Flute with Steph D.

Hello! My name is Steph and I can't wait to hear you play! I will absolutely enjoy teaching you regardless of your age or playing ability. Beginner students: We will mostly work on pieces out of Kathy Blocki's flute method books as well as exercises composed by myself to make sure your fundamentals are solid from the beginning. Plan on learning new notes and rhythms each lesson as well as having scale and playing assignments. Intermediate students: We will be working on honing the fundamentals (tone, technique, articulation) through various etudes and intermediate solo pieces, depending on playing ability. Vibrato will be introduced as well as phrasing, breathing, and everyone's favorite: intonation! Weekly assignments will include memorizing scales and preparing all pieces covered in lessons. Prepare to take notes and laugh frequently at my jokes! Advanced students: We will learn about body awareness and work on playing without tension. We will work on developing tone colors (warm, sweet, bright, hollow, etc.), refining your technique through daily exercises, as well as further developing the fundamentals. We will work on repertoire for your auditions, more advanced solo pieces, etudes, and technical exercises. Weekly assignments will include practicing at least 45 minutes per day to have material fully prepared for the lesson. Always remember: The more effort you put into your lessons, the more you will get out of them. Most of your growth as a musician will happen while you are practicing. If you come to lessons fully prepared, we can learn new material each week and continuously hone your skills. You will also make me a very happy teacher. :) Bio: New York City-based flutist Steph Dressler is passionate about the music of our time. Her upcoming album, Pieces of Me, features original poetry and blends contemporary flute sounds with ambient electronics to create an intimate reflection of her lived experiences. Steph has had the pleasure of performing new music at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, as well as community-centric venues like coffee shops and burger joints in small-town America. Steph is a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music’s Contemporary Performance program where she was a flutist in the critically-praised contemporary ensemble Tactus. In the summer of 2022, she had the privilege to attend the Atlantic Music Festival as a flutist of the Contemporary Music Ensemble where she performed new works alongside esteemed musicians such as Yvonne Lam of Eighth Blackbird and the members of Trio Fibonacci. In November of 2021, Steph traveled to Weimar, Germany where she premiered six delightfully-challenging works written by composers from the Franz Liszt Weimar Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music. Steph Dressler currently serves as Flute Faculty at Music in Chappaqua in upstate New York. She additionally maintains a private flute studio in New York City and virtually via zoom and TakeLessons. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in kindness, deep awareness, and self-compassion. Through their hard work and effort, Steph’s students have placed in various competitions and festivals including the New York State School Music Association All-State Festival, the Wisconsin School Music Association All-State Festival, the NCBA All-Northern Honor Band, the Kentucky Music Educators Association All-County Festival, and the Texas Music Educators Association All-County Festival. In addition to her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, Steph holds a Master of Music degree from SUNY Purchase College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She has had the privilege of attending numerous summer music programs, including the Impulse New Music Festival, the Consummate Flutist at Carnegie Mellon University, and Amy Porter’s Anatomy of Sound Workshop, to name a few. Her most memorable masterclass performances were those with Lorna McGhee, Alexa Still, Alberto Almarza, and Amy Porter. Her primary flute teachers include Tara Helen O’Connor, Roberta Michel, and Tracey Schmidt. ​ Steph is proudly from a small town in central Pennsylvania and currently resides in the Bronx, New York.