is scanned at 300 DPI, so feel free to use that as a benchmark.

Finally, you’ll want to come up with a naming convention for your files that best suits your particular musical needs. As a classical collaborative pianist, my primary title needs are as follows:

1. Composer name (usually just the last name will suffice, or in special cases – like with the Bach family – the last name and the initial of the first name. And perhaps the middle name as well, right, J.C.? or was it J.S.?).
2. Title of the piece. If there is no title, then I’ll indicate what type of piece it is (Sonata, Concerto, etc.) followed by a number (if there are multiple versions of the same type of piece) and key signature. (See #4 below for an exception to this order).
3. Publisher’s catalogue info – these include general indications like Opus and Number (Op and No for short), or unique catalogue references in the cases of particular composers, such as J. S. Bach (BWV number) or Mozart (K number).
4. Since I work with such a wide variety of instrumentalists, I need to include the primary instrument for which the piece was written. If the piece is for my own instrument (piano), I won’t bother, but if it’s for another instrument, in many cases, I’ll actually put the instrument name before the title.

Here are a few examples of some of the PDF file names I use in my library:

Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor, Op 23

Bach, JS Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042

Massenet Meditation from Thais for Violin and Piano

Did you notice something in the above titles? I tried to avoid using periods and special non-alphanumeric symbols, such as a period after “No” or “Op”. In computer language, periods are generally used to separate between the name title of a file and the extension that indicates what sort of file it is. For example, the full file name of the Chopin Ballade is actually:

Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor Op 23.pdf

Note the “.pdf” at the end – that tells the computer that it is looking at a PDF file, and will assign the appropriate compatible program to open it.

I also try to avoid symbols like ; : # " ? ! ( ) & + This came as a result of working with some pretty old Windows programs that didn’t have the ability to include those symbols as naming conventions. Since I want to be able to read my files as universally as possible, just to be safe I generally try to stick with using only alphanumeric characters.

As you can gather, classical music is quite complicated, hence the convoluted naming convention. For folks who play more popular genres like jazz, rock, pop, or worship songs, you may not need anything more than the title of the song or, perhaps in some cases, the name of the band or artist that made the song famous as well. Determine what works best for you, and think about the information you would need to be able to call up the song on your computer quickly and easily.

Seem like a lot to absorb? Never fear, in practice, it’s actually not very difficult at all. Once you have your equipment and settings established and know how you want to name your files, you’ll find yourself to be a Master of Conversion in no time.

National touring artist, Ben Hammond has been active in the studio, producing 3 full length albums (10,000 independently sold and counting), multiple music videos, and a live concert DVD "Solo at Stone Mountain Arts Center". Thousands of shows later at hundreds of venues, festivals and private events, Hammond has honed his smooth, energetic style and is one of the most sought after musicians in those places he's called home. 

- Ben Hammond www.benhammondmusic.com

Chapter 4 : Paper to Pixels by Hugh Sung

Let's get down to business. You are nervous, a little daunted, but nonetheless convinced that it’s time to go digital. Been there, done that, so I think I know what questions you’re probably asking right now.

– Which tablet, smart phone or computer is right for me?

– How do I get music into my device?

– What programs do I need?

– Besides a tablet, smartphone or computer, what other equipment will I need?

– Given the rate at which technology changes, how can I be sure that the equipment I invest in won’t be obsolete within a few years?

Let’s address the last question first. As of this writing, I will have been a “paperless pianist” for nearly 12 years. Even though the computers and equipment that I’ve used to store, read and annotate my digital sheet-music scores have changed many times over during that time period, it’s amazing to me that the very first digital-music files I scanned from my paper sources still look perfectly pristine, while the physical paper versions have already started to yellow and crumble. In other words, stop worrying.

We know that computer technology changes on almost a daily basis (for a quick reminder, re-read my headache-inducing analysis of the tablet market explosion at the end of chapter 3). The good news is this isn’t as important as you might think. If you know how to take care of a musical instrument (you know, not driving away with it on the roof of your car, changing out the valve pads on your horn, etc), you can apply that same level of understanding to maintaining your digital sheet-music-reading-computer for many years to come. And you’ll be better educated on the best computers to upgrade to when necessary.

And get this: You’ve heard of Internet cloud storage services like DropBox and iCloud, haven’t you? These are places out there in the wild blue (actually in cyberspace) that will store a copy of everything on your computer, so you really don’t even have to worry about being completely dependent on a single computer device anymore.

Here’s an easy way to remember the things you need to know – “four Cs,” the four categories you’ll need to get started.

1. Computer
2. Content
3. Containers
4. Controllers

Easy, yes (like laying a piano in C major)? So here we go.

1. Computer (picking your plastic)

Ask yourself these questions:

– How much mobility do I need?

– How big does the screen need to be in order for me to see it?

– What is the meaning of life (just kidding … wanted to see if you were still awake)?

– How many accessories am I going to need to support my computer (containers, controllers and the like)? Of course, it’s too soon for you to really know that, but patience, dear person, we’ll get there.

While tablet computers such as the iPad might be great for many musicians due to their portability and ease of use, other musicians who don’t need to be mobile (like organists or teachers working in studios) might be better off with laptops, desktop computers connected to larger monitors, or even large touchscreen computers. We’ll drill down this topic in a while. Meanwhile, just think about it.

2.  Content (other than your favorite comic books)

By content, I mean both the type of music you work with and the sources where your music can be found. For instance, classical musicians work with content based on traditional music notation containing staff lines, key signatures, notes and rests. Musicians in more popular genres work with content based mainly on text, such as lyrics, chord symbols and tablatures. Your preferred content will determine both where you find your music sources and how you get that content into your digital sheet-music computer, ranging from scans of physical books and binders to direct downloads from online sheet-music resources.

This will also determine which programs are best suited for your content needs, and what kind of interactivity you will need from your music – will you be using PDF files to draw annotations on your music? (If you don’t know, these are files that are more like photos. You can’t really go into them and change type, but you can mark them up.) Or will you use a text reader so that you can change your font sizes and transpose chord symbols on the fly? Or will you use a proprietary reader for computerized music notation from programs like Finale or Sibelius? Don’t panic … we’ll talk more about this.

3.  Containers (How do I position this thing so it doesn’t crash to the floor in the middle of the quiet section of the music?)

By containers, I mean hardware accessories used to hold or mount your computer, turning it for all intents and purposes into a digital music stand. This may or may not be relevant to a classical pianist, who can usually count on a music rack built in to his instruments to hold his tablet or support his laptop. But guitarists or orchestral musicians will almost always need a way to safely mount their computers, especially if the oboist who sits in front of you weighs 300 lbs. Container options vary widely depending on the type of computer being used. We’ll explore some of the current options later.

4.  Controllers (as in, “Hey fellers, watch this!”)

Controllers are hardware accessories that enable you to work with your digital sheet music in a variety of ways, ranging from digital pens for drawing annotations, to pedals and other switches that let you turn pages without using your hands. Some computer devices, like the iPad, don’t require digital pens to draw on the screen, whereas some tablets and tablet PCs already come bundled with such pens. Page-turning pedals and switches, on the other hand, are a relatively new accessory that most musicians don’t think of until they’re confronted with the stark experience of viewing their music one digital page at a time and have to consider how to get to the next digital “page” in ways that don’t necessitate finger swiping, mouse clicking, or puzzled head-scratching. We’ll look at some examples soon of various types of musicians and the 4-C configurations that best fit their needs.

Get Your Free Paper to Pixels eBook HERE (Enter FREEP2P @ Checkout)

Introducing the DIGIT III

Available May 6th

Wireless Remote Control for Tablets and Computers

• Navigate presentations from the palm of your hand using 

• Keynote, PowerPoint, and more

• Take a selfie or snap group photos.

• Record video remotely.

• Control your media player apps from any room. 

• Customize buttons for even more app control.

• Record; arm your tracks without having to be at your computer.

• Attaches to a keychain, lanyard, or strap. Rechargeable battery with 150 hours of continuous use. 

Works with Bluetooth 4.0 equipped phones, tablets, PC and MAC. Comes with USB charging cable and can be plugged into any USB power source. 6 user programmable buttons with iOS (Android programmable soon.)

AirTurn, Inc. has announced the release of the STOMP 6 — a wireless, six switch foot pedal. The STOMP 6 connects to any Bluetooth-enabled device and works with hundreds of apps to perform tasks that simplify music performance.

OnSong has just released immediate support for the STOMP 6 which allows users to configure 40+ actions per switch. Musicians can perform hands-free with digital sheet music and charts that are easy to transpose and always stay organized. For musicians looking to enhance their stage presence, OnSong can also trigger backing tracks, stage lighting and integrate with MIDI-capable instruments, effects processors and apps for complete control. OnSong is the first app to harness the possibilities of the new STOMP 6 with its rich suite of functionality.

The STOMP 6 is designed for the professional musician who wants to add a tablet or computer into their setup. Its all-metal enclosure is designed to mount to guitar pedal boards with a 9V power supply, but can also be used right out of the box with a standard 9V battery (included) that lasts for 100 hours of continuous use.

The STOMP 6 retails for $139 MSRP and will be available for order on the AirTurn online store on 1/18/2017

Perform Anywhere
Going paperless with your music means more flexibility. Import your charts with ease or
create your own songs with OnSong. You’re always organized so there’s no more
flipping around with binders looking for the right song in the right key. Pulling sets is just
as easy. With the AirTurn lineup of foot pedals, you can play for hours without ever lifting a finger. Put your iPad in a case and mount it on a mic stand with a MANOS mount. Neither darkness, wind nor rain will keep you from the music.

