Flute Lessons
Welcome to my studio!
Whether you’re new to the flute and curious about learning a new instrument, need direction on your current skill, or haven’t played in ages and want to pick it back up again - WELCOME!
I'm happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to working together to help unleash the musician within.
I encourage my students to discover their inner creativity, building confident performers. I use contemporary music techniques along with traditional methods for technique and tone development for an exciting learning environment with freedom to experiment to find what works for you.
I have always believed music lessons should be fun, fearless, and a place to experiment, together we can overcome challenges and discover what works for you.
Private Flute Lessons
Flute lessons are available in 30 minute, 45 minute, and 60 minute time slots. I teach online - which means I can teach to anywhere. Lessons are designed to each student to help you reach your goals, as well as encourage creativity and fun along the way.
What are the benefits? What will you learn?
Together we will…
Develop your tone and explore your tone colour palette so you can unlock your artistry
Delve into the connection between you and your instrument - the flute is an extension of ourselves and vice versa
Learn how to practice efficiently - develop tools to practice effectively without having to spend hours and hours of practice without the results to show for it - work smart, not hard
Free up our fingers for smooth technique with scales, technical exercises, etudes, and more!
Explore breathing techniques and balance for free, expressive playing (ask me about the time I thought I unlocked a third lung!)
Learn how to play repertoire, etudes, and excerpts musically
Lift the lid from the box and explore improvisation as a learning tool, and creativity outlet
Self awareness and mental preparation to stay in the moment (and the zone) - this is particularly good for helping alleviate performance anxiety or distractions (even us pros deal with this!)
Have an area of interest or focus you’d like to dig into or give it a try, but felt a lot of “I dunno if…” - let’s dive in!
Got something coming up? Let’s prepare for that audition, mock audition, or recital!
In addition to music-related skills, music lessons can also help grow:
Confidence
Goal setting skills
Problem solving skills
Creativity and curiosity
Musical appreciation and enjoyment
What will you get?
As a part of my online flute studio, you’ll receive:
A weekly 1:1 flute lesson with me
Access to me via email for any questions or difficulties that may come up between lessons
Access to my growing online hub of resources - including practice journal templates, quick reference guides for concepts in music theory, scale packs, made-for-you exercises, activities, improvisation prompts, demonstration videos
Curated listening playlists as well as my studio’s community playlists
What’s my teaching style?
In my lessons, I like to encourage students along their creative path. I teach with emphasis on learning through curiosity, experimentation, and discovery. I like to encourage reflection and thought about what we’re doing when we’re playing, and encourage trying things out to help the student find a solution...so I ask a lot of questions. I believe that by giving students the tools to think about the what, the why, and the how they’re personally playing something will give them the confidence and freedom they need to succeed creatively, and become fearless flute players that they can be.
I am an advocate for contemporary music and I like to mingle contemporary music techniques, improvisation, and standard methods for technical and tone development for an exciting learning environment with freedom to experiment. I believe if as students we are encouraged to experiment with our instruments in our lessons, we can shed music-related inhibitions and will grow into confident, inventive performers.
Every single moment is an opportunity to grow.
Where will my flute lessons take place?
Lessons and workshops are offered online, which opens up new possibilities for learning! Online lessons bring the possibility for more flexible scheduling, less travel time, and the ability to work with people outside of the local area. Online lessons are offered via Zoom. Of course there are some technology requirements for online lessons, but if you’re reading this from a device with a built in camera, speakers, and microphone, you’re almost all the way there! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
Online Lessons - do they really work?
Of course!
I have worked with learners from fresh beginners just starting out to advanced players in my online studio. I have seen learners who have never touched the instrument before grow to love making music on their instrument and flourish as skilled players playing their favourite music, as well as intermediate and advanced learners meet their goals and succeed in their craft.
Learning an instrument is a combination of learning styles like visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic, from my experience - all of which translates itself to online learning environment just as well as in-person.
Online music lessons have provided much more accessibility to those who either don’t have a teacher local to their area, or have found the right teacher for them, but don’t reside in the same area.
