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Celebrating Graduating Senior Flute Fellow Kaylee Johnson

By July 15, 2026No Comments

Senior CMPI Flutist Kaylee Johnson is about to begin college at the esteemed Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. As she moves on towards her next stage of life, Kaylee discusses the impact CMPI had on her musical journey.

Kaylee started playing the flute through Sistema Ravinia when she was in elementary school. The program brought instruments for the students to try, and she was immediately able to get a sound out of the flute! From then on, her musical journey took off.

Kaylee took lessons through Sistema Ravinia from fourth grade onwards and was able to play in orchestra as a part of their program. Later, she joined the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Merit School of Music. At Merit, Kaylee started out in the Symphonic Band, continued to be a part of Concert Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and the Merit Philharmonic. At Merit, she was in the Purple Hippopotami flute quartet for two years. Kaylee was a member of CYSO’s Symphony Orchestra as well as their chamber music program.

Kaylee reflected on her favorite parts of CMPI, having been a part of the program since she was in the eighth grade. She really enjoyed the experience of masterclasses and greatly valued having the experience of meeting numerous professional flutists. Two standout masterclasses for her were ones with Demarre McGill, principal flutist of the Seattle Symphony and faculty at the Colburn School, and Jennifer Gunn, solo piccolo of the Chicago Symphony and faculty at Northwestern University. Kaylee highlighted how working with both professionals helped her improve her phrasing, tone, vibrato, expression, and musicality. Another standout moment in the program was taking part in the Equity Arc Convening in Washington, DC. Kaylee mentioned that another memorable experience was having the opportunity to visit Eastman through college experience day.

Having recently gone through the college application process, Kaylee offered valuable insight into what the highlights and difficulties were for her. She enjoyed seeing how she felt after each audition, especially when she felt confident and proud! It was also a great experience seeing the different campuses, recital halls, and various buildings, as well as exploring the cities where the schools are located. However, it was difficult to manage nervousness before auditions, and the application essays were challenging. Kaylee’s advice to those applying to college for music includes, “Start early with applications so that you have an idea of how much time you need to spend on the essays. Start recording your prescreens early so that you have time to look them over and potentially record again.”

Outside of the flute, Kaylee enjoys crocheting and going biking with her family!

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