Flute lessons

I'm blessed to have had some amazing experiences playing the flute. I was fortunate to experience playing beside James Galway in London with a group of others, including his wife. We played a variety of tunes including my all time favourite the Tambourin. Back in the mid 80s (when I started playing) slow playback was not an option so I had played along with James on records, including that final Presto, so the race was on to keep up in the live performance. I've also been in the flute section of Meridian wind band radio recordings. I've also played in a crow's nest of a tall ship at sea.

How young can pupils start?

Students typically start the flute around 9 -11, although it is possible to begin at a younger age. The typical C flute is made of three pieces, the headjoint, body joint, and footjoint. For smaller flutists there is curved headjoint available to lessen the reach and therefore improve comfort when playing. A good instrument to precede the flute is the recorder, as there is less difficulty in initially producing a sound and the student can begin to learn note fingerings which is easily transferred to the flute. I started at the age of 11 having learnt recorder for a few years and the piano from the age of 6.

Why choose the flute?

One benefit of the flute is that is is compact and easy to carry! So you can pop it in your bag at work and come straight to lessens after, carry it on the bus or fit it in a school locker. The price point of flutes is another benefit, as there are a number of affordable option available to get started that won’t break the bank. The softer metal of the lower budget flutes can be softer, so students need to be careful to avoid damage. If careful, only minor adjustments and professional cleaning would be necessary through the years. Selecting an instrument, such as the flute, is a great way for a student to socialize in ensembles, orchestras and therefore making it a great way to make friends. In the key of C makes life easier when playing along with the piano, violin and using orchestral scores as it reduces the need to transpose.