When I was in high school, as a trumpet player, I sat right behind the flutes in band. Obviously as such I saw and heard flutes quite a bit. I was fortunate because the flutes in our band were all really good. They sounded good, they could read well, and they were generally on the ball. That was probably about the extent of my knowledge and appreciation for flute in high school, but as I became infatuated with jazz, I would hear a lot more flute in the years to come.
Listening to jazz all the time, I would eventually encounter John Coltrane, Bud Shank, and Denis DiBlasio who blew my mind away. And of course, today we have Greg Pattillo and Sarpay Özçağatay. Of course, flute is also a beautiful classical instrument, Rock, and military music! Flute is super versatile, and while small, it is powerful. Because it is such a high pitched instrument, one amazing flautist can easily drive an entire band. Most of the time I was in the Army Band (six years and three different bands) we had only one or two flutes in the band, and it is all we ever needed.
If you are looking to learn a fun and versatile instrument, the flute is a great choice. They are also small and easily portable/travel well so if you like to be on the move, the flute is a great choice. If you are here in the Olympia area, Erin would love to work with you!
