Meet Becki Chesnes

We recently connected with Becki Chesnes and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Becki, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I developed resilience over time throughout my development as a musician. The process of learning a musical instrument, or any craft, teaches you to fail small over and over. And because you gain a lot of practice at the small failures, the big failures are already well rehearsed, just bigger.

I also think of failure and setbacks as just another piece of information about how not to do something. In my experience, all failures and adversity are invaluable learnings to propel you forward.

When I was in college I got the opportunity to hear Erin Brockovich speak about her book. (If you don’t know who Erin is, Google her!) In her book, she talks about the concept of “sticktuitiveness”. If you stick with something over and over, you will be successful. You just have to stick with it! My “sticktuitiveness” for music was developed early by my first music teacher, Sandy Graef. I remember her telling me that music is a lifelong development journey, so from an early age, I never had the expectation of instant gratification with my craft.

Ultimately, I learned to be resilient by taking risks and proving to myself I’m strong enough to rebound from my failures. Once you know you can get up after a knock out, there’s nothing to stop you from going back to the ring for another round!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Almost 8 years ago, I started my company, The Flute Shop. The Flute Shop is a flute specialty company based out of Hamilton, Ohio. We provide flute instruction, sales and repair to flutists of all ages and ability levels.

What makes us different from our competitors is our personalized approach with each customer. We work with each client to create their ideal musical experience. For some that means finding their dream flute. For others it means learning to play for the first time or again after a long break, playing in their first recital or applying for music school. For others, we restore their flute back to its original beauty. We have been apart of high school graduation gifts, anniversary surprises, birthdays, college audition triumphs, once in a lifetime performances, flute repair emergencies, and frustrations, hugs, tears, and giggles from our teaching studios.

One of the most special things about TFS is the partnership with our piano accompanist and business manager, Tisha Patton. She is my right arm (and sometimes my left too!). She has almost 60 years of experience playing the piano! We are so privileged to have such skill available for our student performances, masterclasses and recordings. Last year Tisha and I formed The Flute Shop Duo, a formal collaboration for live performance. In Q1 2024 we will be releasing our first studio recording of the Liebermann Flute Concerto.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
First and foremost, you have to figure out what you want. For me that moment came at age 14 at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis playing with the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra. For some, that moment of purpose may not come until far later in life, and that’s ok!

Once you figure out what you want, you have to be brave and go for it! What “going for it” means may evolve over time (It definitely did for me!), and will likely require some strategy and pivoting, but you will get to your goal if you stick with it and believe in that future.

During your journey, develop a great support system! Find people who love you, get you, support you, challenge you, collaborate with you, and lift you up! Find those people who will be your strength when you don’t have any left and won’t let you quit! Find those people who see your progress and remind you that what you are accomplishing is a big deal!

And celebrate the present. I think we often get wrapped up in future plans and forget to live for the here and now. Recognize and be grateful for what you have at present. The rest will come with time and perseverance.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I’m so lucky to have had the parents that I did. Having a creatively gifted child isn’t the easiest path, especially when it is divergent from what you know. The most impactful thing my parents did for me was allow me to grow into my musical identity with unwavering support.

My mom was a librarian for much of her life, and my dad was a businessman and an engineer. Music wasn’t exactly something they knew. But they were wise enough to allow me to choose my own path (even though it was a challenging one), and help me at every stage along the way. We navigated the path together, and I think the outcome has been pretty fantastic so far!

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Image Credits
Bernadette Newberry

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