Testimonials
Savannah Gentry, Master of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music:
Corrie Cook is a wonderful person and inspiring musician who was able to assist me in realizing my true potential. I came to Corrie starting flute as a second instrument that I was playing in the school band with no interest in pursuing further than getting first chair in band. She helped me realize how fun, awesome, and fulfilling pursuing all types of music by playing the flute could be. She set me on a path to pursue music as a career.
Corrie’s tender and kind heart is uncommon and special to her. She always teaches with kindness and without judgement. She will come to you, where ever you are—no matter how prepared you are (or aren’t). Corrie understands that there are many ways and timelines for learning and none are better than the others. Her main priority when teaching is encouraging enthusiasm for learning.
Corrie has a vast knowledge about how to be a great musician and flute player and is a great resource for any musician. She knows just how much to push her students so that they see great results and enjoy every ounce of music that they play. I was always proud of the performances that I gave with the help of Corrie. Every week I would come with questions about the pieces that I was learning and she was able to help me problem-solve.
I always looked forward to my lessons every Tuesday. I enjoyed learning different pieces and spending time with Corrie and her infinite wisdom. My favorite part of every lesson was playing duets because I got to learn how to play by listening and trying to match Corrie’s beautiful sound.
Melissa Hinkle, Music Specialist at Tualatin Elementary School
Corrie is an extraordinary flutist, educator, mentor, and human being. She has a heart of gold and it is very evident she deeply cares about each and every student she teaches. When I began flute lessons with Corrie, I was entering 7th grade. Little did I know then that twenty years later, I would still be learning from Corrie and also able to call her my friend.
With Corrie’s skilled guidance and teaching, I was able to meet my goal in high school of being selected for All-State and going to state solo contest, twice! Corrie instilled a love of teaching and music in me, and I went on to become an elementary music educator and private flute instructor. Corrie is an incredible flute teacher with a depth of knowledge and I highly recommend her for anyone interested in advancing their skills on flute.
Molly Duggan, Principal Flutist of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra
Words cannot express how lucky I am to have found a flute teacher such as Darren. I’ve been taking lessons from him weekly for about a year and my sound is completely transformed!
Before I started lessons I never wanted to hear any recordings of myself, and was struggling to teach myself flute. Now I’m performing every week at my church, I just made it into the Symphony Orchestra at MYS, and I’m practicing almost 2 hours a day!
Darren is a quiet person at first, but he’s very caring and easygoing. One of the things I really like about both Darren and Corrie is how they are constantly looking for new techniques and new ways to teach. They never stop learning, and bounce such great ideas off each other. As players, their music is enchanting and to strive for, especially when they play together. As teachers, they will push you to your limits, if you feel so inclined, and can launch your playing to a whole new level.
John Nguyen, Music Minor at The University of Texas at Dallas:
I have been taking lessons from Corrie for almost three years now, and from my experience, Corrie Cook truly is exceptional. With her guidance, I went from being a beginner to the Principal Flutist of the Westview Wind Ensemble and the Co-Principal Flutist of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Most recently, I placed 4th overall in the State Solo Competition.
When I first began lessons, I was shy and lacked confidence in my playing. Not only did Corrie improve my tone and technique with her variation on long tones and custom-arranged scales within weeks, she continued to inspire me with her anecdotes and success in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Corrie contains such a wealth of knowledge that she can immediately diagnose any problem a student may be having.
Corrie's teaching style embodies a maternal tenderness: From the start, Corrie welcomed me into her studio as if I were one of her own children. She maintains a flexible schedule and is always available to talk. Corrie believes that private lessons are a lost art and works seriously to bring connection and inspiration to her students, integrating etudes and encouragement together in a single lesson. She also does not believe in accepting students to benefit her reputation; Corrie will welcome any student at any level and work to grow him or her musically and as a person.
There is no other teacher who I warmly recommend to my peers more than Corrie. She provides one of the best relationships a student can have with a teacher, while coaching with an unparalleled expertise. Corrie is a teacher that any flutist, beginner to advanced, needs to have.
