The Benefits of Learning the Flute: Why You Should Consider Private Lessons
Let’s be honest - the benefits of learning an instrument cannot be overstated. There is tons of scientific data to support that music students tend to develop discipline, have better memories, have higher level math skills, are more emotionally intelligent, and understand the importance of practicing a skill to a higher degree than their non-musical counterparts. Not only that, but music provides an outlet to people that are struggling, giving them the ability to channel emotional difficulties in a healthy way, be it as an adult or a child, and that benefit (especially in this day and age) is so valuable. So, it’s obvious that learning an instrument is a very positive way to improve your life.
Why Flute?
If you’re here, you may be on the fence about the flute as an instrument, or maybe you or your student just took up the flute for the first time in band class. The flute is an incredibly versatile instrument. Flute often puts you at the forefront of the band, hitting those high notes like it’s no one’s business, and playing those beautiful flowy French pieces like our instrument was, quite simply, made for them. Not only does the flute have the ability to be bright and beautiful, like a bird singing, but also dark and melancholy like the clouds floating over the moon at night. We have the ability to be jazzy (queue the Anchorman joke) and can be found in music by rock legends like Ian Andersen in Jethro Tull and pop queens like Lizzo. Arguably, the flute is the most versatile instrument in the woodwind family.
Not only is flute versatile, but there are plenty of health benefits that come with flute, including increased lung capacity - flute requires as much as as the tuba - small muscle development in the hands, neck, and face, and with that improvement of coordination and dexterity. Flutists in particular have the gained ability to make nuanced and synchronized movements not only in their fingers, but with their tongues and facial muscles, which ultimately can help significantly with speech.
Why Private Lessons?
Private lessons are a great way to begin learning flute without the guesswork. Think about your favorite teacher. Now, imagine if they were able to sit down with you one-on-one every week and tailor their lessons specifically to your needs every week. Wouldn’t you have learned a ton? Well, that’s what private music instruction is like. Not only is someone there to guide you through and press on in order to make you better, but they are there to tailor instruction to YOUR learning style and YOUR strengths and weaknesses. Band class is an incredible place to get foundations, but it’s not the place to get one-on-one attention and really get instruction on your instrument, which is why private lessons are so helpful. Students in private lessons often stand out in band class as higher achieving and build their skills more quickly, gaining access to more difficult music and solos as well as competitions quicker than their counterparts who don’t take them.
Private lesson teachers also tend to focus on adding historical and theoretical context to the pieces they’re playing, giving some music history and music theory instruction in the process. This adds to what students are often learning in school, which gives them a greater context to their overall education. This helps them be a well-rounded human in their education.
Private lessons build confidence. Students in private lessons often have more opportunities to perform and collaborate with other musicians, building their confidence when tackling not only new musical projects, but other things as well such as school projects, meeting new people, and performing in other areas of their lives. Confidence is a huge part of living a happy and healthy life, so in my studio, we build on it daily with exercises that force the mind to compliment ourselves and understand when we are right vs when we are wrong.
Private lessons provide another stable, trusted adult into you and/or your child’s life. Private lessons are not always strictly music. Often in private lessons, we discuss mental health, ways to avoid burnout, musical outlets, and even sometimes discussing anxieties, problems at school, etc. While music is, of course, the larger goal, sometimes in order to be successful in music, talking about how we can properly channel some of those things into our music is important. With that in mind, private lessons provide you and/or your child with a partner, someone who has their best interests in mind and is a safe space to be authentic, make mistakes, and learn about ourselves in the process. These benefits cannot be overstated.
Why Flute Lessons with Cassie?
Expertise. I have been playing flute for over 20 years, teaching since high school, and have studied performance and pedagogy under some incredible teachers, giving me the chops to help you become an incredible flutist. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in 2016, and I perform regularly as a wedding and event musician as well as with various community orchestras in the area, giving me access to many musicians and collaboration opportunities for my students! I also teach lots of online group classes, such as Flute Choir for Beginners and a Thursday night Flute Reboot practice session
Empathy, mindfulness, and mental health focus. Not only do I approach each student with curiosity, but I also tailor my expectations to fit their lives. Of course, if you want to be a professional musician, the practice standards are much higher than a student who just wants to play at home for fun, however, it’s abundantly clear in my studio that if you have a problem, you can come talk to me.
Making lessons fun. Not only are lessons informative, we work hard, but we also play hard! We play games with scales, trivia, note reading, improvisation, and even composition. Gamifying gets results in BOTH adults and children, so we have a good time! Life is short - may as well make it enjoyable.
Duets, recitals, and collaboration opportunities. I’m also very pro-collaboration. For online students, we offer Zoom sessions to get together every few months, meet and greet and ask questions. I also host studio parties in person, recitals, and put students together for musical collaboration with other instrumental studios regularly. I’ve written countless recommendation letters for students looking to audition for community, youth, and professional orchestras, because team work, as they say, makes the dream work. We are not in competition here. We work together to get better!
Dedication. I work my absolute hardest to be sure you are recieving the highest level musical education you can. I’m constantly attending my own lessons, seminars, requesting time with other teachers and mentors, and looking to make sure I am the best teacher I can possibly be. I actively work on new repertoire every month and actively engage in performance opportunities to improve my own playing, thereby being able to offer more insight to my students.
