“Heidi’s energy, musicianship, beautiful tone, and musical phrasing combine to make her a stunning and compelling concert artist. It is unusual when high-level performers are extraordinary teachers as well, and Heidi is just that.”
Dr. Nevart Galileas
“I enjoyed watching the video of the program dedicated to Amber! Having Heidi and an indigenous musician play was interesting and effective. The music’s contrast and commonality were engaging and a fitting tribute for Amber. As for Fantasia, bravo to Heidi for a musical and moving performance! You have a beautiful sound, and your passion for music and care for Amber came through the playing. But, as Clark mentioned to me, I can see why Amber’s mother was moved to tears. I am thankful I was able to be part of this project, Chase the Music.”
Ron Royer
Heidi Kay Begay (doesn’t it just make you smile to say her name?). Well, when you meet Heidi, you’ll really smile. When you hear her play, she’ll take you to incredible places with her music. Heidi pours so much of herself into her performance – she infects you with her passion.
I first heard her perform at an event for a young Navajo woman – Amber. She was performing the world premiere of a piece – “Fantasy for Flute”, composed by Ron Royer. It’s the musical outline of a story told with Heidi’s delicate flute performance. Somber, joyous, dancing, wandering, directed, lost, introspective, energetic. The piece is Amber’s life expressed through Heidi’s flute. Impossible to express with words. Somehow Heidi does it with her music.
The performance was nothing short of spectacular. She took the audience through the piece, musically interpreting complex musical and life concepts. She gave her audience a glimpse into the life of Amber through the language of her flute.
Clark Hodge
“Dr. Begay is a true educator with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which she shares most patiently and understandably. Her passion for music and her students is evident, her positivity and enthusiasm are contagious, and her effort truly goes above and beyond just “music lessons.” Our flutist has benefited from her time spent with Dr. Begay in her ability, confidence, and self-esteem. I would recommend Dr. Begay to any aspiring flutist!”
Jeremy Blackwood
“My daughter thoroughly enjoys her flute lessons! Dr. Begay is so talented, and she’s a very organized, warm, compassionate teacher. She truly goes above and beyond for her students! We have taken lessons with her both in-person and now online, and she is fantastic in both formats. We feel very blessed to have found her, and I highly recommend her!”
Emily Williams
“Heidi is the absolute best! She was extremely patient and our daughter really took off under her tutelage — and best of all, she loved going to her lessons!”
“Dr. Begay was definitely the best flute teacher I ever had. She was super patient as I was learning the ropes of the instrument and more importantly, she made playing the flute really enjoyable!”
“Dr. Begay is more than an extraordinary teacher, she went above and beyond in all of my lessons to help me achieve my goals. Thanks to Dr. Begay’s coaching, I was accepted into West Virginia University’s flute studio where I am studying flute performance. One of my favorite things about Dr. Begay is how she truly cares about her student’s well-being.”
Eric Tapia
“Heidi is incredible! I am an adult who wanted to get back to playing flute regularly, again, for fun. Heidi is extremely knowledgeable and improved my technique significantly. She was willing to push me but was also very understanding of my unsteady practice schedule. The bonus is her absolutely delightful personality!”
Dr. Jessica Alquist
“15/10 favorite flute instructor I ever had! Made it very easy and enjoyable to improve on my flute skills.”
“Dr. Heidi Kay Begay was the most loving and supportive instructor I ever had! She helped me tremendously with my flute skills and confidence! I would recommend her to anyone wanting to get started or advance their existing experience with the flute. She is extremely talented at the flute and teaching. I am so thankful for her and the lessons she taught me. Because of her, I have a strong love for music and the art of the flute!”
Allison Semadeni
“Dr. Begay is very thorough, organized, and kind. She focuses on your individual traits and tailors your lesson to suit your needs. Dr. Begay was a great influence on my skills and confidence as a flute player, and I couldn’t recommend her more!”
Annika Rapp
“Dr. Begay was an amazing instructor for the seven years that she taught me! She shaped me both as a flutist and as an individual in our time together. I had the privilege of taking lessons with her both in-person and online, and she was phenomenal in both areas at aiding me in becoming the best flutist I could be. Not only is she organized, talented, and professional as a lesson teacher, she genuinely cares for her students and displays warmth in all that she does. For these reasons and many more, I can give my wholehearted recommendation for Dr. Begay as a lesson teacher!”
