Julie Oris-Heikkila

Julie is a great teacher. She is patient and works with her students at their level.

Julie is fantastic! She is so patient and sweet with beginners. She laughs, jokes, and tells stories to put her students at ease. She is able to teach her lessons easily online. My daughter loves her flute lessons and looks forward to learning more difficult pieces.

She was a great teacher at teaching and I even learned that I love jazz because of her I highly recommend.

Julie is absolutely fantastic. My son , 9 years old, is the one taking lessons. He is always excited to see Ms. Julie and has so much fun learning with her. Julie is so patient and kind! Would give ten stars if we could!

Truly enjoyed and learned so much with this first lesson!

Julie is a great teacher. She is very patient and has great techniques to improve how I play.

Learning from Julie is a true gift. After leaving high school band over a decade ago, I decided to try the flute again. I considered various teachers both locally and via the online platform. I kept being drawn back to Julie’s profile due to her focus on the individual and what seemed to be her emotionally intuitive approach. She approaches teaching and the concept of learning from a childlike place; she believes in having fun and finding true joy while connecting with the instrument. Not only does she encourage a playful attitude while learning, she bring so much technical knowledge: she’s an accomplished flutist, has studied clarinet, and originally studied percussion. Whether you are learning on your flute for the day, practicing ear training, learning flute history, or taking a day to review rhythm, a lesson with Julie is never time wasted. I am beyond happy with my decision. After 7 months of lessons, my confidence as a flutist has vastly improved, but also I reflect daily on the life lessons she has shared with me. I am excited to pick up my instrument every day when I come home from work. She has so many strategies to keep my motivation level high, and she is extremely flexible in her approach. I plan to continue taking lessons with her for as long as possible, as I can not imagine a week without flute lessons from Julie.

Learning from Julie is a true gift. After leaving high school band 15 years ago, I decided to try the flute again. I considered various teachers both locally and via the online platform. I kept being drawn back to Julie’s profile due to her focus on the individual and what seemed to be her emotionally intuitive approach. She approaches teaching and the concept of learning from a childlike place; she believes in having fun and finding true joy while connecting with the instrument. Not only does she encourage a playful attitude while learning, she bring so much technical knowledge: she’s an accomplished flutist, has studied clarinet, and originally studied percussion. Whether you are learning on your flute for the day, practicing ear training, discussing flute history, or taking a day to review rhythm, a lesson with Julie is never time wasted. I am beyond happy with my decision. After 7 months of lessons, my confidence as a flutist has vastly improved, but also I reflect daily on the life lessons she has shared with me. I am excited to pick up my instrument when I come home from work. She has so many strategies to keep my motivation level high, and she is extremely flexible in her approach. I plan to continue taking lessons with her for as long as possible, as I can not imagine a week without flute lessons from Julie.

I am very pleased with Julie O. She is challenging me to play at my highest level!

Hi, I am lucky to have found Julie very early in life so that I can make the most of my high school years. I began studying flute with her a few years ago. I was extremely shy and frankly not functioning very well. My academics were not the problem but it was the "social thing". Even though I knew who I was, I was always thrown off by how I was supposed to fit in the world. It's like Julie rolled up her sleeves and went to work. I felt loved, safe and important ! She started teaching me the flute and through her love of music and life she taught me to trust myself and that is when my life changed. Everything began to "click" and for the first time I was not afraid. I now have many friends, still excelling in my academics but am now working on difficult solos and orchestral excerpts. I look forward with courage and am enjoying life instead of fearing it. My problems are problems many young people experience I think. In my experience as a member of her flute studio I saw her take a student from absolute beginner to auditioning for the Boston Symphony Youth Orchestra performing solos at age 18 that are entrance audition pieces for acceptance into Yale University's Graduate Program. though my goals in music are not as serious, she treats me with the same love and caring as her students who have career aspirations in music. Julie helps develop that confidence in those who sorely need to feel they have the right to belong. For a teacher, Julie has it all.