Kellen Ko, Principal Flutist of the Westview Wind Ensemble
I started flute lessons with Corrie towards the end of my freshmen year of high school. Before then, I thought I would never be able to get any better on flute, let alone become principal chair of my school’s top ensemble. Corrie is the kind of teacher you instantly feel comfortable around. It feels like she really tries to connect with her students and adjust her teaching to help them succeed in their musical goals, big or small. In terms of her teaching style, what I like most about Corrie is that she teaches you how to become a better soloist AND a better ensemble musician. As someone deeply involved in my school’s band program, that is another one of the reasons I would highly recommend her to anyone interested in ensemble work.
Yumi Li, Former Student of Corrie
Corrie and Darren have been, without a doubt, one of the most influential people in my life. I have taken flute lessons with both of them and they helped me to get to first chair by senior year of high school. Having known and spent so much time with them, I was really able to witness how much love and passion they put into their students and music. They not only care about seeing you succeed in music, but in life as well. Of course, it stands without saying that they are extremely talented in what they do.
Although music is not part of my everyday job, their lessons of working hard and genuinely caring for others still resonate with me a decade later.
Joanna Haralson, Mother of Flute Student
Mrs. Cook has been teaching our daughter for over two years. She has a great ability to connect with pre-teens and give the students enough freedom in music choice to keep them motivated while still maintaining serious quality in music. Her cheerful and positive attitude keeps my daughter looking forward to the next class. Just after one year of lessons she was able to play at church and school functions. She loves to practice at home and even brings the flute on vacation with her.
Vishwesh & Nidhi, Flute Students of Corrie Cook
Corrie Cook is a wonderful flute teacher and has taught me everything I know on the flute today. From the moment I started her class to where I am now, I have learnt so much over the past 4 years. She has a very upbeat enthusiastic way of teaching, that is very engaging and interesting, encouraging the student to learn more about playing on the flute. And sometimes, even when I often forgot to practice, or played incorrectly, she was always patient and taught through it. Mrs. Cook is additionally a very dedicated teacher. Sometimes she was so engrossed with teaching we went overtime, and I was able to learn even more. I have had several flute teachers before her, and I can say with conviction I have learnt the most about flute playing from her, and would wholeheartedly recommend Mrs. Cook to any students looking to learn more about the flute. Corrie always talks about making the teacher obsolete. My sister also has been learning from Corrie Cook for over 2 1/2 years and shares the same thoughts and likes her a lot. I also had the opportunity to learn to repair flutes from Daren Cook. He teaches really well with a lot of patience and has a knack with tools and to build and repair things. He has a lot of knowledge about repairing flute, and has taught me a lot about it as well.
Dina Hinz, Mother of Morgan Hinz, Band Student at Stoller Middle School
I knew the moment I spoke with Corrie Cook on the phone that she was the flute teacher for whom I had been searching. Immediately friendly, very knowledgeable, and enthusiastic, Corrie embraced what seemed to me the impossible task of teaching my son, Morgan, flute over the summer so that he can switch from playing percussion in sixth grade band to flute in seventh. He has only the summer to come up to speed on all that the sixth grade flute players learned in order to be ready, and with Corrie’s wonderful instruction, he definitely will be and more.
Corrie has a teaching style that is positive, encouraging, and fun. From the basics to more advanced techniques, she has a way of explaining and demonstrating that is very clear, all the while being upbeat and kind. Corrie’s lessons and homework follow a progression that tests Morgan’s current skills and encourages him to push further. She is very supportive of his interest in learning other pieces beyond what he needs for seventh grade band. He really enjoys his lessons with Corrie because of how positive and encouraging she is and how she can immediately see and hear what adjustments he needs to make. The lessons fly by for him, and he can’t wait for his next one. Corrie’s enthusiasm for flute playing is contagious.
Emma Tong, 3rd Flutist of the Westview Wind Ensemble
Corrie is an extremely patient, understanding, and kind teacher. She has given me tons of help on how to improve my tone and technique, starting from the basic foundations. I’m a fairly quiet person, but Corrie always makes me feel comfortable during each lesson. She’s super flexible and always willing to help you reach your potential!