This article was kindly written by one of Rebecca Fuller’s advanced students:
I was a band student for three years before I began flute lessons and started learning from Rebecca. Even after I started private lessons, I continued playing in my high school symphonic and marching band for several years.
I was putting my flute in serious danger each time!
In this article I want to share a few things I wish I knew while I was a flute player in band.
First, I wish I knew how to really care for my flute. In marching band especially, it was not uncommon for me to leave my flute in the grass while we warmed up or stretched before practice.
It never occurred to me that I was putting my flute in serious danger.
Moisture in the grass was damaging my pads, and it was very easy for someone to walk by and accidentally step on my flute. (it happened!)
I never realized the importance of cleaning my flute after every practice and performance as well. I watched older, more experienced players take their flute apart and put it in their case without cleaning it, and always assumed that it was okay.
Once I started lessons, I realized that my flute was not capable of playing correctly because of the mistakes that I made in caring for my flute. I would definitely encourage you to take the time and make sure you are cleaning your flute properly, trust me- your flute will stay nice for much much longer.
I also never knew the importance of scales and tone studies. As I began to study the flute more, I realized that scales and tone studies are the key to learning how to play the flute well.
Every piece of music is made up of patterns and notes. Scales and tone studies are the most efficient and beneficial way to practice those patterns and learn to play with a clearer sound. In band I always disliked playing my scales and doing warm-ups or tone studies because I felt they were boring and irrelevant.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I could give you is to make time to practice those scales and tone studies so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to get better and more comfortable with your technique.
There are many more things that I could add to this list because I learned so much about my flute after I made the decision to take lessons from a real flute teacher. (yes, there are fake ones out there)
I would definitely encourage you to sign up for the membership lessons here at Learn Flute Online. Rebecca knows her stuff, and you won’t regret it. -S.K.
