Will my flute last me through college?

[u/oreo_1201]

I'm a senior in high school who plans to major in Flute Performance and I recently bought an Emerson 3-Series (open-hole, inline G, and B foot) online for about $700 USD, and it is in great condition. The only issues are minor and could easily be fixed by a COA, which I already have one scheduled.

However, as I plan to get at least a four-year degree, I want to know if this flute should be a good choice for all four, or if I should save money to get a better one later on. I take very good care of my instruments, but is there anything I should be worried about or prepared for?

[u/LimeGreenTangerine97]

If you’re majoring in flute performance you’ll eventually want to upgrade, but this flute is just fine for high school.

[u/LowlyMaid]

Actually Intermediate flutes need less maintenance and the maintenance is likely to be less expensive. You do not need a professional flute to study flute in college. And silver plated instruments can also create big beautiful sound. It depends on the player. I have taught college students who won concerto competitions with intermediate level instruments. Look at reliable brands like Yamaha, Muramatsu, DiZhao. I also highly recommend you stay away from split E keys. They go out of alignment quite easily and can make the high F# harder to produce.

[u/Calm_Apartment1968]

Yes, it could last for your lifetime. Should you become a professional member of an orchestra other flutes will come along, but this intermediate model will persevere.
I'm totally jealous of your wooden case. Is this part of that Flute brand, or sold independently?

[u/Calm_Apartment1968 → u/Calm_Apartment1968]

nm, found the cases.

[u/WahooBobb]

Yes, it will last through college.

A high E facilitator key makes a difference.

A pinless mechanism is sweet too, however you will be just fine with this flute.

Enjoy!

[u/FluteTech]

It will create a bit of time for you to save up for a handmade flute. If you’re planning on going into performance, then start putting as much as you can away each month because flutes are expensive.

In the mean time, have this flute services by a flute technician (not a general shop) and let them know your plans and that this flute will have to carry you for a few years as you’re saving up.

[u/lanelazuli]

I continued to use my intermediate flute throughout college and was totally fine (key: with regular maintenance!!), but I was also a music ed major and not a flute performance major. Before pulling the trigger on an expensive flute I would wait to see what your college flute professor suggests! Mine had connections with people for discounts on certain brands so you might be able to get a deal on a professional model. I thought about getting a professional model, but he actually advised me that my intermediate flute was fine and I would be better off saving the money.

[u/Emme711]

I would save and look at professional level models. I had an intermediate model when I was preparing my auditions several years ago for undergrad and learned very quickly intermediate models are not designed for the amount you’ll need to practice as a music major. I didn’t have an Emerson but my old intermediate flute was breaking constantly. The metal to the head joint (which was silver plated) warped and was unable to fit into the body until repaired. Save your money to save for a higher quality flute if it’s going to be your major.

[u/LowlyMaid → u/Emme711]

A warped head joint is strange. I don’t think that can happen from practicing?

[u/TuneFighter → u/LowlyMaid]

it must have been a special issue with that flute, or that headjoint. Because it's not a general problem with flutes in the "cheaper" category.

[u/Emme711 → u/LowlyMaid]

That’s what my repair guy told me. He had to repair it twice for that. It could have just been the model I had but he said it happens sometimes with intermediate flutes being played 4+ hours a day every single day for practice mixed with traveling between my then high school, my lessons, and home. Granted, Chicago weather didn’t help.

[u/FluteTech → u/Emme711]

It’s an assembly issue - nothing more. I’m sorry they didn’t provide you better information about how to prevent it going forward.

[u/Honest-Paper-8385]

Eventually, your fingers might outpace your tongue articulation on an intermediate mechanism and you will need a Flute that responds quickly. They are amazing and really helps once you get to a certain level. Intermediate flutes can still play very fast passages, but you have to work much harder.

[u/theoriemeister]

I played my high-school flute (an Artley open-hole, B-foot) all the way through college. (I was music ed.) When I graduated and got a job as a band director, I could finally afford to buy a new flute. I still have that flute today!

