Episode 40

Flute 360 | Episode 40: “Mark Dooly, Win-D-Fender” (43:05)

In today’s episode, Heidi talks with Mark Dooly who is the inventor of the Win-D-Fender and a music teacher in the Fort Worth area. Dooly and other team members have worked tirelessly to create and design the Win-D-Fender with the flutist in mind. Check out today’s episode to hear Dooly’s process from start to finish, the solutions that the Win-D-Fender resolves, and much more!

Episode 40 – Main Points:

• 1:04 – Dooly’s and Heidi’s background.
• 2:04 – Let’s dive into the questions!
• 2:20 – Question: How did you come up with the idea?
• 2:24 – Dooly’s Answer
• 3:20 – “I actually got laughed at by the mayor that day!” – Dooly
• 4:30 – “I model my flute sound after my wife [Christine Cleary].” – Dooly
• 6:08 – Company: Argyle International Corporation
• 6:28 – “If it were just me, it would still be an idea in my head.” – Dooly
• 6:58 – From conception to production was a total of 23 years!
• 7:17 – Question
• 7:30 – Dooly’s Answer
• 9:38 – “I had visions of these falling off of people’s flutes at state marching contests, and kids tripping over them!” – Dooly
• 10:23 – “We didn’t know what a Win-D-Fender was supposed to look like.” – Dooly
• 10:37 – See picture of the different prototypes below.
• 12:47 – “We wanted flute players to be happy.” – Dooly
• 13:23 – “We have dealers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others.” – Dooly
• 16:55 – “It’s light, it’s strong, it’s non-toxic, it’s durable, it doesn’t change the sound of your flute, and it doesn’t change the feel of your flute!” – Dooly
• 18:01 – Dr. Erich Tucker, flutist
• 20:31 – Discussion of the product’s name.
• 24:33 – Question: What resources did you use along the way and what was your biggest obstacle?
• 26:18 – Butterfly clip!
• 29:42 – “Having a sense of wonderment and curiosity.” – Heidi
• 30:26 – Wind-D-Fender’s bag.
• 34:07 – It’s a team effort.
• 34:30 – Win-D-Fender’s list of solutions.
• 35:35 – Conclusion
• 40:15 – Dr. Terri Sánchez, flutist

Episode 40 – Resources Mentioned:

• Win-D-Fender’s Website
• YouTube Win-D-Fender Channel
• Carolyn Nussbaum’s Site – Purchase
• Dooly Woodwinds’ Website
• Dr. Heidi Kay Begay’s Website

Episode 40 – Sponsors:

• J&K Productions’ Website

Episode 40 – Picture & Video: