Attitude of Gratitude – Top 20 Reasons to be Grateful to Play the Flute

Happy 2023! Have you made any New Year’s Resolutions yet? Do you have a flute-playing goal you are trying to reach or a bench-march you are trying to master (ex. increasing your daily practice time, hosting a certain number of recitals, etc.) ? While the general environment may be demanding newness and renewed motivation for outworn ambitions, the New Year also offers an opportunity to reflect on the good things you already have in your flute life. Keeping with an attitude of gratitude, below is a collection of the top 20 reasons to be grateful to be a flute player (as if you needed more of an incentive to play the flute).

Happy fluting!

-Dr. G.

Top 20 Reasons to be Grateful to Play the Flute

1. Small cases that literally fit in purses or backpacks. Hello, portability!
2. The flute does not weigh very much. No weight lifting necessary (sorry, tubas).
3. Interesting parts in band and orchestra (sorry again, tubas).
4. The flute (and piccolo) are almost always the highest voices in an ensemble. We are the proverbial icing on the musical cake.
5. No spit values. Cleaning our instrument is a piece of cake. No post-rehearsal puddles of yuck.
6. Fluterscooter bags! Check them out. They are super chic and functional: www.fluterscooter.com
7. The flute can adapt to a number of different styles and performing ensembles (band, orchestra, jazz, rock n’roll, folk, irish gig bands, etc.).
8. Multiphonics (or the ability to create strange, unique, ethereal sounds using two notes at the same time).
9. Flute horoscopes (yes, this is a plug). Check out what the stars have in store for your flute playing this month: https://thefluteview.com/sections/dr-gs-flute-horoscopes/ 
10. Muppets love the flute (or at least they loved Jean Pierre Rampal and his flute playing. Muppets have good taste!).
11. Jethro Tull showed us that the flute has metal band potential. We rock!
12. The Glissando headjoint (how cool is this: http://robertdick.net/the-glissando-headjoint/). Thanks, Robert Dick!
13. Connecting with old colleagues and meeting new flute friends from around the World at the annual National Flute Association Convention.
14. The Flute View, Pan, and The Flutist Quarterly - Monthly publications that keep us up to date with new flute trends.
15. Trick fingerings (brass, strings, and percussion – don’t be jelly).
16. Our instrument is in the key of C. That means: No transposing!
17. Numerous pieces written to make the flute sound like various types of birds. Birds are cool.
18. Flute choirs and fun flute choir literature.
19. Jazz flute and the performers that make Jazz flute rock! (Hubert Laws, etc.)
20. Baroque flute and the performers that make baroque flute amazing (Bart Kuijken, etc.).

Rachel Taylor Geier holds a DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, an MM in Flute Performance from San Francisco State University, and a BM in Music Performance from DePauw University. Former applied instructors include Immanuel Davis, Linda Lukas, Anne Reynolds, and Rhonda Bradetich. Dr. Geier currently teaches and freelances in Davis, California.