Hello, I'm new here. I'd like some ideas from the group for choosing my daughter's first flute teacher. She is 10, and is homeschooled.

Flute teacher #1 -- is the neighborhood "flute mom" and teaches out of her house. When she met my daughter, she went out of her way to be funny and make her laugh. Clearly has a lot of experience with kids both as a parent and as a flute teacher. She has a bachelor's degree in music, and plays some professionally as a soloist or wind ensemble at weddings, events, church, etc. She teaches primarily out of the book the school band program uses. She says flute is her passion, and her house was full of musical "stuff" -- grand piano, instruments, etc.

Flute teacher #2 -- teaches at a local music store. She has a master's degree and some post-master's work, and plays in local orchestras. She teaches out of a flute-specific book and had a very specific teaching philosophy ("I want my students to build great tone, not just learn technique.") She teaches all ages, and didn't have the "kid friendly" persona of the first teacher. (She may be a bit more serious in lessons? Daughter did not warm up to her as fast.) But, I liked the fact that she isn't tied to the local school program since my daughter is not going to participate in that (at least not for her first year of flute). One negative is that she only teaches at the local music store on Sundays (We like to go camping on weekends in the summer). She is a bit more expensive, but not unreasonable. (All of the flute teachers we talked to were within 5 bucks of each other.)

So: main pros for each

#1 -- more convenient scheduling, very kid friendly, probably daughter's first choice for that reason

#2 -- more definite teaching philosophy, more advanced flute education

Looking back at this message, I think I like the second teacher, but wish we could do another day besides Sundays. I also feel like I should honor my daughter's first choice for personal "fit" as well.

However, I'd love to hear some been-there-done-that advice from experienced flutists.

Thank you for your time!

I'd definitely go with #1 based on my own experience.

I've had both kind of teachers. My flute teacher is great. She mostly does lessons on the side kinda thing, but she is also a band teacher for the 7th grade in my school district at one of the middle schools (we have two.. we have a HUGE district and a pretty big band program)She is also probably one of the best teachers in the area. I really like her because she does it more for fun and I actually love going to my lessons I think she just got, or is getting her masters in music education, I'd assume.

My other teacher was for violin. She was very serious about teaching. She was a great teacher and I learned SO much from her, but I definitely did not have as much fun with her. I don't know how much she was a contributing factor, but I actually ended up quitting violin (I still play at church sometimes but not at school or lessons so now I just focus on flute) She really was not a huge contributor to that though.. it was just too much work to be playing them both at such a high level and having to switch back and forth at school just didn't work anymore.

I'd definitely say #1

Are there any school districts that you are in/near that you could ask their band directors who students take lessons from? See if the teachers have students involved in All-State or honor bands (both my violin and flute have All-Staters. My violin teacher had probably 13 of the 20 violins selected, and my flute teacher 3 of 5 this and last year (including me this year) which is really incredible.

With both teachers I improved a TREMENDOUS amount and I've been with my flute teacher a year and a half, my violin just a year.. both are great, but I really do enjoy my flute teacher more since she makes lessons fun, along with her being a great teacher. But maybe also remember that I also just enjoy flute more regardless of the teachers..

I'd pick who you daughter wants to have lessons with, not who you want her to have lessons with

Many budding young musicians get their first exposure to an instrument in a school music program. Those first experiences usually come from a school band director who is familiar with and teaches all of the instruments, but is typically a specialist in only one. As a former school music educator and band director, I found that most students do very well with this "general" approach to learning music from a teacher who may not be an expert in a every student's instrument. After a student had learned the basics of music and their instrument (usually a year or two after starting), I encouraged private lessons from a specialist.

Since your daughter is home schooled and you both want her to learn the flute, you have the advantage of starting her with a specialist. Given the information that you have provided, it seems to me that both are qualified flute instructors. Like most things in life, each has pros and cons. I feel your daughter would probably do well with either.

