Miriam Spiro has been playing the flute since fourth grade but it wasn’t until 1977, during her first summer at Usdan, that she decided to play professionally.

Since then, she has played in a number of orchestras, including the Oceanside Symphony (now disbanded), the Nassau Community College Band, and the Freeport Fireman’s Marching Band. She has also made the All-County and All-State Bands.

Miriam practices up to six hours a day, playing mostly classical pieces. She has taken private lessons for many years, and is in her

second year of study at the Manhattan School of Music.

Most of the colleges Miriam has applied to are those specializing in music, such as the Julliard School, where she hopes to be accepted.

Asked about great flutists as Jean-Pierre Rampal and James Galway, Miriam feels that although their playing is superior, they are now getting out of the classical realm. She hopes to continue her musical career under Sam Barlon, who teaches through Julliard.