Julie's method of teaching is so thorough that it took me from level one solos to level six in just three years. She is the kind of teacher that makes you want to practice hard and do well for her ! I began my studies with Julie when I was just ten years old. I am now thirteen. At nine I also studied piano and violin but it wasn't long after that I dropped the other two instruments to focus solely on Flute because Julie made each lesson so much fun ! She also encourages participation in sports and always values high academic achievement. She wants me to be a "well rounded" student with a positive attitude so I will be successful not only in my high school years but throughout my college years and beyond. She is giving me the gift of music to take with me on my journey through life. Julie takes the time to listen if I had a rough day and has even attended one of my field hockey games and varsity swim meets. She says that seeing how I function in other venues helps her to fine tune her approach to teaching me the flute. Start with 45 minute lessons but quickly advance to 60 minute lessons to get the most out of every session with Julie. They are so valuable !

It is because of Julie's expertise and dedication that I am now successfully playing the flute and performing in several select groups locally, achieving high scores in competitions and beautifully expressing myself in solo recitals. All of this would not have happened without her tenacity and I am so grateful. I now sit first chair in my high school"select" wind ensemble but it wasn't always like that. When I was nine I began playing the flute and my mother found me a private flute teacher named Julie. I was quite a challenge for her because I was extremely shy and didn't talk much. In fact, it took me several years to muster up a few words even though there were a lot of thoughts going on in my head. Julie was so kind and patient with me. It was like she knew exactly the anxiety I was feeling and little by little after a few years gradually I was able to express myself out loud. She knew of my intelligence and passions and made it her quest to help me communicate so I could find more enjoyment in life. When Covid hit and everyone went into remote learning, Julie gave all her students a second free lesson per week because she wanted to keep us motivated and positive. She is truly amazing !!

I am an adult student in Julie's flute studio. I am in my eleventh year of private study with her. After raising a family and having my own full time career teaching students with special needs, I decided to pick up the flute again. I joined several musical groups including pit bands for musicals, wind ensembles and marching bands. As an older student I found that my fingers were not as nimble and my note reading skills were not as fast as when I was in high school and of course the conductors do not slow down tempos for anyone ! In my lessons, Julie analyzes my finger movements, embouchure, breathing, rhythm and pulse to access where improvements can be made. She also gives me double the lesson time ( for no extra fee ) to teach me how to practice and to make sure that I understand my goals for the week. You might think that we all know how to practice "but we don't" ! Practicing to accomplish and succeed takes intelligence, patience and determination. Julie is an expert at teaching "The Art of Practicing" ! I'll give you a hint. No wasted movements, no wasted thoughts ( keeping them positive, not negative) and really listening to yourself. Julie's methodology is the reason that I am able to perform in my many musical groups and have the time of my life in my retirement years. By the way, one of my granddaughters is now studying with Julie and my other granddaughter will start with Julie in a few years. My advice, study with Julie as she is truly remarkable.

I started flute lessons with Julie when I just ten years old. I am now fifteen and about to audition for my city's "Youth Symphony Orchestra". When I met Julie, I was an aspiring actress in school plays and also studied piano and violin as well as being a member of the "club" swim team. With all that I was doing Julie went right to work to help me manage my time but it wasn't long before I found a real love for playing the flute so I dropped the other instruments so I could excel on flute. Julie had a way of making even the most difficult practice sessions so much fun that before I knew it I was working on professional level solos and orchestral studies. My parents have never had to tell me to practice. I just wanted to work hard and achieve for Julie. When you meet her you will understand ! She is an inspiration and an advocate for success and happiness in life. She sometimes gives me extra time and extra lessons for no extra fee. She has also come to my swim meets with my parents. I can't say enough good things about Julie. I just know that what she has given me will stay with me all my life !

Julie has worked with my daughter for 8+ years now. She started lessons at age 8 and is now 16. When she was younger, they had 45-minute lessons and have progressed to 60+ minute lessons now that she is in high school. From the beginning, Julie worked with my daughter to foster good habits like the care of her flute after playing it. When my daughter started playing with others at school, she noticed that her peers did not care for their instruments as carefully or diligently as she had been taught to do. Julie is patient and innovative. She works hard to tailor lessons to the strengths of her students and to find ways to overcome their challenges, including having braces! Julie has done this through a blend of flexibility and firmness. Julie also encourages student empowerment through offering multiple options for pieces to master and that give enough of a stretch in skill level that they experience growth with every new work they try. Through her patience, kindness, and skill, Julie has helped my daughter achieve many musical goals, even during the pandemic, including high scores at solo-festivals and most recently being inducted into Tri-M, a music honor society. Beyond the music, Julie has consistently cared about and helped to foster my daughter’s social-emotional well-being. I am so grateful to have Julie in my daughter’s life.