That said, motivation can be key to success with any student. Since your daughter has shown an affinity for the local instructor, she may be more motivated with a teacher that has a good rapport with her. Before commiting to either teacher, you might see if you can arrange a trial period of a lesson or two with each and then make a final decision after comparing your impressions with those of your daughter.

Finally, flutists often change teachers throughout their musical life. Selecting a teacher is not a lifetime commitment. If either you or your daughter are not satisfied with your initial selection, you always have the option of changing.

I'd go with #1. Your daughter will be taking the lessons, not you. The better she relates to her instructor, the more enjoyable her experiences will be. More enjoyment will probably translate to more committment on her part. And as was mentioned in a previous post, this is her first of (possibly) many flute reachers.

<Added>

Sorry ... "teachers"

i would personally choose number 1, being of the younger generation, my flute teacher is amazingly nice and very talented(i think she has a degree) so i enjoy lessons with her as we an have a laugh, but with a differant teache i don't think i'd be as motivated. It sounds as i you like the second one because she has a differant more serious approuch, but your daughter preferes the other one as she is more of a laugh and can get on well with her.
I'd arrange a trial lesson with each (one on the sunday the other within the next week) and have half the lesson with you their seeing there approuch then just step outide for the last half(read a book in the car or something) and then at the end of each of them sit down with your daughter and ask her what she thought, and then do it for the other teacher and see which one you both think is more sutible.
Remeber that if you go for number one now you don't have to stick with her, you could change after a couple years to the other, if your daughter choses to further her fluting

Good luck.
Leigh

If your daughter is just starting the flute, I would go with the teacher that she likes. She sounds qualified. Some of the best flutists in the would do not have a degrees. When it comes to music, a degree is just a piece of paper with words printed on it.

Get her playing the instrument with someone that she loves. If she gets to a point where she is not progressing anymore or she is as good as the teacher, I would try to find her another teacher. If she decides that she really loves the flute when she get to highschool age, I might find her another very very good teacher. Maybe the lady that plays with the orchestra or a college instructor.

If she is a young girl, I would try to keep it fun. Learning is much more pleasent when you are having fun.

I hated school when I was a kid. I didn't do very well. It was interesting that when I think back to my school days, I would always get and A or B in the classes that I loved the teachers. I would do very bad in the classes that I hated my teachers. I would barely squeek by.

I would send my child to instuctor #1.

Thanks for the advice. It sounds unanimous!

--Janet

I think #1 sounds better - your daughter's interest and opinion of the person teaching her is important.

Unfortunately I have a different opinion.
I had the fun loving flute teacher my first time around. Even though she had some higher education, she wasn't qualified to teach as much as she did. She didnt even know standard flute repertoire (Chaminade anyone?)! I also picked up many bad habits from her that took a long time to break.

However, if the flute teacher you're looking at actually knows what they're doing, then ok. Your daughter should feel comfortable, but sometimes the initial scare of someone big and bad pushes them into pursuing their practice a little more. Then again, sometimes they don't have the patience to deal with a beginner.

Try a couple of lessons with each and decide then.

My litmus test was(and still is) if they also teach lessons at one of the local colleges. The departments at most universities and even the larger community colleges make sure that the people who are available to their music majors are top notch and know their stuff.

Music is fun.
Use teacher #1 for awhile. and then plan a couple of SUndays to use the other teacher as a change. I am all for the make a good tone being more importnat than anythign else first. Anyone can momorize scales and repertoire. Anyone can tell what to learn. Use teacher #1 for learning as there is a relationship your daughter will like. But, use teacher #2 every other month for awhile to work on tone production and tone quality.

After a while you daughter will state preferences and it will give her time to adjust to both teachers. Then you can decide. My best friend is someone I did not like at all when I first met. We were so similar we hated each other with a passion. Today I would do anything for him.

Use both teachers. There sholdn't be any problem with that.

First, a child should enjoy playing, practicing, and lessons. Inspiration is going to be paramount if your daughter is to really benefit from learning a musical instrument.

