How to Practice Flute During Summer Vacation or Other Long Break

During the summer, students often have a break from classes and for performers, typically the number of concerts dwindles. So with this down time, what should a flutist be doing or working on? There is no one right or wrong answer here, but the beauty of summer (or any other extended break) is that you have opportunities you might not be able to take during the the busy times of the year. Here are ideas about how to practice flute during summer vacation time.

Take time off.

Here is a hard one for a lot of stereotypical type A flutists to hear (including myself!), so we are starting with this tip because it is important. It is OK to take some time off! We work hard throughout the year and sometimes we just need a little rest. Now maybe it isn’t the best idea to go a couple months without touching your flute at all, but it is completely fine to take a few days off. Frequently, I will find that some of my students who had been really struggling to improve some aspect of their playing take a short rest, and then the issue magically fixes itself. Your brain and body might have just needed some processing time.

Also, you never know how what you are doing outside of music might impact your flute playing or musical projects in the future. Learning new technology might help you with recording or music business in the future, looking at art might inspire you to write a composition, reading history can give you broader context for music history, watching movies and playing video games can give you the opportunity to listen to the incidental (accompanying) music…

Learn something new.

Having a break gives you the opportunity to learn something you normally wouldn’t have time for. As just mentioned, you can learn things outside of music, but even within the realm of flute playing, there is always something new to work on.

Perhaps this is a good time to practice extended techniques like beatboxing or playing in the extremely high register (but if you do, make sure you wear musician’s earplugs like these small or medium ones) or circular breathing. Maybe you can start learning new styles like contemporary music, Baroque music, or jazz. Or you can start learning another flute like piccolo (again wear earplugs) or any of the other members in the concert flute family or even world flutes. There are so many things to learn that you will never be bored-I know my list of things to learn only ever seems to grow no matter how much I accomplish!

Go to a flute or other music camp or study with an additional instructor.

Speaking of learning something new, one of the best places to level up your flute playing is at a flute camp! There are many all over the world for flutists of all ages and abilities. For example, Wildacres Flute Retreat happens every June and has plenty of classes and performing opportunities for every flutist.

And besides flute specific camps, there are also orchestra, band, chamber music, and composition camps as well. Do a little web searching for these workshops in your area (or out of your area if you want to travel) and you might be surprised by all that are out there. Plus, sometimes there are virtual options as well where you can enjoy a camp from the comfort of home.

If you cannot attend a camp, you could also consider taking a few lessons from another teacher (NOT to replace your regular teacher of course) to get the benefits of a different perspective.

Work on special projects and music.

Take time to work on music that is special to you that you might not normally have a chance to play. Do you love showtunes? Then binge play them on the flute! Have an original melody floating around in your head? Then go write your composition! Like Irish music? Then memorize some jigs and maybe even learn to play the Irish flute or whistle!

You will work harder on things that you love and maybe get some inspiration for your regular flute playing at the same time.

Get a head start on next season’s music.

Do you know what you will be playing when things get busy again? Then go ahead and start working on it and get a head of the game! This is especially true if you will be playing particularly difficult music or have an audition or competition coming up or music that you need to memorize. It never hurts to be extra prepared!

Get a COA.

Extended breaks are a great time to give your flute some TLC. If you know that you will not be playing your flute for a few days, schedule a COA (clean, oil, and adjustment) so that way your flute will be playing its best when you really need it again after the break. It is really important that you keep your flute regularly maintained, and this is a great opportunity to get that done.

Just make sure that you schedule your appointment as far in advance as possible as many other people typically have the same idea and music repair shops can be quite busy during the summer or other break time.

For more flute maintenance tips, please check out the free digital course, “Finding Your First or Forever Flute (and How to Make It Last)!”

Finding Your First or Forever Flute (and How to Make It Last)! free digital course

Set goals for the coming year.

Start thinking about what you really want to do after the break. What do you want to learn and accomplish? Taking time now to set goals can make for a much more productive fall after summer is over.

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