Learning a new instrument through online lessons can be just as effective as in-person, and learning and progression is not inhibited by an online environment. Improvement on an instrument, new or not, heavily depends on how much practice the student is able to put in outside of lesson time.
FAQ
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Learning a new skill (or dusting off an old one) requires some level of commitment. You get out of it what you put into it. From my experience working with people, I’ve seen that those who succeed most in lessons and their craft are those who give music some priority (doesn’t need to be top of the list, and we can discuss what kind of practice routine works best with your life), and approach it with an open mind and willingness to learn and try new things.
Whether your goal is to get better at sight reading, learn some of your favourite music, or learning/having accountability to play for enjoyment, having that extra support with music lessons can help in reaching that goal.
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Of course!
I have worked with learners from fresh beginners just starting out to advanced players in my online studio. I have seen learners who have never touched the instrument before grow to love making music on their instrument and flourish as skilled players playing their favourite music, as well as intermediate and advanced learners meet their goals and succeed in their craft.
Learning an instrument is a combination of learning styles like visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic, from my experience - all of which translates itself to online learning environment just as well as in-person.
Online music lessons have provided much more accessibility to those who either don’t have a teacher local to their area, or have found the right teacher for them, but don’t reside in the same area.
Learning a new instrument through online lessons can be just as effective as in-person, and learning and progression is not inhibited by an online environment. Improvement on an instrument, new or not, can heavily depend on the practice the student is able to put in outside of lesson time.
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You’ll need a few things:
a flute in good working condition, regular maintenance must be done (I can offer guidance on rentals, purchases, repair centres - just ask!)
cleaning rod and cloths for inside and outside of the instrument (please ask for guidance if needed)
pencil
music stand for practicing at home - preferably something sturdy (I don’t recommend wire stands - but if you have one, use it!)
metronome
tuner
Any recommended music, books, and materials - this will become clear as we start lessons and set some goals
Quiet, distraction-free practice environment
a positive and open to learn attitude!
Equipment for online lessons and drop-ins:
A computer/laptop (preferably) or tablet with a built in microphone and speakers. If you have an external microphone, feel free to use it.
Access to a free Zoom account.
A stable internet connection
Headphones are recommended, but not required. In some instances I may request headphones be used, so if you have some, have them nearby.
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That depends entirely on your goals, schedule, and what you’re looking to get out of music lessons.
Of course we know that to learn a new skill or maintain a learned one we have to do some consistent practice to reinforce the skill, but sometimes it’s hard to find the time or energy. When we work together, we’ll figure out what works for you with your life.
Practicing doesn’t need to be time-consuming and draining either - the methods I use and teach/encourage are more along the lines of work smart, not work hard.
I foster a judgement and shame free environment, and that’s no different when it comes to practicing.
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That’s okay too. I’ve had students on this path as well - not practice, but come to music lessons for the enjoyment of playing. If that’s your thing, then we can do that.
About Me
Hi! I’m so happy you’re here!
Does any of this sound familiar?
You practiced something over and over for it to completely fall through come performance time, and you’re left frustrated because you worked so hard
You decided against applying or auditioning to the thing or starting a project because you decided you weren’t good enough (have I got news for you!)
Have the urge to play, but don’t know where to start so instead you pick something and try to play it at top speed and it doesn’t go the way you wanted so you get frustrated and put the flute down
At a loss as to where to even start in the practice room, get overwhelmed and stop?
Yeah, so I am personally very well acquainted with those situations. I’ve been there ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.
I’ll let you in on my origin story…
As a kid who liked to draw and paint, I was originally on track to be an artist, some of my family even suggested I go for graphic design.
Then in grade 7 I had music class for the first time. We had to pick full on instruments after getting about 3 minutes to play around with each instrument's mouthpiece.
Flute was the only one where sound didn't happen. I huffed and puffed, and absolutely nothing.
That's when I KNEW.
To be fair, I never really picked the easy route for much of anything. I like to take on difficult projects or pieces just to feel like I conquered something.