BUT...there are a couple of things that bother me about your description of Teacher 1. First, is the use of the local school's band book to teach from. Read this quote from the Jennifer Cluff blog articles:


"The problem with using these (band) methods for individual instruction seems to lie primarily in three areas: they nearly always begin with notes in the second register on the flute, rather than on low G or in the low register; they nearly always omit use of the sharp keys, and perhaps, most importantly, they move forward too quickly to enable the young student to master the basics of tone centering, breathing and blowing, and fundamental rhythm." ---Cynthia Stevens/Kathryn Blocki

This is the page from whence the quote came:
http://www.jennifercluff.com/blog/2006/12/question-about-teaching-12-yr-old.html

If Teacher #1 actually already knows all of this, and plans on teaching around any limitations that the Band Book method has, fantastic.

If Teacher #1 is going to allow your daughter to develop some Flutist's Bad Habits, that is a bad thing.

I hope your daughter can be inspired enough to want to continue her flue education as she gets older. If she outgrows her first teacher, and goes on to a higher level of learning, she MUST have a good foundation. If she has to spend weeks and months un-doing problems that develop from poor teaching, she will undoubtedly become discouraged. Just imagine, comparing yourself as say a 15 year old with 5 years of private flute lessons, to another student of the same age who has received more appropriate instruction over the last 5 years. If you have to do a bunch of remedial work, and another girl your age is entering state-level competitions, etc, that would be a real bummer.

The first part of this Jennifer Cluff blog page discusses this very problem:
http://www.jennifercluff.com/blog/2007/04/dear-flute-players-this-is-strong.html

Other possibilities might be a different approach, like the previous poster suggested- your daughter learns from both teachers, as long as everybody knows what is going on. Or, maybe there could be a couple of years from Teacher 1, then a once-monthly trip to a major metro area for lessons from an extraordinary teacher who combines Teacher 1's personality with Teacher 2's mastery of flute teaching.

The one thing that IS another bonus about teacher 1 is her involvement with the school band. Playing with an ensemble is going to do a LOT for her inspiration and pitch, at the very least. Our state allows home-schooled kids to go to the school to participate with the band (or orchestra), during their daily rehearsals. I would really recommend something like this after a year or two of lessons.

I must also recommend that your daughter starts off with an appropriate flute. Look over other topics here, and at the Jennifer Cluff site. An old Bundy will suffice for about a year or maybe two, if her instruction is good. But she'll need something better designed (Yamaha, Pearl, Jupiter) fairly early on so that she isn't held back/frustrated trying to develop a good tone.

I wonder if the original poster has already decided on a teacher since this was posted a couple of months ago?

Yep. It seems that many posters don't notice the date and resurrect old threads by responding months after the original poster has disappeared from the forum.

Yeah, but the software will email you to notify you of new replies.

In case folks are wondering, we did go with the "flute mom." I don't think the problems in the referenced article about bad fingering or not noticing that the flute needs repairs will happen. Even though she doesn't have graduate training, I don't think you can get a bachelor's degree in flute without learning the right fingerings.

She is learning from the "band book" (Essential Elements 2000). I don't have any experience to know whether it is "too fast" or whatnot, but practicing is going well and she likes her lessons. After a little more than a month of lessons, she doesn't know enough to start learning repertoire, but if the teacher doesn't add longer pieces (versus band exercises) as we go along over time, I will ask.

Her instrument is a three year old Yamaha, bought on craigslist from a kid who didn't have time for band her senior year, and inspected/tuned-up by a flute tech recommended (independently) by both teachers.

As far as playing in band or a group, it's not going to happen this school year, but we will be looking for it in the future. There is a flute choir at a nearby community music school that takes kids who have had at least one year of band which looks like a good choice in the future. Trying to schedule part-time enrollment at the middle school just to take band may not work because she wants to stay in her homeschool co-op one day a week and take a drama class as well, which would make it hard to be at school for band practice on time.

--Janet