Top Flute Tip #3 for absolute beginner flute players

Today we are continuing the series of Top 10 Tips for Absolute Beginner Flute Players!

However these tips in this article (that I wrote for the fantastic Swiss interactive sheet music company called Tomplay) are really not just for beginner flute players. 

They apply to any flutist who wants to improve their playing in a smart, efficient way!

Today's TIP #3 teaches you how to find yourself a good flute teacher.

Learning the flute the right way, with good technique, actually makes it a LOT easier to play! As you know, the way that I teach in The Flute Academy is:

"Faster Progress Through Proper Technique"

Have a read of the pros and cons below (or feel free to read all of the 10 tips here if you would like to read the whole article at once!)

FLUTE TIP #3. How to find yourself a good flute teacher 

There are generally three options when it comes to finding yourself a good flute teacher:

1. Real-life lessons with a flute teacher.
2. Online lessons (e.g. Zoom) with a flute teacher; or
3. Buying a recommended online flute course.

Regardless of which style of lesson you opt for, the deciding factor should be that your new flute teacher knows what they are doing! 

You might already be aware that being a flute teacher is more than just being able to play the flute well (although of course, this is very important!) - your new teacher should be able to teach.

And, as you've probably experienced in your life, teaching well is more than just telling the student what to do...

Good flute teaching is about the teacher being able to convey fundamental (often complex) playing techniques to you in a way that feels easy to you.

And the only way that you can figure this out is by experiencing for yourself if the teacher knows what they're doing, and are a good fit for you.

Being a "good fit" means their teaching style suits you, plus their personality suits yours!

Now let’s look at the pros and cons of flute lessons in person, lessons online, or an online flute course. 

In-person flute lessons

First up - if you live in an area with a highly recommended flute teacher who teaches in person, go for it!

Pros and cons of real-life lessons

Nothing beats the hands-on approach of a good teacher who can show you the basics of playing the flute. (More on these essentials in a moment, so keep reading!)

One potential downside is that you might feel that a good teacher is expensive.

However, it is money well spent. Getting yourself off to a good start on the flute is worth its weight in gold. What you learn in your first few lessons will stay with you for life.

You’ll develop habits in these first few lessons that will set the foundations for how well you will be able to play into the future. And that is no exaggeration!

Online flute teacher

An online teacher using live video (e.g. Zoom, FaceTime, Skype etc) is a great way to continue lessons with your local teacher if they are going away for a while and you want the continuity of lessons.

Pros and cons of online lessons

Online lessons have also been an incredible teaching tool during the Coronavirus pandemic when many instrumental teachers in the world were not allowed to teach in real life.

It’s incredible that technology offers us this option, however, there are natural limitations to live, online lessons.

Sometimes the audio quality drops out, the internet lags or someone's face ends up pixelated (not ideal when a teacher is trying to demonstrate the finer points of a good embouchure shape!).

You can generally expect to pay the same for an online lesson with a teacher as what they charge in real-life, although of course, this varies from teacher to teacher. 

An online flute course 

There are a few good flute teachers making a name for themselves online by offering flute courses and memberships that are very high quality.

The benefit of learning from pre-recorded videos is three-fold:

Watch in your own time

Firstly, you can pause, rewind and rewatch the videos as many times as you need to get a closer look, or to give your brain an extra chance to understand the lesson!

Learn without the pressure

And secondly, some students find there is less pressure when learning from a video recording than in a live lesson.

It is a good skill to be able to play in front of another person without going to pieces from performance nerves, however, we are all different, we all have a different tolerance level for stress and that is something that the internet can accommodate beautifully via online flute courses.

Value for money

And the third benefit to a flute course or membership - it is often significantly cheaper than hiring a teacher.

This doesn’t mean the teacher isn’t as good, it’s simply that the teacher is able to provide their course to many more students, so can be a great option to get access to a good flute teacher at a fraction of the cost of regular weekly lessons.

Stand by for Top Flute Tip #4!

So, that is how you find a good flute teacher to help you learn the flute and improve much more quickly than if you're learning by yourself...

In a few weeks, I'll send you Tip #4 - until next week, have a wonderful week of flute playing!

Jane x