About Ruth Kasckow
Performer
For more than three decades, Ruth Kasckow has devoted her life to the art of music-making — as performer, educator, and guide. A flutist known for expressive depth, tonal warmth, and interpretive sensitivity, she brings both technical refinement and emotional insight to every performance.
She performs on flute, piccolo, and alto flute in orchestral, chamber, and solo settings, and has performed with Opera a la Carte, Santa Monica Symphony, Orquesta Mexicana de la Juventud, and Burbank Symphony. She is an active free-lance musician in the Greater Los Angeles area with orchestras, chamber music groups, and solo recitals. In collaboration with pianist Bryan Pezzone, the Kasckow–Pezzone Duo is known for its unique blend of classical repertoire, improvisation, and cross-genre exploration.
Educator
Teaching is at the heart of Ruth’s work. She guides students of all ages and levels with warmth, encouragement, and high artistic standards. Her approach fosters technical mastery, expressive insight, and confidence, helping each musician reach their potential.
Ruth maintains a private studio in the Pasadena area and has served on the faculty of Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Suzuki Music Program, La Canada School of Music, Crescenta Valley High School, and La Canada Unified Schools. She welcomes students from La Cañada, Glendale, La Crescenta, Pasadena, and the Greater Los Angeles area. She also provides lessons on Zoom and Lessonface.
Body Mapping for Musicians
As a Licensed Body Mapping Educator since 2010, Ruth works with musicians to develop accurate anatomical understanding and coordinated movement that support healthy, expressive playing. This work grew out of her own experience with the physical demands of music-making and the realization that clarity about how the body functions can transform both comfort and artistry.
Through Body Mapping, she helps musicians release tension, improve breathing and coordination, prevent injury, and cultivate a freer, more resonant sound. She has presented workshops for many organizations including the Performing Arts Medicine Association, National Flute Association, and Association of Body Mapping Educators, and teaches her course Playing Flute from the Inside Out on Lessonface as well as breathing classes with Keith Underwood.
Franklin Method
Ruth is a Franklin Method Level 4 Educator, having completed all four levels of training. Her studies in functional anatomy, Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery (DNI™), and experiential movement have profoundly shaped how she understands coordination, posture, and breath, both personally and in her own teaching.
She shares this work through workshops, classes, and individual sessions, helping participants explore movement with greater awareness and ease. She recently presented the workshop The Art of Change: Putting Imagery Into Practice at the Performing Arts Medicine Symposium 2025 in Washington, DC.
Training & Education
Ruth holds an MFA in Flute Performance from the California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Music from Goucher College. Her principal teachers include Bonnie Lake, David Shostac, Jim Walker, Liisa Ruoho, and Keith Underwood, and she has performed in masterclasses with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Thomas Nyfenger, Julius Baker, Andreas Blau, Toshio Takahashi, and Liisa Ruoho.
CDs & Books
Ruth Kasckow composed and self-published Chinese Folk Song Suite for flute quartet at the request of the La Canada High School band for their trip to China. Ruth composed The Flute Duet Practice Books 1 and 2 to make scales more fun for students. All three books are available for sale at Fluteworld.com. Ruth's two CDs are a compendium of music for flute alone and flute and piano composed by French and German composers. Her collaborative pianist is Christopher Brennan, DMA. Both CDs are available on CD Baby and can be heard on Spotify.
Whether on stage, in the studio, or in collaboration, Ruth’s work is guided by a single intention: to foster growth, cultivate confidence, and help each musician connect deeply to their instrument, their body, and their own artistic voice.
