Flute with Amanda E.

About Me: I didn't set out to be a musician or multi-instrumentalist, but I was born into a musical family, so it happened very naturally with my first solo performance happening when I was just 2 years old and my first composition coming at the age of 6. I began flute at age 9, and was immediately hooked by the round sound. Given my early ability to read and write music, I took my flute and lesson book home from school the day I received it and managed to play through the entire book that very night - and I've never looked back. I studied music education and classical flute performance at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA which led to an opportunity to learn Irish music as a performer at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2003. This started my love affair with Irish music and after a quick run to the local music store, it was the beginning of my experience playing Irish whistle. After years of performing with bands like Drink Down the Moon, Fake MacKenzie, and former Sony recording artist Spade McQuade (as well as many unsuccessful attempts to find one I liked better) I still play on that same $10 tin whistle at every gig. My personal goal as a musician is to explore every musical style that I can fit flute into. I constantly have people tell me at shows how they used to play flute, but gave it up because they never thought the instrument could play the types of music they were most interested in. I have set out to find creative and musical ways to make my instruments work within atypical genres (ask me about playing Johnny Cash on piccolo) and I work hard to help my students understand their instrument in ways that will allow them to do the same. About Lessons: My experiences have made me the type of musician who likes to play outside of the box, and I think that transitions to the way I teach. I understand that not every student is a born musician, and I approach my instruction with that in mind. Having taught lessons regularly since 1996, as well as instructing and adjudicating hundreds of marching bands, I've found that all students wants to learn music to ultimately play the music they enjoy. I discuss their goals to help craft personalized instruction that enforces the foundations of proper technique and technical training while focusing on fostering creativity and musicianship so we can reach those goals together.