Jam In Any Key
Never worry about forgetting a song again. If it’s in your library, you’re ready to jam. The powerful transposition engine in OnSong let’s you put the song in the right key. Apply a capo and OnSong handles modulating chords so you can spend more time playing music and less time remembering music theory. With the AirTurn STOMP 6 and OnSong, you can assign an action to transpose and capo on the fly.

Let The Music Play
Sometimes it’s hard to get the band back together — or maybe you’re a solo singer/
songwriter. With backing tracks, you can fill out your sound and engage the audience.
OnSong lets you link each song in your repertoire to audio tracks you can trigger with
just a touch of a finger, or the press of a pedal. Built in crossfading even lets you keep
the show flowing. The AirTurn STOMP 6 gives you even greater control of playback.

Pedal To The Metal
The AirTurn STOMP 6 features an all-metal enclosure with six, stomp-style foot switches. Mount and plug it into your pedalboard power supply or use it all by itself with a standard 9V battery (included). The AirTurn STOMP 6 connects wirelessly to most all Bluetooth-enabled devices for leveraging the capabilities of 100’s of apps in your gig.

Don’t Forget It, Preset It
Your audiences demand more and now with OnSong and the AirTurn STOMP 6, you can deliver the performance you’ve imagined. Preset MIDI and control all of your effects processors, instruments, foot pedals... even other apps! OnSong lets you link MIDI to each part of the song, or you can trigger MIDI right from the AirTurn STOMP 6. Since MIDI is built into all professional music gear, you have all the power of the pros.

Light It Up
OnSong isn’t just chord charts and sheet music, it’s all about your stage performance.
Add visual flair to your show with lighting, lyrics and video. You no longer need expensive equipment or complex programming to make your show shine. Whether you’re playing on the main stage or in the local pub, you can make a scene that draws a crowd. The AirTurn STOMP 6 lets you control it all on stage with OnSong.

Limitless Possibilities
The AirTurn STOMP 6 gives you six rock-solid switches to obey your every whim.
That might not seem like much, but assign 40+ actions to those pedals in OnSong and
you can do everything you need while never breaking from your audience. Use triggers
to perform multiple actions with one stomp, or shift into a higher gear to surpass your
physical limitations. OnSong and STOMP 6 is the perfect combination for performers.

My AirTurn PED has been a Godsend for me. I use it in combination with my Ipad Air and the ForScore music score app. I am often giving a classical piano concert but the longstanding tradition for classical pianists is that all music be performed memorized. However that requires a huge amount of extra investment in time and energy not to mention exponentially increasing the pressure of live performance wondering how your memory will hold up, especially as I am getting older! By using the AirTurn PED I am able to perform much better because now the pressure of worrying about my memory is taken away resulting in a much better overall performance. I have discovered that audiences don't mind it all that I use one. Most of the time they are unaware of it even being there, unlike having a person turning pages which is so distracting both for the audience and performer.

Miguel Hernandez recently taught a master class for www.kalosmusicandart.com in Aventura, Florida. He is a big fan of AirTurn's Tap, Manos Universal Tablet Holder and goSTAND and has started to incorporate these solutions into his master classes. You can find out more about his classes HERE 

Born in San Cristóbal, Venezuela, Miguel Hernandez has been categorized as one of the best Venezuelann drummers. He has paved his own way, winning over some of the most exponential jazz, pop, latin rock and fusion music in which such artist as Víctor Cuica, Gonzalo Micó, Virginia Ramírez, Rodolfo Reyes, Rafael “El Pollo” Brito, Carlos E. Arellano, Feeling, Agua de Luna, Carlos “Nené” Quintero, Eddy Marcano, Miguel Delgado Esteves, Kitimba Jazz, José Angel, Aldemaro Romero, María Alejandra Rodríguez, Goyo Reyna, el Latin Jazz Band de Andy Durán, Emmy Herrera, Marisela Leal, Toña Granados, Maruja Muci, Euler, Cores Do Brasil, Ensamble A Contratiempo, Gladis Salazar, Biella Da Costa, Jeremy Ledbetter, Pablo Gil, Yordano, Robert Quintero y Otmaro Ruíz stand out.
 

Currently, he is an exclusive artist of YAMAHA drums, SABIAN cymbals, VIC FIRTH drumsticks, REMO drumheads, HISHAKER, WILLY MAYO instruments and soft cases, GROOVE Insumos, ZUKRAN Musik, CYMPAD, GATOR Cases, KICKPORT, TYCOON Percussion, AIRTURN and ADVANCED Ears. In 2012, he graduated and got his Bachelors in Biblical Art Musicals with a focus on Instrumental Execution on Drums. In 2013, he launched his first discographic production from MIGUEL HERNÁNDEZ PROJECT, titled “Afrovenezuelan Jazz Standards”.
 

