Hi! I’m Sarah Carrier and I am the founder of the Hey Flutes Studio. You might know me from my flute covers on TikTok (that’s where the name Hey Flutes came from!), the New Jersey Flute Society where I serve as Co-President, or from seeing me perform in New Jersey and New York City as a member of The Parhelion Trio and Duo Diletto. However you got here, welcome!

As a performer and teacher, I have loads of experience that I would love to share with you. And I know how important it is to find the right teacher. When I was 24, I travelled across the country from Southern California to New York to study with my hero and pursue my dream of becoming a professional flutist. It was a huge risk and the best decision I ever made. Now that I am happily settled in North Jersey, I get to enjoy the musician’s life of teaching, performing, and giving masterclasses in the NYC metro area.

Here’s who I am as a musician in a nutshell:

I have a deep background in flute pedagogy and have even taught a college course for future band directors on how to teach the flute. I hold multiple degrees in flute performance including a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate in flute performance and have studied with some of the best teachers in my field. For my doctoral dissertation I did an ethnography on flute masterclasses, conducted fieldwork in Italy, and got to work with an amazing anthropology professor as my advisor. I have performed at many of the major venues in the United States and worldwide (think Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, Merkin Hall, Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and more..) as well as international chamber music and solo competitions that have shaped me into the kind of teacher that I am today. My chamber group The Parhelion Trio is one of the leading flute, clarinet, and piano trios in the country and has commissioned many important new works for this instrumentation. I also get to experience the joy of working with young composers in the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers Program, whom I have given flute composition workshops to for more than 10 years.

Now let’s talk about my real passion—my students:

My students come from all kinds of backgrounds and they are amazing. I’m not just talking about their audition skills and their stellar performances. What I admire the most about them is their passion for the flute. Whether they are adorable 3rd graders, high school seniors going on to major in music or biology, or adults working in finance or tech, my students confront the challenge of learning an instrument head-on while bringing the joy of music to their communities. My students get to have one-of-a-kind experiences like playing in the pit orchestra of their high school musicals, auditioning for army bands, and even writing their own music. It all comes from their general awesomeness and I count myself lucky to contribute to their musical growth with flute lessons.

What would you like to know more about?