Do you want to get better at playing the flute? Consider enrolling in intermediate flute lessons!
I was able to learn the basics myself. But eventually, I knew I needed someone to guide me through choosing repertoire and practicing efficiently.
Keep reading to learn if intermediate flute lessons are for you!
Benefits of Intermediate Flute Lessons
Beginning flute lessons have clear benefits, such as helping you establish a solid foundation of flute playing. But intermediate lessons can be less clear when it comes to deciding if they’re worth investing in.
Fortunately, there are plenty of benefits to taking lessons as an intermediate flute player. Consider the following advantages of intermediate lessons.
Keep Improving
Flute lessons can help you improve as a player no matter your level. Maybe you do have a good foundation of flute tone and technique. But you struggle to learn pieces that you want to learn now or in the future.
Working with a flute teacher can help a lot. You can get their guidance to help you figure out what you need to focus on. For example, technique came fairly easily to me, so my teachers helped me focus on my tone.
Even if you didn’t take lessons as a beginner, you can only get so far with blog posts and video tutorials. You’ll eventually need more guidance if you want to get really good at your instrument.
Find Good Music
Taking intermediate flute lessons can also help when it comes to choosing flute repertoire. A good flute teacher will know about plenty of pieces at various levels and in different styles.
So instead of you having to spend hours searching for music, your teacher can suggest a few options. Then, you can listen to what your teacher gives you and choose a piece or two that you want to learn.
That can save you a lot of time. You won’t have to worry about trying to learn a piece that’s either too easy or too hard. Soon enough, you’ll be able to play some standard flute pieces.
Interact With Musicians
Another advantage of taking lessons is that you can interact with other musicians. Of course, you get to talk to your teacher each week in your lessons. You can learn a lot from them, on and off the flute.
If you want to become a professional musician, your teacher can help with that as well. They can talk to you about different career paths and the reality of choosing to be a professional flutist.
Also in that case, your teacher may help you build your network. A teacher can even pass gigs or students to you once you reach an advanced level. Then, you can start to get professional experience that you wouldn’t get otherwise.
Enjoy Structure and Accountability
When you learn the flute on your own, everything is up to you. If you don’t practice for a few days, you could lose your progress. And it can be easy to take breaks and not play for a long time.
However, taking intermediate flute lessons can help. Your teacher can give you ideas to help motivate you to practice. And your teacher can hold you accountable to practicing each day.
Some flute teachers will even turn students away because they didn’t practice. Others will focus on music theory or history. Either way, you want to be prepared for your lesson, so you need to practice.
Drawbacks of Intermediate Flute Lessons
As helpful as intermediate flute lessons can be, they aren’t perfect. And they aren’t for every intermediate flute player. Before you enroll in lessons, be sure to consider the cons.
Then, you’ll know if it will be worth investing in private study. If not, you can find other ways to learn and improve at the flute.
Hard to Schedule
Depending on your schedule and that of your teacher, it can be hard to find a good time for lessons. You or your teacher may need to be more flexible in order to work together.
If you’re really busy, you may not be able to have lessons every single week. I had to take a couple of lessons a month when I worked full-time at a bank. And lessons rarely happened that the same time.
You also have to consider if a teacher only teaches on specific days and at specific times. For example, my studio is only open for a few hours each week. If that doesn’t work, you’d need to find another teacher, or I can help you find someone.
Conflicting Personalities
It doesn’t matter how good a teacher is if you don’t get along with them. A good teacher should understand your goals for taking intermediate flute lessons. You should be able to work together, and both of you should enjoy the lessons.
Fortunately, many teachers offer trial lessons so that you can figure out if the two of you are a good fit. Both the student and teacher should be able to tell the other that they aren’t going to work well together.
As a teacher, I know other teachers that I can refer potential students to if they won’t fit in my studio. That way, I won’t leave students in the dust. Instead, they can start learning from someone who is a better fit as a teacher.
Lack of Flexibility
Depending on the teacher, you may have to learn in a particular way. Some teachers only work out of one book or use one method. That can work well for those teachers because they don’t have to think too hard about teaching.
However, I prefer to work with students individually. That way, we can find a method that works for you and your goals. Even if I don’t know the method that well, I can learn so that I can help you learn.
Be sure to ask a prospective teacher what methods they use. If they stick to one system, don’t be afraid to ask more about the system to see if it might work for you. Then, you can make sure you find the right teacher for you.
Increasing Costs
Another drawback of taking intermediate flute lessons is the cost. Some teachers don’t charge a ton of money, but it is still going to add up. You have to consider the teacher’s experience and their education level.
Then, you need to consider how often you plan to take lessons and how long lessons will be. If you don’t make a ton of money, lessons can become a huge part of your budget.
In some cases, the cost is very much worth it. Lessons can help you prepare for music school or your career. But in other cases, you may be better off learning with digital guides or tutorials.
Who I Accept for Intermediate Flute Lessons
I’m happy to announce the reopening of my online flute studio! The studio focuses on advanced and intermediate flute lessons. I help flute players as well as woodwind doublers take their flute playing to the next level.
Because it’s online, you don’t have to live somewhere specific. However, you do need to have at least one year of experience playing the flute. You also need to have the discipline to practice between lessons.
It helps if you’re willing to experiment with different methods. I can only do so much over video chat, but I’ll do what I can to help you advance!
Will You Take Intermediate Flute Lessons?
Taking intermediate flute lessons can be an excellent way to push through the tough parts of playing the flute. You can get the guidance you need to improve your playing and prepare for an audition or your career.
Be sure to check out my online studio to learn more and sign up for lessons!