A Little Flute Talk with Stéphanie Superle!

A conversation with Stéphanie Superle—flutist, teacher, writer, and creator of FlutePlay, an organization dedicated to early childhood flute education.

Hi Stéphanie! So glad to be talking with you today and finding out about all of your fantastic musical endeavors!  Before we go into the amazing work you are currently doing, can you please give us a little bit of background on yourself and what originally got you into playing flute and teaching?  

Hi Erika!  I’m so happy to be chatting with you, too!  Thank you for inviting me to chat on your blog.  

I always feel awkward talking about myself…but here goes!

I first tried the flute when I was eight or nine years old.  One of my babysitters brought her school flute over to show me and my siblings, and I was the only one who could make a sound on it, which of course, I loved!  A few years later, when it came time to pick an instrument for school band, I knew right away that I wanted to play FLUTE.

By high school, I’d completely fallen in love with music and decided in grade 10 that I wanted to continue studying it at university.  I completed my Bachelor of Music and Music Education at the University of Saskatchewan, then spent a year in Vancouver studying privately while preparing for my Master’s. I was accepted to the University of Toronto and finished my Master of Music in 2008.

Not long after graduating, I was diagnosed with cancer, which shifted my focus toward my health for a while. During that time, I began teaching private lessons and that’s when something really clicked.  Even though I had studied performance for years and had amazing flute teachers, I realized how little I knew about starting beginners, especially young ones.  That curiosity led me down the path I’m still on today: learning everything I can about how children learn, and how to make those first flute sounds joyful, playful, and full of possibility. Working with kids is endlessly challenging, but it’s also the most rewarding and heart-filling part of what I do.

I originally met you while looking for resources for the little flutists in my private teaching studio.  I was thrilled when I discovered FlutePlay!  There were so many activities and resources for making learning flute a lot of fun.  What led you to creating FlutePlay and can you tell us some more about what all it has to offer?

FlutePlay began from an intense need to connect. Teaching flute – at any level – can be incredibly lonely. You spend so much time preparing, reflecting, and supporting your students, but often without a larger community that truly understands what you do. When I started focusing on teaching young beginners, that feeling grew even stronger. It felt like there were so few people talking about little flute pedagogy, and I wanted to find others who shared the same passion.

I also noticed that in the flute world, there are many different “schools” of pedagogy – wonderful ideas and methods – but they don’t always overlap or connect.  I wanted to build a place where all little flute teachers could come together, no matter their training, background, or philosophy. Because at the end of the day, we all share the same goal: to help children learn the flute through curiosity, creativity, and play.

The desire for connection is what started FlutePlay. From those early conversations grew a global community of teachers who collaborate, share ideas, and celebrate each other’s successes. Through our Coffee Chats, Book Chats, Quick Create sessions and community projects like the Little Flute Magazine, we explore teaching strategies, spark new ideas, and remind each other that teaching, like making music, is always better when we do it together.

Alongside the community, the FlutePlay shop gives teachers a space to share their creativity with the world. Many of us design games, visuals, and tools for our own students that would otherwise stay tucked away on our computers. The shop brings those resources to life–helping teachers everywhere discover new ways to make teaching flute playful, engaging, and full of joy.

Probably my absolute favorite resource from FlutePlay is the Little Flute Magazine.  My students just love all of the activities and fun flute info found inside.  It is no small task to put together a wonderful resource like that 4 times a year!  What all goes into creating these magazines, and are there any particular future issues we should be looking forward to?

Thanks, Erika!  That makes me so happy to hear you and your students enjoy our little flutes magazine!!!

LFM: a #LittleFluteMagazine is truly our biggest community project! And it takes a whole team (actually, several teams!) to bring each issue to life.

We start with our Content Creation Team, who dreams up the theme for the year and decide on the chapters and features–everything from articles and interviews to games and creative activities. Once the content is ready, our Layout and Design Team meets in Canva to work their magic. We use illustrations from our Little Flute Illustration Library to make each page come alive and, just as importantly, to show little flutists that there are flutists around the world who look just like them!

After that, our Translation Team steps in to make sure our magazine reaches flutists far and wide. This year, we published in English, Croatian, Dutch, and Italian–something we’re very proud of!!

2025 marked LFM’s 5-year anniversary, and to celebrate, each issue followed the theme of The Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. This special season also featured our very first Little Flute COMIC, created in collaboration with Canadian illustrator Emily Johnston from Artio Design Co., who brings so much warmth and joy to our characters.

We always try to gather feedback from our readers, though that’s easier said than done! We’d love to hear from more of our little flutists and their teachers.  If you haven’t read LFM: a #LittleFluteMagazine yet, you can enjoy a free issue on our website. And if you subscribe before the end of the year, you’ll get access to all 2025 issues, plus the special music composed for our anniversary year by flutist and composer Erin Spencer: 4 brand-new flute quartets available on our Secret Subscriber webpage.

As for 2026…I’ll give you just one hint: it’s going to be bursting with color!

You recently released a storybook called “Goldi’s First Flute Sounds” and the musical companion “Goldi’s First Flute Songbook.”  Congratulations, Stéphanie!!  I know putting together these two books took a lot of effort, but they are just lovely and a great new resource.  Can you please tell us all about this set, and what inspired you to write it?

Thank you so much!  You’re definitely no stranger to creating books – I love “Flutie’s Family Reunion” and I’m waiting with eager anticipation for your next book! 😀

I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book.  It’s been an idea percolating for a long time – I just wasn’t sure what the story would be. Then one day, the idea for Goldi hit me out of nowhere! Teaching kids how to play flute through a story just made so much sense. Making those first flute sounds can be exciting, frustrating, and everything in between. I wanted to help kids find strength in those moments, to build resilience, and to develop the skills to overcome the challenges (big and small) that come with learning a musical instrument.