I have to say that I am so lucky to come across Julie when I tried to find a flute teacher for my daughter 5 years ago. At that time, my daughter was learning piano, violin and she also wanted to try flute. Julie became her flute teacher. Now she is a sophomore in high school and flute is the only instrument she continues to play, and she loves it. Julie was very inspirational. She didn't only teach kids the musical notes, she passes her passion of music to the kids. Julie is not just a flute teacher to my kids (and yes, my other daughter is also taking flute lessons with Julie now), she is their best friend. Julie will come to watch and support my kids' swim meets, field hockey games, and various other activities my kids are involved in. When they were too busy with other things or they came across difficult pieces, when they wanted to give up, Julie was always there to support them and encourage them. Julie is very knowledgeable. Under her guidance, my kids progress very fast. They obtained high scores in some competitions. But most importantly, they love playing flute. They will practice and will play it when they need some relaxation or they want to show some excitement. I appreciate all Julie has done for them. Julie is a flute teacher everyone wants to have.

Our daughter began lessons with Julie when she was nine. Coming from a Suzuki teacher, I initially sat in on lessons with Julie. It became an enjoyable collaboration for teaching my daughter how to practice for success. She studied with Julie for 8 years and looked forward to weekly lessons. During the 90 minute lessons, they covered a lot of material which really accelerated her understanding. After about 70 or 75 minutes into each lesson, she seemed to make a leap to a higher level of competence. Our daughter made rapid progress-the teaching repertoire Julie developed is extensive and varied, allowing her to work on each student’s strengths and weaknesses. This repertoire and Julie’s teaching style improved my daughter’s skills quickly without excessive frustration. She won several local music competitions. At times, Julie also served as a “symphony conductor” (with recorded music), to enable my daughter to make orchestral entrances on time, especially for the more difficult pieces. Julie is a warm and wonderful person, and can really motivate students.

I started working with Julie when I was 10 years old, and I continued to take lessons with her for the following eight years until I graduated high school. Throughout my years of study, Julie helped me to not only develop as an artist, but as a person. To this day (>3 years after stopping official lessons due to moving away for college), I consider her to be a close friend. Having working with a number of flute instructors at top institutions in other capacities, I can say with confidence that Julie is a teacher that any student would be lucky to work with. She is knowledgeable, kind, and the type of instructor that naturally inspires the best in her students. During our time working together, I went on to achieve top scores at a number of music competitions, served as first chair of multiple music ensembles, and went on to earn music scholarships for college totaling more than 20k. I can say with confidence that Julie's willingness to always go the extra mile with me was instrumental in my earning these opportunities. For reference, my lessons were appoximately 60 minutes weekly.

Julie is a fabulous teacher! She gets to know each student as an individual, and tailors their lessons to the way they learn best. Students have input into the pieces they work on, and the students work on a variety of pieces to develop different skills with each piece. Julie taught my daughter flute from 5th grade (45 minute lessons) through her high school graduation and remotely in college (1+ hour lessons). Julie was not only her teacher and mentor, but became a cherished “member” of our family. My daughter would work hard, because she had such an incredible bond with Julie. Julie developed my daughter’s flute skills far beyond her grade level. By high school my daughter was first chair in Hochstein’s Youth Symphony Orchestra, Eastman’s Flute Choir, and other select groups. As a teacher, Julie went above and beyond to help my daughter succeed, while still understanding the needs of a student juggling multiple priorities. Julie's experience in teaching took my daughter from a 9 year old beginner flutist through preparing successful auditions for college scholarships. Julie knew every audition / performance piece my daughter ever used, and knew exactly how to prepare my daughter so she could give a professional quality performance / audition. As a teacher, Julie is what every parent wishes for, and the only teacher your student will ever need, regardless of their age or experience.