Caitlin Boyle
“Heidi’s Flute 360 presentation for my college flute studio was super engaging and informative. The students learned so much about podcasting and all of the behind-the-scenes logistics of running and recording a podcast. In addition, we all had so much fun! I highly recommend having Heidi present this unique workshop to your students!”
Dr. Julee Kim Walker
“Dear Heidi: Thank you so much for your presentation for the Eastern Michigan University flute, oboe, and clarinet studio on Musicpreneurship! It was a great discussion on alternative ways of creating a thriving career in the arts, and your ideas inspire us. Your work in the industry is not only innovative but inspiring, thoughtful, and energizing. This gave us food for thought to look outside the traditional ways of having a successful career in the arts, and we are grateful for your time and expertise. We wish you the best in the future!”
Dr. Julie Stone
“I recently spent an hour virtually with Dr. Heidi Begay on a coaching call. It was one of the most valuable hours I have ever spent. I’ve been wanting to do a pivot in my flute career, and Dr. Begay helped me to fine-tune my goals, make a plan, and get started. Dr. Begay has great insight and is very generous with her information and experiences. She asks thoughtful questions, is a great listener, and gave me great advice. I feel very fortunate that our paths crossed in the flute community.”
Pam Ravenelle
“Dr. Begay helped me prepare for an application process, providing invaluable advice for my CV, cover letter, and a mock interview. I felt vastly more confident in myself and my materials after her help, and my skills clearly benefited. It’s clear she has the experience, perspective, and meticulousness to be a valuable resource for anyone working on CV’s, cover letters, recordings, and interviews.”
Dr. Joshua Hall
“Heidi has the tremendous gift of truly understanding the scope and challenges of the classical music industry today. Her coaching is both incredibly knowledgeable and emotionally compassionate. For anyone who is looking to scale a music business or talk to someone who understands challenges of the 21st century musician – look no further.”
Alyssa Miller
I can highly recommend Heidi Kay Begay to anyone trying to organize their flute business. She is a great listener, resourceful, helpful, and very patient. She helped me reset my priorities as a performing and teaching flutist after a recent move. She follows through on all our ideas and discussions. Her door is always open for further help and counseling, even after our initial sessions. I feel like she really wants to help me be successful! Thanks Heidi!
Vicki Bell Schaevitz
“This podcast is an AMAZING resource! Rich with ideas about professional development, wellness, musicianship, and entrepreneurship, there is something valuable for EVERY musician. As a composer, author, educator, and violinist, I wish I had this resource earlier in my career. Heidi sets such an honest and welcoming tone in every single episode that challenges and inspires me to think outside the box and to be better. This podcast is bound to help positively shift the direction and conversation about curriculum that music schools are having at Universities across the country!”
Adrian Gordon
“The wealth of knowledge and experience that is shared for flutists and piccoloists is amazing on this podcast. The guests are fantastic and the host is warm, welcoming, and thoughtful. Thank you for providing a podcast that allows fellow musicians and fans into the lives of legends each episode!”
Tara Rozanski
“As a flute teacher with over a decade of experience, I cannot speak highly enough about Flute 360! Heidi has a lot of helpful information to share and I have so enjoyed the practical advice given in her podcast. Keep up the good work!”
Sarah Robertson
“Dr. Begay provides great insights on so many important topics for today’s flutists. I thoroughly enjoy her methodical approach to presenting topics in each podcast. Highly recommend taking a listen to any practicing and aspiring musician!”
Rudy Leal
“A welcoming space for conversation and exchange! Thank you for your passion for dialogue, Heidi!”
Weronika Balewski
“Heidi is an amazing interviewer. Heidi is inquisitive, kind, and respectful and it was a pleasure talking with her. Actually, it was hard for me to shut up.”
“Heidi Kay Begay has a naturally engaging manner. She puts everyone at ease and visits important topics and discussions that are relevant to all of us in the community. It was a joy to work with her and to listen to her other episodes. Thank you, Heidi, for all you do for so many!”
Marianne Gedigian
“I’ve been a big fan of the Flute 360 series since early on! I love hearing my friends and idols talk about themselves! You’ve got a wonderful way of eliciting our thoughts much more deeply than the typical interview, while also keeping us from getting too carried away so the podcasts stay compelling. Your many modes of dissemination make it amazingly convenient to find Flute 360 no matter what our listening habits are, and I love your time map table breaking down where new topics start in each interview. Thanks, Heidi, for being such an amazing and essential resource!”
Daniel Dorff
