LFP 062 | 9 Steps to Becoming the Flutist You Want to Be Part 2

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LFP 062 | 9 Steps to Becoming the Flutist You Want to Be Part 2

Learn Flute Podcast SHOW NOTES:

In this episode, you will learn 3 more steps to becoming the flutist you want to be.

This is the Learn Flute Podcast Episode 062.

Yeah! 

You’ll learn:

What this podcast will be all about

  • Information on this podcast is supplemental to LearnFluteOnline.com
  • A review of the first 3 steps (in episode 061)
  • Why mindfulness is important
  • How to celebrate your uniqueness
  • What you can look forward to learning from listening

Learn Flute Podcast 062

Press the Play Button to Listen Now:

Hello and welcome to the Learn Flute Podcast. I’m Rebecca Fuller, the expert and instructor of the Learn Flute Online dot com memberships and online flute-learning programs. Today’s podcast is the 9 steps to becoming the flutist YOU want to be part 2!  Let’s get going.

Let’s jump right in today. The last episode was filled with motivating goodness including the first three steps of nine, and today we’re going to continue with three more. Remember that the aim here at Learn Flute Online is to keep and help each and every one of you with your enthusiasm and motivation to keep learning to play the flute. And, to know fully that you can do it! I not only believe in YOU, but I believe in the process I have set for you as well.

Let’s quickly recap the first three points that we made in the last episode- which was number sixty one. The first was to ‘focus always on just steadily improving’. I think that people kind of assume they’ll be new for a minute and then jump to being an expert overnight. Yah,.. I’m here to tell you that doesn’t really happen. But, when we focus on being consistent and steadily improving, then things happen!

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard one of my favorite quotes, but it is that “people generally always overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, and grossly underestimate what they can accomplish in a year.” Write that one down and pin it on your bathroom mirror- because it’s true. Just keep going.

The second was to remember your ‘why’ more often. Why did you initially decide to choose the flute as an instrument to learn to play? 

Did you hear someone else playing something so beautiful that it inspired you to get right out there and start learning? 

Is it maybe the shiny look and feel of the instrument? 

What is it? 

Just remembering often what it was that first started your little seed of desire is often enough to help you keep going- which brings us to the number three step to becoming the flutist you want to be and that is always finding joy in the learning process. Once we understand that the learning process doesn’t really ever end, then we can relax, sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a fun one, and full of new cool sounds and experiments. So much beauty and satisfaction is awaiting us.

So, let’s get started today with number four!

I think most students tend to lean towards one type of music or another. It’s actually kind of interesting for me to see a unique ‘style’ develop as someone learns. For example, some students just love speed- anything that pushes the envelope for tempo and speed something really fast just gets them revving and excited. The faster the piece I assign, the better for them.

And, then others seem to gravitate towards the more slowy and flowy pieces (as I call them). They love to be able to sit in the pocket of a piece and feel every moment – so sometimes, the slower the better for them. Now, what I’m getting at here is that everyone tends to lean towards certain genres or styles, tempos, or any other musical aspect that give it some uniqueness of its own. This, my friends, is cool.

The reason I say it’s cool is because that’s really what music and life is all about. We all have our ‘thing’ and if we can learn to really highlight that and celebrate ourselves then the happier we are.  Now, this doesn’t really mean that we shouldn’t learn about the other skills and styles that might not be our first choice, practicing new skills will enhance every single part of music we play, and it does mean that we can really spend some time exploring and enjoying what we love and feel the most natural at while still always improving and enjoying. Just some things to think about today.

So, number four is all about celebrating our uniqueness and finding opportunities and music styles that make us feel happy and fulfilled while we learn and enhance our skills.

Alrighty- Number five is probably the step that I should have labeled number one because it’s to find the foundations, and lay it on thick. What I mean by this is that we will never ever be above practicing and tweaking the skills that take us to the higher levels. .. even if we are on the higher level.

For example; one of my students here in my studio the other day is just starting to learn an amazing super advanced piece by Genin. I loved how she started picking it all apart and looked at it and started gushing to me about all of the different chromatic and major scales she found inside the piece. They were all marked as thirty second and sixty fourth notes, and were going to be played at light speed.

It was a definite pay-day for me that she pulled these out and told me that she was so glad she had been daily practicing these for years now because that this was going to be quite a challenge. Yes, she’ll succeed I have no doubt – and, like the rest of us, she’ll need to continue honing these basic fundamentals forever in order to sound fluent and awesome on the flute.

Okay, let’s move on to number six which is going to be all about finding great examples and studying them often. I had a really great cassette collection when I was in college. Yes, I just said cassette collection- that lets you know my age, although I think some of you probably had records or even eight track collections also! Which is super cool!

Well, anyway my collection was made up of some of the neatest music! I loved it all so much, and every time my roommates were out, I put on some of my new-found loves and I cranked it up loud! I worked hard on really feeling the music. I let it permeate into my soul literally, and I guess it could sound a little cheezy, but honestly – I let the music right into my being.

I actually credit these days to my long-life in the music industry because as many professionals can attest – once music get inside you, it never leaves.  

We are so lucky to live in a digital age now where we can basically just call up any artist or composer with a few touches of a button, and we can put it on repeat all day long! Without having to hit rewind… haha, that’s something certain generations understand and are grateful we don’t have to go back.

So for our quick review for today, we see that number four was to celebrate the uniqueness inside us and use that to explore what we love to hear and play.

Number five is to recognize the fundamentals, use them as a base foundation that we will constantly build upon.

And, number six is to watch and listen to great examples for inspiration.

Whew! Fun Fun. I’m glad we’re doing this. I doubt we can ever talk about too many things to help us become better at what we’re striving to do- which in this case is learning how to play the flute really well.

I’m Rebecca Fuller – saying adios for this episode, and I’ll see you in the next one where we’ll wrap up this discussion of the nine steps to becoming the flutist you want to be.

Bye now!

 

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I hope you’ve enjoyed learning all about the flute the steps to becoming the flutist you want to be.  Join us for the next episode.

Have any questions? Comment below and I will help you out.

Rebecca FullerRebecca Fuller
Get Flutie with us! Learn and enjoy every musical minute.

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