About
For a more detailed description, visit my website at https://melissamam107.wixsite.com/merkelflutecorner
I am an experienced teacher and love to work with beginner to intermediate/advanced students. I hold a Master's of Music degree in flute performance and have been playing flute for 16 years and piccolo for nine years. I have six years of experience running a private flute studio and have studied with and performed for a number of professional flutists, including Sir James Galway, Jim Walker, Dr. Jonathan Keeble, Christina Jennings, and Colorado Symphony flutists Brooke Ferguson, Julie Thorton, and Catherine Peterson. As a result, I have a vareity of tools to pull from in helping you or your child meet their musical goals.
In addition to teaching basic flute and piccolo concepts, I offer suggestions for building stage presence, overcoming stage fright, avoiding injuries, and speaking to an audience. On my recent teacher evaluation as a Public Speaking 101 instructor, my students wrote, "Instructor was very organized, kind, approachable, and helpful. I really enjoyed having Melissa as an instructor!"
I have experience teaching K-12 students and worked as a School Aged Child Care Lead in the Littleton Public School district. I also have worked with several organizations advancing public music education, such as Arts for Learning Connecticut and Teaching Peace Through Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
I also have experiece with multiple genres including performing orchestral and band music, chamber music, pop and Bollywood music as a member of the South Asian Music Association, and contemporary classical music as a performer with the Illinois Modern Ensemble.
As an instructor, I believe flute teaching is all about empowering and challenging students to reach their musical goals. One of the most rewarding moments for me as a teacher was receiving an email from one of my student's parents proudly describing her daughter's successes in her school band and thanking me for the work I had done in getting her there. Music has played such an important part in my life and I love having the opportunity to build positive relationships with students and their families and helping them build a love of music and self-confidence!
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I work with students of all ages and experience, ranging from absolute beginner to intermediate/advanced. The first lesson is free of charge and will give us a chance to get to know each other and discuss you or your child's previous music experience and flute goals. I individualize my teaching for each student, so whether you're picking up a new hobby, play with an ensemble, or have a son or daughter preparing for a school audition, I can give you tools to best meet your goals.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My experience includes 16 years playing the flute and nine years of playing piccolo. I hold a Master of Music degree in flute performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
I have six years of experience of private teaching. In 2019, I was accepted into the Marrowstone Music Festival Fellowship program where I mentored high school and undergraduate flute students in addition to performing in orchestra and chamber music concerts. I also mentored and led sectionals for middle school flutists as a Camp Couselor at the University of Colorado Summer Music Acadmey. Outside of teaching flute, I taught public speaking for undergraduate students at the University of Illinois during the 2019-2020 school year. I also worked as a School Aged Child Care Lead at Sandburg Elementary School from 2015 to 2018.
As a performer, I have extensive experience performing solo, in large ensembles, and in chamber groups. As a flute soloist, I performed at the 2017 National Flute Association Convention as a Masterclass Competition winner. I also performed for Sir James Galway as a masterclass competition winner at the the 2017 Once a Flutist Festival. I was also a winner in the Chicago Flute Club's 2020 Nicola Mazzanti Piccolo Masterclass Competition. I have been accepted to and performed at a number of orchestra festivals and masterclass programs, including The Pacific Northwest Flute and Piccolo Forum, Eastern Music Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, and The Consummate Flutist at Carnegie Mellon.
The large ensembles groups I have worked with include the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the University of Illinois Modern Ensemble, The University of Illinois Wind Symphony, The Baroque Artists of Champaign Urbana, the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and the University of Colorado at Boulder Opera, Wind Symphony, and Orchestra. I premeiered several pieces as Principal Piccoloist with the University of Illinois Wind Symphony at the 2019 Concert Band Director's National Association Conference.
I believe in the importance of studying music from music multiple traditions. I have completed coursework in Irish, Middle Eastern, and Indian music in addition to classical music.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My first lesson is always free with no commitment. It gives us a chance to meet each other and decide if we're a good fit. During this lesson, I will check our online setup, ask about your goals and your previous flute experience, chose method books, pieces, or excercises for your next lesson, and start teaching. After that free first lesson, I charge $20 per half hour.