It actually took me 2/3 of the school year to be able to make an actual flute tone…but when that day came, I felt like I conquered the world…at 12 years old.
I learned everything I could, and took in every single piece of advice my music teacher could give me. I was figuring out the notes to all of my favourite pop songs at home. I started playing for family and friends, played in band, had flute solos in choir, and even started researching music and flute history without prompting from any educational system - I became obsessed with my cool new music making tool.
I continued working through our class and band assignments, I remember very specifically telling myself this: “remember every single note you can, because this might be very important one day.”
I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to music, and carried that love of all things flute with me through secondary school, post-secondary, and graduate school.
And here we are.
That’s super cool, but tell me more about your background!
Alright, here’s my formal bio:
Originally an artist with a paintbrush, Shannon Lewis made her most important decision at a young age when she decided to instead pursue an instrument she could not make even the slightest whisper. This decision put Shannon’s life onto a new path, and transformed her into a dedicated musical artist.
Shannon is currently based in London, Ontario and freelances in Southern Ontario. Shannon performs with the London Community Orchestra, and has previously performed with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, Western University Symphony Orchestra, Western University Wind Ensemble, and Laurentian University Concert Band in Sudbury among others. She has performed solo recitals as well as alongside her colleagues and mentors at Western University's von Kuster Hall, Paul Davenport Theatre, London’s 2018 Dragon Gala, as well as the Living with Lakes Centre, and Glad Tidings Church in Sudbury. She can be heard on Western University Wind Ensemble's recording of John McCabe's Canyons, on their 2016 record Explorations, under the direction of Dr. Colleen Richardson.
An advocate for contemporary music, Shannon is always exploring ways to push the boundaries of the flute, and is committed to bringing new and exciting repertoire to her audiences while on a quest to make music accessible. She has presented premieres of pieces written for her as well as collaborated on multimedia projects through festivals such as zFestival (USA), and Laboratoire de musique contemporaine de Montréal. Recent premieres include Dionicio Aguirre’s Special Meeting of the Muskegon School Board for solo flute (2021), Clark Nichols’ Amoretti (2020), and Xenia St. Charles Gilbert’s No Sweater Needed (2020)
Shannon has a special interest in the integration of music, visuals, and electronics, which led her to her multimedia project, colour. Starting off as an idea for a small art gallery installation, colour grew into an ongoing project of compositions and improvisations integrated with visual art to create multimedia works for flute and electronics based on her exploration and experiences with grapheme-colour synaesthesia.
Essential to her growth, and supplementing her formal studies, Shannon has had incredible opportunities to learn from Matthias Ziegler, Eric Lamb, Carla Rees, and Anne La Berge through FluteXpansions Sonic Immersion, Michael Cox and Denis Bluteau at Orford Music Academy, and has performed in masterclasses with Sophie Goury, Karin Aurell, Jennifer Brimson-Cooper, Lisa Nelsen, and Julie Ranti. Shannon holds a Master of Music in Performance and Literature and Artist Diploma from Western University studying flute with Stephen Tam, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with Specialization in Music from Laurentian University studying with Myriam Valley. Other notable teachers include Kathleen Rudolph, Rachel Gibson, and Elise Leblanc.
Shannon maintains a private flute studio in London, where she uses improvisation, and sound experimentation alongside traditional techniques to teach elements of all levels of study. Previously, Shannon has been invited to teach for the New Horizons Adult Band program at Western University, and given flute clinics at the Northern Ontario Music Festival Honour Band Weekend in Sudbury, and most recently presented a mini-seminar on DIY electronic music at zFestival 2021.
When not preparing for her next project or performance, Shannon enjoys painting, photography, record collecting, and cheering on her favourite hockey team, the Montréal Canadiens.
Shannon performs on a Powell flute and a Yamaha piccolo.
Ready to start making music or have questions?
Ready to get rolling? Let’s get going and drop me a line!
If you’re still on the fence, or looking for more information, feel free to message me below and we can have a chat!