How to Return to Flute Practice After a Break

Have you put your flute aside and have been concentrating on things outside the music world?  That’s ok!  We all need and should take a break every once in a while.  But don’t forget your flute for too long!  

No matter whether you have had a short break or a really long one, here are many simple things you can do to begin your flute practice again in an effective manner.  

Get a COA

A COA is a clean, oil, and adjustment, basically a flute tune-up that you ideally get about once a year.  (For more info on COAs, see the blog “Best Ways to Clean and Care for Your Flute”).  While this applies to everyone, it is especially important if you are returning to playing after a LONG break, like months or years.  There is nothing worse than struggling unnecessarily with your new attempts at playing just because your instrument needs to be fixed up, sometimes unknowingly blaming yourself when it really is just the flute, as we all would like to think it is most of the time when we make mistakes 🙂.  Once you know that your flute is in good shape, then not only will it play its best for you, but then you will know that if anything funny happens during your practice, it’s not your flute…

Have Realistic Expectations

You might have a clear memory of what you sounded like and how you played before you stopped, but don’t be disappointed if that is not what you play like right away.  This especially applies if you have taken a long break.  Just remember how long it took you to play as well as you did in the past.  It did not happen overnight!  And it won’t this time either.  But just like before, you will get there, and possibly faster this time too since you are relearning, not learning for the first time.  If you only took a short break, then your recovery time will probably be pretty quick, but that also depends on how long you played the flute and your experience level before you took the break.  No matter what, with some regular practice, you will recover anything you forgot or skills that you lost then start gaining some new ones.

Start Small but Be Consistent

Don’t try to dive back into practice playing 2 or more hours a day!  You will quickly burn out and stop playing again.  It is much more important that you are consistent and practice regularly, even if that means your practice sessions are not very long like just a few minutes.  When your practice sessions are shorter, especially when just starting back, you will feel successful when you complete these sessions and accomplish something, even if it is small.  And that will in turn motivate you to keep practicing in the future rather than dreading having to deal with the unrealistic expectations you set for yourself.

Set Goals

It is a lot easier to focus during your practice sessions if you have specific things you are working towards, so be sure to set yourself both some short term (say 1 to 4 weeks long) and some long term (between 1 to 4 months long depending on your preferences) goals.  Make sure that they are specific and measurable so that way you really know if have accomplished it or not.  For example, a good goal would be “I want to be able to play my F major scale two octaves in quarter notes at 80 beats per minute” as opposed to something like “I want to be better at my scales,” or “I want to be able to perform Bizet’s Entr’acte with piano for the recital in May,” instead of, “I want to learn Bizet’s Entr’acte.”  You should divide your goals up into the different aspects of flute playing, including sound, technique, scales, studies, and pieces.  Make sure you always have an actual piece of music to practice as well as fundamentals or vice versa.  

And do not forget to work on a special project, something that is just for yourself that you really want to do!  Remember, likely the whole reason you chose to play the flute is because you like it and want to make music.  So as important as it is to work on all the fundamentals, make sure you save time for doing something you really love too! Possible examples include memorizing Irish airs or learning how to beatbox.

If you need help organizing your thoughts, try filling out our free “Flute Goals Chart” where you can write down both your short and long-term goals in the many different aspects of flute playing.

Get Guidance

If you are struggling to determine which goals are best for you, you probably should consider getting a little guidance.  This is true for everyone at some point, but especially if you are returning after a really long break.  

You can do this in two ways.  One is getting a method book which has a structured way of learning.  There are many wonderful ones out there, but one that I think works pretty well for those returning to the flute after a long break is Flute 101, or any of the ones later in the series depending on where you are in your playing (although relearning the basics first doesn’t ever hurt).  The other way is to get a teacher and take lessons.  There is nothing better for your playing than getting advice tailored specific to your situation.  Not only can a teacher help you work on what you know are your weak areas, but even more importantly, a teacher can tell you about things that you didn’t even know that you didn’t know!  You can only direct yourself as far as what you think is possible, but a great teacher will help expand your horizons.

Celebrate!

As you begin practicing again, make sure you celebrate your accomplishments as you achieve your goals. Reward yourself for all of the hard work that you have done!

Welcome back to fluting, congratulations on making such a great decision!  Enjoy!