Meet John William, Flautist: Professional Musician & Band Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with John William, Flautist and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Sacrifice and belief. To some degree, there must be a level of sacrifice if your business is to flourish. Money, time, relationships with others, social outings, and sleep are all examples of entities that will be sacrificed to some degree in order for you to put that worthwhile effort into your business. If you don’t believe in yourself, or what you can provide for others, then you can’t expect others to buy into you and show their support. Support can be shown by patrons giving their money, time, telling others about you, or via social media likes, loves, and shares, Every drop of support is someone’s “stamp of approval” or investment in you and that should not be taken for granted.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love being different. Throughout the early portion of my career, I basked in the notion that I wasn’t like everyone else. Specifically speaking, being a male flute player. These were difficult times. Although there is a paradigm shift between which instruments are generally acceptable for boys and girls to play, I came up during a time in which playing the flute as a boy was scoffed upon. I thrive off of the fact that I didn’t succumb to peer pressure or bullying and quit doing what I loved. Yet, I dove deeper into my craft thereby making it a part of my very existence. The tenacity of my professional transcendence exemplifies the mindset I have while approaching my business. In short, in everything that I do, I intend to execute it with the utmost level of excellence. Every note I play, every song I perform, every record I make, I intend to give it my very all.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If these were pre-Covid-19 times, I would take my friend to a variety of places. For example, We would go by Top Golf to hit a few, even though I can’t golf at all! We would also swing by the gun range to let off a few rounds. I find it to be very therapeutic. Staying active, I would take my friend to Brunswick Zone or Bolero bowling alley. I love to bowl! Also, I would find a pool hall to shoot pool. I’m no pool shark, but I enjoy the skill and precision involved in the game. At some point in the week, we would attend an Atlanta Hawks game to root on the home team. Furthermore, we would attend a few spoken word/live music spots such as Apache XLR, Cafe 290, or Kat’s Cafe. Food-wise, we would begin at American Deli. While there I’d get them a 10 pc hot with lemon pepper sprinkles, extra crunchy, extra wet, fries crunchy, with a large half peach and half lemonade drink. We would also go to Waffle House and feast upon a couple of All-Star meals. Lastly, we would visit Busy Bee’s Cafe, JJ’s Fish and Chicken, Paschal’s, Piccadilly at Greenbriar and possibly Slutty Vegan if we have time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are too many individuals to name who have attributed to my success. Overall, I want to thank everyone who has shown me love. Those on social media who like, love, and share my musical activities thank you so much. Anyone who has hired me to perform for their wedding, party, virtual event, play on their track, or wanted private lessons, thank you. I want to recognize my parents LeRoy & Janice, my brother LeRoy Erran, my wife Angela, my mentor Rev. Arthur McClenton, my church family at Beulah Baptist Church, my Douglass Astro family, my Morehouse College family, Phi Beta Sigma, Fraternity Inc. brothers, and my Crawford Long family. I would be remiss if didn’t recognize those responsible for the creation of my debut album (Melodic Ascension) and sophomore album (Tomorrow’s Yesterday) to be released in March of 2021. Thank you DJ Burn One & The Five Points Bakery, Siraaj Rhett, Big Rube, Anna Valena, Big Gipp, James Worthy, Dwayne Dugger II, Jake Chapman, and Seth Garcia. All of these individuals were extremely paramount to the creation of my artistry. Thank you so much!

Website: http://www.johnwilliamflautist.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwilliamflautist/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/john-william-flautist-52609223
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jowillflautist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnWilliamFlautist
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HipHopFlutist/featured
Other: Melodic Ascension Album Link https://album.link/i/1460578987 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dxTJU3UZNqSTsL4WRYD8P?si=0jfDohjeS9CUYRyG49QbEw Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/johnwilliamflautist Airport Entertainment Series Website https://www.atl.com/john-william/

Image Credits
Seth Garcia of Sg3media http://www.sg3media.com Instagram: @sg3media