Hello! My name is Steph and I can't wait to hear you play! I will absolutely enjoy teaching you regardless of your age or playing ability. Beginner students: We will mostly work on pieces out of Kathy Blocki's flute method books as well as exercises composed by myself to make sure your fundamentals are solid from the beginning. Plan on learning new notes and rhythms each lesson as well as having scale and playing assignments. You will learn a lot each week while having a super awesome time. Intermediate students: We will be working on honing the fundamentals (tone, technique, articulation) through various etudes and intermediate solo pieces, depending on playing ability. Vibrato will be introduced as well as phrasing, breathing, and everyone's favorite: intonation! Weekly assignments will include memorizing scales and preparing all pieces covered in lessons. Prepare to take notes and laugh frequently at my jokes! Early-Advanced students: We will learn about body awareness and work on playing without tension. We will work on developing tone colors (warm, sweet, bright, hollow, etc.), developing technique through daily exercises, as well as further developing the fundamentals. We will work on repertoire for your auditions, more advanced solo pieces, etudes, and technical exercises. Weekly assignments will include practicing at least 45 minutes per day to have material fully prepared for the lesson. You will get really good at taking notes! Always remember: The more effort you put into your lessons, the more you will get out of them. Most of your growth as a musician will happen while you are practicing. If you come to lessons fully prepared, we can learn new material each week and continuously hone your skills. You will also make me a very happy teacher. :) Bio: Steph Dressler is a flutist, educator, and creative who is passionate about connection through sound. Her quartet, oNSET, recently debuted their imaginative curation, “Autonomous,” at the Banff Centre EvoFest in August of 2021. Based in New York City, Steph is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in contemporary performance at Manhattan School of Music. In November 2021, she will travel to Weimar, Germany to premiere six new works by composers from MSM and Weimar Conservatory. Steph holds a Master of Music degree from SUNY Purchase College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. While attending these institutions, she performed regularly with Purchase New Music Project, Purchase Contemporary Ensemble, Purchase Symphony Orchestra, and the Bloomsburg University New Music Ensemble, to name a few. She has had the privilege of learning and performing at numerous summer music programs, including the Impulse New Music Festival, the Consummate Flutist at Carnegie Mellon University, Amy Porter’s Anatomy of Sound Workshop, and ARIA International Summer Music Academy. Her most memorable masterclass performances were those with Lorna McGhee, Alexa Still, Alberto Almarza, Jill Felber, Amy Porter, Paul Edmund-Davies, and Mark Sparks. As an educator, Steph maintains an active flute studio of twenty students from the United States and abroad. With her students ranging in age from six to seventy-eight, she enjoys teaching flutists of all playing abilities. Through their hard work and effort, her students have placed in various competitions and festivals, including the New York State School Music Association All-State Festival, the Wisconsin School Music Association All-State Festival, the Kentucky Music Educators Association All-County Festival, and the Texas Music Educators Association All-County Festival. Her primary teachers include Tara Helen O’Connor, Roberta Michel, and Tracey Schmidt-Jaynes. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing poetry, composing, practicing yoga, eating ice cream, and studying languages.