[u/LeadershipNew7864]

This is an intermediate model and most College Professors will want a higher end model. A “pre-professional" or upper-tier intermediate flute. It will be made of better materials and yours is discontinued and will be harder to get maintenance. Something with a Solid Sterling Silver head joint and body.

[u/jclaws15]

You will be okay until a certain point. But your instructor will help identify that point. And will help find a prof flute in your budget. They'll likely know way more than people on the internet lol and can get a few trial flutes for you. AND run a lesson with those flutes to help figure out what you like about each flute. Have patience. The right flute will find you lol

[u/Jumpy-Nerve6292]

Hello. I am not well informed on this brand, at all, but with proper maintenance, yes this instrument will likely be excellent. This also can be said for many intermediate flutes. The only reason to upgrade an instrument is if you feel like you are not progressing in tonality, mechanisms of the instrument are slowing you down, or the instrument is in disrepair.

I did almost the entirety of my undergraduate studies as a performance major on a Powell 705-Sonare Series. I was encouraged to “upgrade” my flute before I went to graduate school. I bought a Haynes Q-fusion (if you know you know- this was an interesting jump, but trust it made sense based on my training/instructor/playing style). Halfway through my masters (also flute performance) my professor preferred me on my Powell. I don’t regret my Haynes purchase, but I don’t think it was necessary. I grew a lot musically by learning a the instrument, but ultimately I was most comfortable/knowledgeable/sounded best with the tendencies on my Powell, and now I think I am at that same level of knowledge with the Haynes (after 4 years of having it). But at the end of the day, when I travel far to go visit my parents and I leave my “fancy flutes” at home, I sound the same on my $300 beginner flute that I got when I was 10. Sure it feels worse than the fancy flutes, but my abilities are rooted in musicianship: not the bells and whistles of instruments. This being said, if in the future you are planning to get another instrument remember firstly that a flute is a tool - do not let anyone convince you that you need something fancy to sound good. Secondly, take months to decide, don’t let someone pressure you to make a decision in a few weeks (I have seen too many people do this) - Focus lots of practice on the action of mechanisms, consistency of the instrument’s tonality tendencies, and how you feel playing it. I have used my split c on my professional flute like four times, and its great, but also 🤷 I lived without it for years before

Good luck on your studies! Also know that
A. You can have another career while being a professional musician (after college… this is me and so many of my colleagues as we are fresh 2-4 years post graduate studies), also getting a music degree prepares you for SO many different music related work avenues, you just have to look.
B. The relationships you build are so so important to your world. Like yes networking is cool, but people are just cool to get to know!
C. Your worth is not defined by your performance (in school, music, etc,.)

You are AWESOME, have fun, go play some flute 🪈😎

Oh also, my favorite piece is called An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nathan Daughtrey!! Go check it out!

[u/Suitable_Map8264]

This flute might get you through the first two years but if you plan on majoring in music you’re going to need a professional model instrument. This is an intermediate student model flute. For future reference, you’ll want a flute that is, at the very least, comprising of a solid silver head joint, body and foot. A split E mechanism tends to be a standard nowadays, as well as offset G key work. Do try to stay away from anything that’s silver-plated as it tends to lack the vibrational strength needed for strong playing. You may gravitate towards a gold head joint, gold plated head joint, or a gold lip plate. A solid silver head joint with a gold riser would be a great economic alternative to getting a gold head joint. Yamaha tends to have fabulous professional model flutes, and of course makers like Powell, Haynes, Muramatsu, Miyazawa, Altus, Mateki, Di Zhao, Burkhart, Trevor James, and so on.

[u/WuTangTech → u/Suitable_Map8264]

While I agree with most of your post, I’m a bit astounded by your comment about silver plating and “vibrational strength”. Where on earth did you pick up that piece of nonsense? And, BTW, gold plating is cosmetic only contributing nothing to the flute sound…