Greetings, fellow blowers-across-holes-in-expensive-metal-tubes. This is my first post here (or anywhere, about playing musical instruments, for that matter), so please be gentle.
I'm thinking about taking some flute lessons, and would be interested in your recommendations about what to look for in an instructor, how to approach this, and other general guidance.
But before I go there, let me provide a little background, since I probably do not fit the typical student flutist shopping for a teacher profile - and I'm probably not looking for the usual basic instruction...
I'm a grown adult, not a school-age child. I have owned a flute (and occasionally played it, off and on) for, oh I dunno, going on about 30 years now. I have never been particularly "serious" about playing (and it shows). I bought my flute (a basic, Armstrong student flute) on a whim, and more or less "figured out" how to get sounds out of it by myself - no lessons, no fingering charts, no scales, no discipline, just blow on the thing and see if I can make something like music. No doubt I have developed what many serious players (and probably most flute teachers) would call "bad habits" (breath control, posture, unconventional fingerings...) but despite the noise that I make (which is good for driving away raccoons and other pests that approach my house), I enjoy playing, such as it is. I can knock out some songs, and some of them don't even sound horrible to me, and that's nice. I am not really good at this, I know it, and that has been OK, since I play only for myself (and occasionally to drive away others). But I would like to get "better" (I'll define that in a minute). I think that I am probably teachable to some extent, and some specific instruction would be helpful.
I have little interest in learning to play (what I perceive to be) the classical flute pieces most often used in teaching new, young flute students. Nothing wrong with that stuff, but I would just rather play other things (even if, or perhaps especially if, I'm going to play them really badly).
What kind of stuff do I like to play (or attempt to play)? Stuff I know (since I don't really read music), songs I can hear in my head, and I enjoy listening to: everything from old jazz standards to irish fiddle tunes to pop tunes to latin jazz to texas swing to AM radio hits from the 50s and 60s. I can play all sorts of things, badly.
How badly? Well, badly in all sorts of ways. I can produce a decent tone across a limited range (the middle octave, which i assume is the easiest for everyone). Down low, my tone is weak and shakey, and I can't hold the lowest notes very long before they turn into a pitiful, all-too-brief wheeze. Getting up higher, my tone is shrill, and I don't know all the correct fingerings, so my ventures into the third octave *almost* sound like avant-gard jazz sax work, but not intentionally - I take wild stabs at the high notes, occasionally I hit them. I make a lot of mistakes. OK, everybody makes mistakes, I know that's part of learning any instrument or really any skill.
I would like to get better. Specifically, I would like to improve the following:
Tone. All over, but especially the lower end (say, below G), and anything above the 2nd octave.
Correct fingerings, especially when attempting anything higher than the 2nd octave - I've only recently begun to attempt that
Breath control - I'd like to be able to play and hold a note (with a decent tone), or a continuous phrase, for more than maybe the 10-15 seconds I can manage now. Circular breathing? Oh, I suppose I can dream...
Better fluidity when making the "jump" (whatever the proper term is) between the high-end-of-a-low-octave and the low-end-of-a-high-octave (and vice versa)
I can also understand that I would benefit from being able to read music, and even sight-read, at least to a greater extent than I can now (which is, I would say, pretty limited!). Right now, I can sort of identify one note at a time ("let's see, it's Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, so that note resting in the space above that bottom line there, that one must be an F...:) and then I can work my way up or down to F on the flute since I know the fingering for C....this process currently requires me to stop what I'm doing and concentrate for about a minute or so...not exactly a practical way to play a song. On the other hand, I can just close my eyes and play some things from memory/by ear.
I'd love to be able to learn to improvise, although I know that just getting a grip on the basic skills is a prerequisite for that.
I'm pretty sure that my flute is in good condition. I recently took it to a local repair person (specializing in flutes) who comes highly recommended. I asked her to do a complete COA, fixing anything that needed attention. My instructions to her: "I'd like to be sure that the horrible noises that come out of this thing are caused by the person attempting to play it, not the instrument's limitations or conditions." She gave me an odd look (I think she is used to working with a more accomplished clientele), but kept the flute for a week, and it came back clean, shiny, with a few new pads and a bill for a couple hundred bucks. No complaints from me, it was filthy before and hadn't had any service for 20 years. It seems to play a little better now.
So I think my humble little Armstrong is OK. It's my pipes - and my fingers and my head - that need upgrades.
So now to my original question...
I'm looking for a teacher. I live in a medium-sized US city (Seattle) where there are surely a number of qualified flute instructors. Most, I assume, are classically-trained, and geared primarily towards teaching young folks who are just starting out and taking a more conventional path towards learning to play - for school band, orchestra, etc. That's great, but I really don't care much about learning to play Handel, Hayden or whatever the typical youth orchestra or flute choir aspires to these days.
I suspect most flute instructors would have no objections to taking on someone like me who doesn't fit their typical student profile (I figure most musicians can always use the work!) but I'm wondering what to look for in an instructor. I'm also wondering about how to approach them - I've been thinking that I might (after telling my story and explaining my goals) test-drive ("audition") 2 or 3 different instructors for a lesson or two each, before settling on one for more extended work. Is that considered impolite/inappropriate? Seems like it might be a good way to find someone whose teaching style works for me.
I am also a busy adult with a sometimes-demanding job and other hobbies and things going on, so it may be a challenge for me to commit to a large number of hours every week to practice. I know, I know, there is no substitute for spending time and doing the work, I'm just trying to be realistic. I will confess this up front to any instructor so there's no misunderstanding.
I *do* have a couple of other crazy (related) ideas, but I'll post them in a separate thread, to keep things focused.
Suggestions? Tips? Reality-checks? Hit me, I'm open.
Thanks in advance for any advice you would like to share, it's much appreciated.