You're a flutist...and so much more.

The truth is, our most creative moments in being and playing come when we are in a state of ease, trust, and belief. Empowering your unique, creative ideas is what will allow you to flourish as an artist.

I help flutists explore what is truly holding them back in their artistic journey and begin to see what is truly possible in their lives and careers

Flute and coaching support is ideal for:

- Performers in or out of school looking for steady support as they move towards grad school auditions, professional auditions, professional life, etc.
- Humans with really life struggles, insecurities, and moments of imposter syndrome, but who want to learn how to overcome negative thought patterns
- Artists with an openness to new ideas, openness to introspection, and an openness to learn new things about themselves and their playing

This is not a course, this is all about where you are right now, filling in any gaps, and where you want to go in terms of flute playing AND life

VFMF created a place where I felt supported and empowered, by colleagues and teachers alike, to be courageous, vulnerable, and explore all aspects of my playing and artistry. At VFMF, I felt seen as a musician and as a human.

Alejandra Santillanes, flutist at CØDA Ensemble, Fellow at BSO Orchkids

Private 1:1 work with me is not for everyone

Is this for me?

This is for people who are committed to:

- improving their playing from the fundamentals up

- to getting the support they need to persevere through competitions, auditions, failures, and life’s journey

- creating their dream life and artistic career

Working with me is probably not for you if the fear and resistance you have is so enormous that it is greater than your willingness to start taking action right now

The link between our lives and our playing is unbreakable.

Courageous personal work allows high level performers to flourish. This program is as much you based as it is flute based.

About me

I've attended five universities, earned two degrees, and have taken courageous, strategic action in following my big dream
My teaching method combines explanation of elusive artistic ideas and technical flute concepts together to create players that are hyper-aware of how they are creating, so they can create sounds, phrases, and ideas with complete control
I offer career support from the experiences of someone who is not naturally confident, but who is smart, hard-working, and who won their first orchestral job two-months after turning 23, is one of NFA’s few competitors to have won first prize in more than one national competition, and who was teaching at a public university at 23 with only a bachelors degree...
...And from someone who in addition to have achieving all of those things, needed support
- Needed support knowing how to build a life and career I actually loved
- Needed support understanding my own positive and negative thoughts, pain of rejections, and why I didn't love my playing or trust my process
- Needed support out of extreme perfectionism, which became debilitating, lonely, and confusing
I still actively work on all of these concepts with my team of coaches and mentors

VFMF helped me define my goals as a player and a person. Through creative thinking sessions with Katie, I felt supported and motivated to determine my goals and create a plan to achieve them. Within these sessions, Katie creates a safe and positive environment where you can discuss your dreams, fears, doubts, and inspirations without judgement. VFMF focuses on the individual flutist and person, which separates this festival from others. It's not only about flute performance, but developing healthy ways of thinking, practical plans to achieve your goals, encountering obstacles, handling your own fears, and other aspects of building a career in music. Katie provided us with a world-class flute faculty and an immense amount of resources in the form of warm-ups, lectures, and creative thinking sessions. I left the festival not only a better player, but a more well rounded musician and person. Thank you Katie and all of the wonderful teachers and guest artists at VFMF for an amazing festival!

Amelia Libbey, Eastman School of Music

The Program

Real change takes time. Through intensive, fundamental focused flute training, and vulnerable, introspective work on your life, we'll work towards empowerment on the journey of creating your dream life and career. Here are the tools we'll use:

Monthly 90 minute calls (1X or 2X) to take a deep dive into how you're doing and what you're trying to accomplish
- calls can be flute related, life related, or both*
Unlimited email, Voxer, and Loom support that could include:
- Email draft reviews so your emails to professors, principal players, etc. are professional and concise
- Resume and application essay reviews
- Pre-screening or festival recording reviews
- Voxer affirmations
- Practice or rest reminders that we all know we should do but totally don't
- Support with unexpected events, rejections, or conversations that suddenly throw you off your game

We work together for either 4 or 8 months at a time

We are working on artistic and professional empowerment so you can move ahead in your career with strength and acceptance.

* Disclaimer - this program can be done with or without flute support. If you do want flute support and you are in school, you must have the permission from your teacher for us to work together. *

The Investment

2 - 90 minute calls per month
- $400 per month
- 4 or 8 month contracts
- Monthly payment plans available

1 - 90 minute call per month
- $250 per month
- 4 or 8 month contracts
- Monthly payment plans available

This sounds great, can this actually change me?

Going through a deep dive into ourselves, our flute-playing, and our careers can literally leave us wondering who we were

I am shocked how much I have grown from this work. For me, it took:

Courage to look at my thought and playing habits
Strength to claim ownership of my flute playing issues and what was holding me back in my life
Commitment to continue pursuing my big dreams while feeling so much better about where I am in life as a person (my flute playing has also improved so much!)

I share this with you because the progress I have made is completely possible for you.

Imagine yourself in a year - what will your life, your view of your playing, and your attitude about yourself look like?

What will be required for you to step into this new version of yourself?

The journey may not be smooth or easy, but what lies on the other side is being empowered about yourself, your playing, and your life