It’s the day of your flute performance.
How you present yourself, your repertoire, and your tonal quality often clouds your mind.
But there is one element that is easily overlooked, yet incredibly important: the food you eat. What you choose to eat before performing can directly affect your ability to perform at a high level. As a flutist, your body is just as important as your instrument, so fueling it properly matters. Some fuels, however, work against you. Let’s take a closer look at what foods are best—and which foods are best to avoid before performing.
Don’t Drink Dairy
One of the most common dietary pitfalls is milk. For some, it might be part of your usual morning breakfast; it may be something you do not even think twice about. However, milk leaves a slightly heavy or coated feeling on the tongue. This can hinder your ability to articulate cleanly at high speeds, which can be especially detrimental for more technical passages. Rather than the tongue moving crisply and freely, it often feels slower or less responsive after drinking milk. Instead, a much better choice before a performance is simply drinking water. Water helps keep the mouth and throat hydrated without adding any residue.
No Junk Food!
Now, more obvious sorts of foods to avoid are junk foods. Namely, sugary sweets and carbonated beverages can both work to harm your performance capability. While they may be tempting in the moment, it is best to avoid these sorts of foods before playing. Candy and other sugary snacks can leave your mouth feeling sticky and difficult to control. This can affect the clarity of your tone or mouth shape in general. On the other hand, carbonated beverages like soda or bubbly water can cause bloating and perhaps discomfort. Even mild discomfort can disrupt one’s full focus. No one wants to deal with suppressing a burp in the middle of a performance!
Stay Away From Salt
Finally, it is important to skip extremely salty snacks. Foods like potato chips or pretzels can quickly dry out your mouth, making clean tone production and maintaining a good embouchure difficult. The flute is a wind instrument—even small changes in moisture and comfort in the mouth can make your tone fuzzy. A dry mouth can even prompt an urge to swallow more frequently, which can interrupt air flow and break concentration during longer phrases.
So, what should you consume? Aim for foods that support steady energy and hydration without negative repercussions. A great example of this is bananas; they are light, filling, and easy to find at the grocery store. As I like to say, “go bananas on bananas” before a performance. Of course, drink plenty of water—this way, you are all set to perform your best on the flute.
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Hi, I’m Devon! I play the flute and enjoy writing music in my free time.