Playing a musical instrument is a gift. And while playing the flute can bring so much joy to your own life, that effect is often amplified when you start sharing it with those around you.
Before we begin…
Let me say from the outset that there is absolutely nothing wrong with playing the flute just for yourself. So, no pressure or guilt if this is you. However, if you’d like to consider the idea of looking beyond the practice room, keep reading!
Looking beyond the practice room
As a child, my sister and two of our friends came up with the idea of putting on a Christmas concert for our parents and grandparents. This was completely our idea; nobody asked us to do it. After our first concert, the bug had bitten us, and we kept doing it, year after year. Of course, we were anything but professionals; in fact, most of us had only been playing our instruments for a few years. We no doubt made mistakes, yet the visible joy and happiness our (imperfect!) music brought to our audience was priceless! There were tapping feet and big smiles all around…
If you’ve ever wondered if this could be for you, I encourage you to start looking beyond your practice room. Think of places in your area, people in your area, anybody who might appreciate the gift of music. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Volunteer to play at small, private gatherings – this could be anything from family events to a friend’s party. Often, these kinds of low-pressure environments are a great way to start.
- Offer to teach someone interested in learning the flute, or even just act as a mentor for someone who needs a little accountability in their playing (kids often do!).
- Consider playing at retirement homes or hospitals – sharing your music in settings where people feel isolated or unwell can be deeply uplifting. This could be done alone or with other musicians.
- Play at community events, be it a school function or a local fair. This could be a great way to build community spirit, as well as your confidence!
- Offer your services at your local church or place of worship – music can add such a sacred, beautiful element to this kind of space.
- Music at ceremonies can bring a unique element to these often very emotional events, be it a wedding or a memorial. Consider playing at such an event. Often, it can also just be gentle background music that sets the mood.
Start small
Once you’ve done some brainstorming on ways you could share your flute music with others, narrow your list down to the top three options. It’s important that you aren’t stretching yourself too far to begin with. Start small, and start with something that sounds fun and doable!
For example, if you’re already involved in your local community, start there. It’s an obvious place to start. Or if you’re already going to church every week, speak to your local pastor about playing your flute in the services sometimes. And if that thought feels overwhelming, start by accompanying one song and see how it goes.
Also, if going solo makes you nervous, you can always try recruiting some other musicians as support. I have fond memories of playing my cello at weddings as part of a trio, along with a violin and a flute. It can be a wonderful shared experience!
Create goals
As with anything in life, it’s helpful to create some goals, especially if this more “public” aspect of playing scares you just a little.
Perhaps you’d like to challenge yourself, but you also think you may flake out… then setting goals is a good way to go. Decide on some doable ways you could bring some musical joy to others and then commit to them.
For example, you could decide you want to share your music in some way once every two months. Choosing some ways to do that and scheduling them out in your calendar could work to keep you committed to following through. In fact, having a goal like this can be a powerful motivator for sustained and regular practice, too.
Add a special dimension to your playing
Not all of us are professional musicians. And that’s perfectly okay. But if you play an instrument, you have something very special that not everybody has. No matter your skill level.
When you share the gift of music you’ve received, it can really add another dimension to your playing. You start realizing that your music may bring someone else comfort, or inspire them in ways that words can’t, and that is a pretty amazing feeling. Wouldn’t you agree?
Share your stories!
If you’ve had experience with this aspect of flute playing, let us know in the comments or send us an email. We’d love to hear from you.
Happy practicing and sharing your gift of music! ♥️
Responses
Renate,
Since I’m a retired (speech therapist),I love to play for others in spite of my mistakes (which they don’t notice)
I have a pianist friend and a guitarist who play with me at a local retirement home where they love us because we’re free..and we love them, because they’re hard of hearing.
I love it, Karen! That sounds like the perfect arrangement ; )
Lovely inspiration! Thanks
You’re welcome, Lesley!
Thank you so much for sharing this, it is y inspiring.
I am glad you liked it, Roderick!
Thank you for this inspirational blog. I think it is important to grow as a musician, and one of the ways this is achieved, is when you step out of your practice room. It is amazing how many oppertunities suddenly comes to view and also find you when you do this. Mistakes is part and partial of this process. Viewing them as learning oppertunities rather then stumbling blocks, can help navigate the process of getting use to playing outside the practice room.
That is so true, Janeth. That change of perspective can make all the difference! Thank you for sharing.
I played for my parents at holidays but maybe I got the song selection wrong because it may have gone over their heads and they thought it was too shrill.
Ah, that’s too bad, Yinran, sorry to hear it! Family can be a tough crowd to play for. Don’t give up, though! Like you said, maybe try a different song selection next time or play for someone else.
My flute story picked up after almost 50 years. I played in high school and college and a few times in community summer bands during those 50 years. Then one day I stopped by the church I had attended in my younger years where my sister was cantor. It was choir practice and one of the choir members knew I played fairly good in high school and mentioned the piece they were practicing had a flute part. I was not attending church at that time. It had to be Divine Intervention that made me pick up my flute again! I still had my high school flute and started practicing with the choir. Now, four years later I play for the English and Spanish Masses and many people tell me how much more meaningful the Mass is with the addition of my flute. I feel so blessed to be able to give back to my church and to my Creator. My flute playing has also expanded to a small combo of piano, drums and flute for the local farmers market even though I’m not as brave with that genre.
Listening to Tatiana has given me new courage to improve past where I left off 50 years ago. Thank you so much.
What a cool story, Anne! Thank you for sharing it with us.