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hi! I'm Claire.

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I grew up in rural Minnesota, and my mom introduced me to the beauty of the flute at the age of ten. After only one year of playing along to my favorite songs and taking lessons with my band director, I knew I wanted to be a professional.

So... we began the search for a private teacher! My parents were incredibly supportive. After a few trial lessons that just didn’t feel right, we found Julie. Julie was everything I wanted to be as a flutist – bold, expressive, and exploratory. After every lesson I was itching to get into a practice room to play around with the things she was teaching me. 

And she was teaching me freakin’ cool stuff. She could sing and play, she could make the flute sound like an electric guitar, or a plucked string instrument, and she had her own band. Julie was the real deal. Her cool factor also came from the fact that she (like me) was a flute nerd. We dug into how to make a singing TONE on the flute, which was what drew me in when I started. It’s so beautiful (and shiny, and floaty)! She taught me all the major and minor scales and how to double and triple tongue, and truly set me up with cool flute skills that I use all. the. time.

I eventually graduated from high school, moved to Colorado, and then came here to Pittsburgh. I’ve completed two degrees in flute performance and have been lucky to have had incredible teachers at every stage. They have truly shaped who I am as an artist and a person, and gifted me with skills I use in every realm of my life now. 

My goal as a teacher is to inspire, educate, and empower you to be your own best self, musician, and teacher. I will be there to guide you through those gnarly technical passages, periods when you don’t feel like practicing, and audition or performance anxiety. I’ve been through it all myself – and have tried and true methods that can help. 

i really love playing flute, but i also love other things, such as...

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Spending time with my fiance! we like to bike around Pittsburgh, visit local coffee shops, and go to all the neighborhood events.

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Making homemade rainbow bagels 😍 I have always loved bagels, and when they're rainbow, they're just 👩‍🍳 😘 

Running or hiking! I love being outside and enjoying some good nature time.

Hanging out with my family and doing things like ⭐️ curling ⭐️  (bonus points if you know the rules 😉). And yes, my Minnesotan family also goes ice fishing and hunting!

For more *professional* details...

You can check out my artistic resume below! I've been performing for over a decade, am the Principal Piccolo of Johnstown Symphony, and gig regularly around Pittsburgh. 

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looking for a private flute teacher in pittsburgh?

I currently have openings in my studio for Spring 2025! And if you're not in Pittsburgh, that's ok - I teach online too 🤓 

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