What to do now to become a professional flute player?

Question

What to do now to become a professional flute player?

Answer 1

If you want to stand a chance at making it as a pro flute player, you WILL NEED private lessons. There is no way around it. Then after high school, the next step is to go to college and earn a degree in flute performance (where in addition to lessons with music faculty, you'll learn things like music history and theory, and more piano). After your bachelor's degree, I should think that you'd need at least a master's to have a shot at making a professional orchestra. And even then, it's a matter of finding an open chair. Good luck.



Edit: As a high school sophomore with no formal training, you have NOT mastered anything on the flute. That may sound harsh, but if you've convinced yourself that you're so good already, the real world will destroy you without mercy.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

i'd suggest applying to art high schools or just high schools that specialize or offer a variety of music courses. schedule an audition and see how it goes. i go to a school where you can have a music concentration and take required music classes such as musicianship. also, you should try out for county, regional, and state orchestras which look very good when you apply for a music college. competitions can't hurt either. playing for an outside orchestra, something similar to juilliard's pre-college division, and getting more opportunities such as master classes is also important because you get a lot of insider knowledge. just try your best & take as many opportunities as possible. it can't hurt. good luck :]

Answer 4

Are you at least sixteen? Could you get a part-time job to pay for lessons yourself? Babysitting? Odd jobs?

Maybe you can arrange for lessons every OTHER week instead of every week to cut the cost.



Are your grades good? Maybe you can look into joint enrollment at a nearby college. If you get into their music program, you can finish your high school courses while beginning the basic theory/skills, and taking flute lessons as part of your program. You could prepare auditions at good schools for when you actually graduate, then take the full 4-5 years even if you're already ahead, so you have more time to practice. It's a long shot, but not impossible.



Also a long shot, but occasionally available, are scholarships to help students take lessons when they can't afford them. I don't know where you're located, but look it up for your area.



Don't be helpless. Take matters into your own hands if you want this. There are ways to make it happen, because you absolutely ABSOLUTELY need lessons if you're going to succeed on the flute.

Answer 5

Practice like hell - preferably with a private teacher guiding you but that might come later, after your parents see that it's the path you're going down. Look into local music instrument stores and talk to people about trading some sort of service like yard work, etc. in exchange for reduced rates. The more proactive you are about this, the more likely your parents will find it hard to say no.



But you should be practicing like crazy. If your school or community has an orchestra, join it and be as active as you can in it. Find a few colleges that you have a realistic chance of getting into and ask each of them what you should be doing now to help prepare for auditions and what sort of prep work you can do as far as learning music theory inside and out. If you've never had private lessons at this point you might not be very attractive to a conservatory or some other hardcore place. This shouldn't get you down, though. Don't focus too much on the name brand of where you do your undergrad work, just get there and work your a** off to be more competitive when it comes time to apply to grad schools.



It might also be a good idea to work with a current or past professor who knows you somewhat to help gather your life story in a compelling way. The college application process can actually be quite educational if you let it. There's probably some over-arching theme or purpose that has followed you around through life that you haven't really taken the time to identify. If you can do that, and write about it in an engaging way, your chances of getting into one of those hardcore conservatory schools goes up considerably.



Once you get in as a flute performance major you'll be given private lessons there as a part of your program.

Answer 6

Private lessons aren't COMPLETELY necessary. They help TONS though. My suggestion to you would be to read up on common mistakes because you might be making it. Learn/memorize your scales, learn music lingo, and get some flute books(they don't cost much.) Lastly but most importantly PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!

Good Luck! :)

Answer 7

Honey, I *am* a professional flutist - and a teacher of over 35 years experience, as well as a competition judge. As the other responders have said, you absolutely must have been studying with TOP teacher of your instrument for many years, and have won many honors and positions in highly advanced groups (like All-State in your state, as a minimum!) to even think of applying to a good music schools. Are there some colleges that will take you anyway? Sure - but they will never ever prepare you to be competitive when auditioning fr a career. There are things that are fundamental that you might have learned on your own - but it is possible that you learned them inefficiently, or just plain incorrectly. And there are many things that you have never even *heard* of, that you need to learn as well. When I take my students to that next level, it's like Willie Wonka opening the doors to another whole room of delight - overwhelming, and then *wonderful*!



As far a colleges, again - if you go to some lesser-known,m or even mediocre place, you stand ZERO chance of a seat in a full-0time professional orchestra. I have a former *vocal* student who now hold a BM and a MM from Juilliard as a horn major, is in a professional training program at Curtis - and still is unable to land her first full-time job. Another friend - she and her husband are both retired from the horn section of the Met Opera orchestra - have a horn-playing daughter who played in the Far East for 11 years - and has given up of getting a horn job in the US or Europe - and she also has Juilliard-and-beyond training. I am an All-State judge in NY. Every year, out of the thousands of just *flutists* we hear auditioning for AS, we get maybe 400 or so perfect scores. Out of those - we take just over 20 into groups. Yes, there is something that needs to be fixed in the system - but even so, the level of playing is *astounding*. And you would be competing with that - for college, and for professional jobs.



There is a place in life for everyone - and you might someday find a group that you enjoy playing in, for fun - but please do not set you sights on this unrealistic goal. I play professionally, but never have played in any major orchestra - I chose my goal decades ago, to chamber music and teaching. I enjoy that, and can make a genuine contribution - and a very good living. I know where I am in the Food Chain of Flutists - I go to conventions, I listen to live concerts and recordings, and learn a great deal - and know just how I can help the future generation of flutists. Keep playing the flute, and I hope that your college education leads you to a career wherein you have all the security and income you need, to THEN study at the level you cannot right now. All the best.