Let's face it. There is always going to be a bad apple in a bunch, and the same thing is true when you start going through differenent instructors and directors while in your flute-playing career.

Sometimes, they will decline to learn anything about the flute, leaving you in the dark if you have a question to ask them. Many directors will neglect to answer any questions and walk away from you. Of course, there will be some directors that will answer you, but they won't give you the correct information. These can be leading problems of bad development of flute technique and music education.

If you are in a band or an orchestra in your high school, you obviously can not just replace them. If you are in a private orchestra or in private lessons, you may just want to change to someone new if you feel like you aren't getting the teaching you need to improve.

What if I can't replace my director?

The best thing is to try your hardest to get what you need through other resources. For example, I have never relied on a private instructor when I was learning the flute. I did it completely alone and in the end, I knew what I needed to work on and what was important for me. Private teachers in general will just teach what they think is the correct way to do everything, and you end up not having your own distinct way of playing.

There are many resources in books and across the internet that are easily used in order to assist you with your flute playing. For example, when I had just started learning more advanced techniques on the flute, I watched videos of Nina Perlove on YouTube, and she is where I learned how to double tongue and other advanced techniques.

So, it is very important to remember, that no one else can tell you the correct way of playing the flute. If they do however, you should take it simply as an idea of playing the flute. There is no correct formula on how to play the flute correctly, so it is your job to find that formula for you, and you only.