Who: students of all ages, beginners to returnees as well as serious students. I usually suggest that students generally not start before their 9th birthday/3rd grade because of the musculo-skeletal development necessary to play the flute, but I do teach younger students (read more below).
Holding the flute in the proper position requires a certain arm length and a certain amount of upper back strength as well as excellent posture. There is a U-shaped head joint for flutes which shortens the arm reach necessary but does not change the weight of the instrument. I work with all of my students to develop the strength necessary to properly ergonomically hold and play the flute.
On the other hand: If your child is passionate about trying the flute before their 9th birthday/3rd grade, I am happy to consult with you and see if it would be in the child’s best interests to start earlier. There are specific types of polymer flutes, the Nuvo jFlute and the Nuvo Toot, that have been specifically engineered for the younger beginner.
By 3rd grade, most students are developing the ability to concentrate and to maintain the self-discipline of practicing that are part of the maturation of the grammar stage of learning.
Other things to consider:
Often, a child intent on playing a wind or string instrument through an in-school program is best served by taking piano lessons for six months to a year before starting the instrument, as then the child is learning the music-reading skills and aural (listening) skills that will help to make learning any instrument more pleasant and more integrated with their other skills.
Private instrumental lessons are best coupled with an ensemble (band) in which to play. In the Triangle area, homeschooled students have several homeschool band programs available in which they may participate, so that ‘when to start playing’ is less of a scheduling issue.
Many public and private schools start instrumental study via a beginning band in 5th or 6th grade, and the school schedule does not allow for students to be placed in an ensemble other than the one ‘appropriate’ to their grade, i.e., if the school starts beginning band in 6th grade, a student who learns to play through private lessons in 5th grade may not have the opportunity to play in a band other than the beginning band in 6th grade due to grade-level block scheduling. I have known students who have quit playing an instrument out of sheer boredom when faced with having to ‘repeat’ beginning band.
On the other hand, I have had students who did not take beginning band in the ‘correct year’ take my summer “Flute Jumpstart Lessons” and go straight into the second-year band at their school.
I recommend that families RENT an instrument until they determine if the student is committed to playing. I will make recommendations of brand/type of instrument and companies from which to rent, and can usually make myself available to go with you to find the best instrument available.