Episode 356: Took a Break? Your Playing Isn’t Behind—It’s Evolving
Release Date: 12/05/2025
Episode 356: Took a Break? Your Playing Isn’t Behind—It’s Evolving
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 356: "Took a Break? Your Playing Isn’t Behind—It’s Evolving” This episode is for the musician returning from a hiatus—short or long. Whether life changed, your energy shifted, or you simply needed space, your playing isn’t behind. It’s evolving. We talk through comparison, fear, grief, and the gentle curiosity needed to rebuild. Breaks don’t erase artistry; they often deepen it. What We Discuss: • Why returning to the flute brings up fear, shame, or comparison • How to release old narratives about your “prime” • The role of gentleness, curiosity,...
info_outline
Episode 355: Your Spoken Voice Is Your Flute Voice—Here’s How to Reunite Them
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 355: “Your Spoken Voice Is Your Flute Voice—Here’s How to Reunite Them” If you feel disconnected from your playing—unsure, hesitant, or muted—this episode uncovers why. Often, the break isn’t just musical; it's between your spoken voice and your flute voice. We revisit early musical memories, confidence wounds, comparison culture, and the pressures that disconnect musicians from their natural expressive centers. You’ll learn how your everyday voice can guide you back to authenticity in your artistry. What We Discuss: • How comparison and grading...
info_outline
Episode 354: Stop Waiting for Perfect Conditions—Practice Without the Flute on Your Face
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 354: “Stop Waiting for Perfect Conditions—Practice Without the Flute on Your Face” If you’ve ever told yourself “I don’t have time to practice,” this episode will free you. We look at why waiting for the perfect moment keeps musicians stuck—and why some of your most meaningful practice can happen away from the flute. Using the score, your voice, visualization, analysis, listening, and intentional micro-practice, you can move your artistry forward even on the busiest days. What We Discuss: • Why perfectionism keeps you from practicing at all • How to...
info_outline
Episode 353: The Baby Metaphor That Will Change How You Practice Forever
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 353: “The Baby Metaphor That Will Change How You Practice Forever” If you’ve ever played all the “right” notes yet still felt disconnected from your musical expression, this episode will change how you practice forever. In E353, I share a simple baby metaphor that has transformed the way my clients build emotional connection and artistic intention from the very first practice session. Most musicians try to “add expression later,” but that approach actually keeps the music from feeling alive. This episode gives you a new way to weave expression, story, and...
info_outline
Episode 352: Stop Shrinking—How to Take Up Healthy Artistic Space as a Musician
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 352: “Stop Shrinking—How to Take Up Healthy Artistic Space as a Musician” If you’ve ever felt yourself shrinking—apologizing for your sound, playing small in rehearsal, or holding back your musical voice—this episode is for you. Today, we explore why so many musicians collapse inward (mentally, emotionally, and physically) and how to reclaim the healthy artistic space you were designed to inhabit. Across all ages and stages—middle schoolers, college musicians, adult hobbyists, professionals—this pattern appears: talented artists who know what they’re...
info_outline
Episode 351: Vision Beyond Sight with Liz Hargest
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 351: “Vision Beyond Sight with Liz Hargest” In today’s episode, Heidi sits down with longtime student, colleague, and dear friend Liz Hargest to explore what it truly means to cultivate artistry, perseverance, and purpose beyond physical sight. Liz, who has been blind since infancy, shares how she learned flute through Braille music, how she approaches memorization, and how she continues to grow as a musician and teacher well into her 70s. Her story offers profound insight into resilience, lifelong learning, and the deep internal work that shapes expressive,...
info_outline
Episode 350: Flute Practice Hack—Get Off the Page and Reignite Your Creativity
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 350: “Flute Practice Hack — Get Off the Page and Reignite Your Creativity” Are you ready for a flute practice hack that will completely change how you approach your instrument? In this episode, Dr. Heidi Kay Begay shares how to get off the page and reignite your creativity—so your practice sessions feel inspired, effective, and fun again. If you’ve been playing the same passage over and over, expecting new results, this conversation is your permission slip to break the pattern. Heidi offers simple, refreshing flute practice tips that help you rediscover musical...
info_outline
Episode 349: Be Still and Create—How Faith, Focus, and Less Consumption Lead to True Artistic Alignment
Flute 360
Episode 349: "Be Still and Create—How Faith, Focus, and Less Consumption Lead to True Artistic Alignment" Hey friend, have you ever felt like your creative fire is dimming—no matter how hard you hustle? Like you’re practicing, posting, teaching, scrolling… and yet something inside still feels off? In this week’s episode, we’re pressing pause on the noise to talk about how slowing down and tuning into God’s voice can reignite your artistry from the inside out. I get it—you’re juggling your flute students, auditions, business goals, and maybe even burnout. But what if the next...
info_outline
Episode 348: Movement Is Healing — How Flutists Can Break Free from Stagnation and Step Into Clarity
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 348: “Movement Is Healing – How Flutists Can Break Free from Stagnation and Step Into Clarity” Have you ever felt stuck in your music career? Like you’re waiting for the perfect sign from God before making your next move? In this heartfelt solo episode, Dr. Heidi Kay Begay shares a vulnerable, faith-centered reflection on how movement—both physical and spiritual—can lead to deep healing and renewed clarity. From overcoming a life-changing neck injury to navigating a season of career uncertainty, Heidi unpacks the power of taking small, faithful steps forward....
info_outline
Episode 347: Inside the Musical Instrument Museum — Dr. Eddie Hsu on Global Flutes & Cultural Storytelling
Flute 360
Flute 360 | Episode 347: “Inside the Musical Instrument Museum — Dr. Eddie Hsu on Global Flutes & Cultural Storytelling” In this Flute 360 episode, Dr. Heidi Kay Begay sits down with Dr. Eddie Hsu, Curator for Asia & Oceania at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona. Together, they explore MIM’s new exhibition, “The Magical Flute: Beauty, Enchantment & Power,” and talk about the global story of the flute — from 8,000-year-old bone flutes to modern instruments. Dr. Hsu shares how flutes carry cultural storytelling, spiritual meaning, ceremony,...
info_outlineFlute 360 | Episode 356: "Took a Break? Your Playing Isn’t Behind—It’s Evolving”
This episode is for the musician returning from a hiatus—short or long. Whether life changed, your energy shifted, or you simply needed space, your playing isn’t behind. It’s evolving. We talk through comparison, fear, grief, and the gentle curiosity needed to rebuild. Breaks don’t erase artistry; they often deepen it.
What We Discuss:
• Why returning to the flute brings up fear, shame, or comparison
• How to release old narratives about your “prime”
• The role of gentleness, curiosity, and presence in rebuilding
• Why negative thoughts aren’t truth—just noise
• How life experiences enrich your musicianship after a break
Main Takeaway:
A hiatus does not diminish your artistry. You’ve grown in ways you may not see yet—and that growth will show up in your sound, your expression, and your interpretation.
Join Us Live – December 20, 2025:
If you’re easing back into playing and want encouragement, community, and tangible next steps, join me inside the Flute 360 Accelerator on Saturday, December 20th, 2025 from 11 AM–1 PM CT. Let’s connect you back to the flute – together!
Follow Heidi!
- Follow Flute 360 via TikTok!
- Follow Flute 360 via Instagram!
- Follow Flute 360 via Twitter!
- Follow Flute 360 via LinkedIn!
- Follow Flute 360 via Facebook!
- Subscribe to the Flute 360’s YouTube Channel!
- Join the Flute 360 Newsletter!
- Join the Flute 360 Family’s Facebook Private Group!
- Join the Flute 360’s Accelerator Program Here!