He is the first Venezuelan drummer to edit a didactic book called “AFROVENEZUELAN RHYTHMS FOR THE DRUMS” alongside the talented pianist and producer Hildemaro Álvarez, that shows how to play the different afro-venezuelan rhythms on the drums, dictating Master classes in and out of Venezuela in such countries as Spain, London, Austria, Dominican Republic, Columbia, Chec Republic, USA, Canada, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Ecuador and Argentina.

We found Ashley Rewolinski on Twitter discussing her AirTurn DUO pedal and recommending it to others. We reached out to say hello and this was her response. 

I was very excited when you reached out to me on Twitter today! I am a very passionate AirTurn user!! As a violinist, I use my AirTurn in almost every performance and in every single one of those performances, I always get asked by audience members and fellow musicians what "that black thing on the floor is" I use. When I tell them about it, they always get very intrigued, and want to get one of their own! I am very proud to say that since using my AirTurn, I have recruited over 20 musicians (fellow graduate students, professors, theater musicians, chamber musicians, and more!) to use digital music and buy an AirTurn.  

My AirTurn and I have been on quite a journey these past two years - I got my AirTurn during the first year of graduate school, used it in my final graduate recital (I graduated with my Master of Music degree this past May!), have traveled with it to music festivals (I have some funny stories about its encounters with TSA!), and am excited to see what the future holds for my AirTurn and I!

I will admit, when I first heard of people converting over to digital music a few years ago - I was strongly against it. A turning point for me was seeing one of my favorite violinists, Giora Schmidt used it in a recital when I attended the Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies at the Juilliard School. I thought, if Giora Schmidt can use it without a problem, then so can I! I then patiently waited for the new iPad to be released that October and then made the switch to digital music. In just a couple of weeks, I will have officially been using digital music and my AirTurn for two years, and can't imagine life without it! I now use it for as much music as possible, and when I'm in a situation where I have to use paper music, I find myself tapping my foot and confused why the page isn't turning! 

Many Thanks,

Ashley Rewolinski

www.ashleyrewolinski.com  

Ashley's BIO

Violinist Ashley Rewolinski is an active soloist and chamber musician based out of the greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas. She has appeared as a frequent soloist with the North Park University Symphony where she held the concertmaster chair for four years. Her solo performances with the NPU Symphony included: Otono Porteno from Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Bach's Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe with Naomi Bensdorf-Frisch, and Louis Spohr's Violin Concerto no. 8 in a minor.  She has also appeared as a soloist with the North Park Chamber Soloists performing numerous Vivaldi concerti including Summer from the Four Seasons, and the Concerto for Three Violins where she collaborated with David Yonan.

Ashley is the reigning Miss New Berlin, a local title within the Miss America Organization. As Miss New Berlin, she advocates for music education and making music accessible to all through her personal platform, Music Matters! She has partnered with the Manilow Music Project in a year long sheet music drive, where at the end of her reign in February 2017, she will donate cases of sheet music to local schools in need. Throughout her reign, she gives numerous appearances in her community, and loves inspiring the next generation of musicians with her performances.

Additionally, Ashley has received many honors including: two String Fellowship awards from the Miami Music Festival (2015, 2016), First Prize (2014), Second Prize (2012, 2013) and Viewer's Choice Award (2012) at the North Park University Chamber Music Competition, Academic Excellence in the School of Music at NPU, The National School Orchestra Award, Dean Potokar Award from the Milwaukee Youth Symphony, two exemplary soloist awards from the Wisconsin School Music Association, among others. 

Ashley often steps out of the classical genre to give some very unique performances. In August 2014, Ashley worked with fashion designer Timothy Westbrook (Project Runway, Season 12) on a fashion show titled, #HipstersOnSafari where she walked  the runway in a piece from Westbrook's 2014 Gala collection and also provided music for the show performing with DJ Jason Samonik of FAUX NOIR.

Ashley earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance Summa cum Laude from North Park University, and her Master of Music in Violin Performance from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. She has participated in the 2011, 2013, and 2015 Starling-DeLay Violin Symposia on Violin Studies at the Juilliard School. Important teachers include: David Yonan, Dr. Michael McBride (composition), and Ilana Setapen.  She has participated in both solo and chamber music master classes given by Gary Levinson, Andres Cardenes, Yuriy Bekker, the Ying Quartet, Roger Chase, Mathias Tacke, Bernard Zinck, Hans Jorgen Jensen, pianist Stewart Goodyear, among others.