Things my Flute Teacher Taught Me

When I was young I always threatened to write a book about all the things I learned with my flute teachers.

As many people know, I’m a classically-trained concert flautist and I had the chance to play in orchestras, teach, do private concerts and have a bit of a musical career before I launched off into politics and media. Learning an instrument is a long and arduous process that is fraught with difficulty but trains you in discipline, commitment to a process, and is accessible art and creativity. Not everyone can draw or paint or write but most people can learn something of music on guitar or piano or even an orchestral music. Music is a great democratic art form because you don’t have to be that good in order to understand the language of music and the appreciation that is trained into you lasts a lifetime. There is nothing quite like learning an instrument. That being said, given the whirlwind that is adulthood, music is best trained as a young person or someone who is retired and has lots of leisure time. Obviously, you can begin at any time but that is merely my opinion. I am at an age and experience level where I can pick up any of my instruments and play them proficiently. I find that these days given all that I have to do and my energy levels I don’t play as much as I used to. I would like to play more but we must have our priorities.

Music requires a level of vulnerability that is not often achieved, especially if you take private lessons. One of the first times I learned about myself as a person was with one of my flute teachers. He saw me for who I was and was not judgemental about it but encouraged me to be myself. Music has a power that way.

Things my Flute Teacher Taught Me:

Do Your Homework

My flute teachers could always tell when I hadn’t practiced. There were some weeks when I really went home and worked hard on the passages and pieces that I needed to work on. Even though I showed talent early on and I could often fudge my way through a lesson, it was always obvious when I had actually worked on something and when I had merely touched it one or two times and left it until the next lesson.

This is a tremendous lesson. In life, when you don’t take the time to be prepared everything you do comes off as rushed and unpolished. I find the older I get the more true this becomes. In order to navigate the tasks in life we have to be prepared. I think it’s one of the things I notice most about people and how they handle their lives is their level of preparation. When someone prepares for something it says that it is valuable to them, they are willing to spend their precious time on it and they don’t want to waste your time. I know that I insulted some of my flute teachers by coming into lesson unprepared. If I didn’t take the time to practice and prepare, then what was the point?

The Learning Never Stops

Music is one of those things that you never perfect and you never know enough about. Composers have spent their lives giving us music to play and musical problems to solve. You can become elite at an instrument, style, vocals, or composition but we never stop learning. Many people find that daunting and unfulfilling. I think it’s exciting because it means that I can continue to do this my whole life. I never have to stop music or sit back from music or be finished. It’s always there, like a good friend, waiting to re-engage with me and create immaterial art.

Being Professional

One of the hallmarks of a true professional is their ability to do the hard thing, no matter what. Maya Angelou wisely said once, “Just do right, it may not be easy, it may not be expedient but just do right.” Being on time, arriving at lesson/rehearsal, and being prepared all take discipline. It is far too easy to do something that is less work or more pleasurable. But one of the amazing things about music is that it takes personal discipline to accomplish it. Unlike team sports, where there are coaches and peer pressure to keep you going, the music stand only has room for 1 and the only way I was going to get better was to spend time there. Doing the hard thing is at the core of being a true professional. Skill and talent are nothing without the requisite discipline.

Some of the most impactful conversations about life happening in the music studio. There are probably more lessons, ideas, concepts and other important things that I’ve forgotten.

If you had music lessons growing up, what did you learn? Comment below!