With Goldi’s First Flute Sounds, young flutists learn to make their first sparkly sounds, play musical detective, and start building healthy practice habits — simple things like adding stickers to the top of the flute case so we know which way is up, creating a cheerful “flute space” for practice, taking breathing breaks when things get tricky, and, most importantly, never giving up.

I also knew I couldn’t write a storybook without also writing a songbook! With Goldi’s First Flute Songbook, I really wanted kids to have music they could play on their headjoint so they could feel successful right away. The headjoint is where everything begins — it’s the foundation of tone and balance — and these simple, playful songs help build those skills.

I’ve found that so many of my students want to skip straight to the full flute so they can “play songs”. Now they can play songs before putting the whole flute together AND they love coming back to these headjoint songs later for warm-ups or when we’re working on things like articulation.

Another important thing for me when creating Goldi’s First Flute Songbook was using graphic notation. Using graphic notation has been another fun way to open the door to creativity. I love how it lets kids explore sounds, shapes, and movement without being limited by standard notation right away. 

My hope is that Goldi helps young flutists (and their grown-ups!) discover that learning to play flute can be filled with imagination, problem-solving, and a whole lot of joy!

One of the things that I admire about you is that not only do you create resources for little flutists, you also provide many opportunities for the teachers of these young students to learn and connect.  In case there are teachers reading this post who feel like they need extra support working with their little flutists—for seasoned teachers but especially for those who are just starting to teach this age group—can you please give them some advice?

Thank you — that means a lot! Supporting teachers has become such a big part of what I do because I’ve been there — feeling unsure, overwhelmed, and isolated when working with little flutists for the first time. It can be such a joyful experience, but it also comes with its own unique set of challenges.

My biggest piece of advice is: you don’t have to have all the answers. Teaching young beginners is a process of curiosity and discovery — for both the student and the teacher. It’s okay to experiment, to play, and to learn alongside your students. The magic happens when we let go of perfection and focus instead on connection, creativity, and small wins.

For anyone interested in starting group flute lessons, I always say: a group is more than one!  Start small, build your confidence, and things will grow!

Find your community. Teaching can be lonely, and it’s easy to feel like you’re figuring everything out on your own — but you’re not! There are so many teachers out there who share your passion and who want to connect, collaborate, and cheer you on. That’s really what FlutePlay is all about: reminding teachers that we’re better together.

And finally, remember that “teaching through play” doesn’t mean less learning — it actually means more learning, because play invites curiosity, problem-solving, and joy. When we bring those elements into our lessons, kids feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and keep trying — which is where real musical growth happens.

What are your future plans?  Are there any other little flute works we should be expecting soon?

Oh, there’s always something in the works!  Haha! I feel like my creative brain is constantly spinning with ideas – sometimes faster than I can keep up with! But I love that there’s always something new on the horizon.

I just recently finished Goldi’s 2nd Flute Songbook, which I’m so excited about.  It continues Goldi’s story with new songs, fresh challenges, and even more ways for young flutists to grow their confidence and creativity.

Following our fifth anniversary, LFM: a #LittleFluteMagazine is heading into a brand-new, color-filled season that I think teachers and students alike are going to love! I’m so proud of what our team continues to create together and how the magazine keeps inspiring both teachers and students around the world.

Beyond that, I’m always thinking about how we can better reach our audience — both flute teachers and parents — so there are some exciting new website updates on the way! I’m also frequently asked about teacher training, which is an idea that’s always simmering in the back of my mind.

But honestly, right now I’m just doing my best to balance all of my FlutePlay dreams with teaching and mommy-ing — and that comes with its own mix of joy and chaos! Some days I’m bursting with creative energy, and other days it’s more of a juggling act – but that’s real life, isn’t it? It’s a full season of life, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The joy, the struggle — it’s all part of this beautiful, flute-filled adventure. I’m just so grateful I get to keep creating, teaching, and connecting with this amazing flute community along the way.

Thank you so much for talking with me, Stéphanie!  It is such a pleasure to speak with a little flute specialist such as yourself!  I know the flute community is very grateful to you and your other early childhood education collaborators for all of your work.  Where can people contact you with thoughts or questions?

Thank you so much, Erika! This has been such a fun chat! I always love connecting with other teachers, parents, and flute friends who are curious about teaching little flutists or adding a bit more play to their lessons.

You can find me at fluteplay.ca – that’s where you’ll see everything happening in the FlutePlay community, Little Flute Magazine, and Goldi’s world. I’m also on Instagram at @flute.play and @flutechickie, or you can always send me an email at letsplay@fluteplay.ca – I’d love to hear from you!

If you’re feeling stuck or looking for ideas, come join one of our Coffee Chats, Quick Create sessions, or explore the FlutePlay community online. You’ll find teachers from around the world who are on the same journey — and I promise, you’ll never feel alone in your teaching again.

Whether you’ve been teaching for years or are just getting started with little flutists, don’t be shy about reaching out. We’re all learning together, and I’m always up for talking flutes, fun, and new ideas!

Any parting thoughts?

Honestly, I’m just so grateful to be part of this amazing flute community. Whether you’re teaching, learning, parenting, or cheering from the sidelines, it all matters, and it all helps little flutists grow.

My biggest hope is that we keep the joy in what we do. When learning feels playful and curious, kids don’t just learn the flute – they find their confidence, creativity, and voice.

So keep playing, keep experimenting, and keep celebrating those sparkly little moments along the way. They’re what makes it all so special. <3