A typical 3-year old’s life centers on eating, sleeping and learning to speak. But when Emma Resmini was 3, she discovered her passion and talent for playing the flute. 

“I heard it in a concert and I just liked the sound, and it was shiny,” Emma said. With that early introduction to the flute, she embarked upon a journey that has earned her national recognition today as a 9-year-old flutist and musical prodigy.

When Emma was a baby, her parents, Marilyn and Ronald Resmini of Fairfax Station, who don’t play instruments, didn’t notice any musical genius in their younger daughter. Her mother noted that Emma just liked to listen to her sister play the violin. 

“When I was about 2- or 3-years-old, my mom gave me a violin, which I destroyed,” said Emma. “I removed the hair from the bow and cut off the strings. I’m glad it was cheap. I guess it wasn’t the instrument I wanted to play.” 

It was after the disastrous end of her violin that Emma fell in love with the flute. “Everyone said it was ridiculous, but we didn’t have any expectations,” Marilyn Resmini said. Emma’s first flute was like a “silver candy cane,” her mother said. “It had a curve joint head that made reaching the keys easier.”

Though it took a month for Emma to produce a sound from her flute, she persevered. 

“My first teacher wanted me to give up, but I didn’t,” Emma said. 

Since her fateful but rough beginning at the age of 3, Emma has scaled new heights and amazed audiences with her flute playing. She made her solo debut at age 7 with the George Mason University Symphony Orchestra and has played countless other concerts since then. Recently, Emma played at the National Flute Convention and she recorded a soundtrack, “Julliard Discoveries,” at Times Square in New York City.

So far, playing with the George Mason Orchestra has been the highlight of Emma’s musical career. That performance featured an unusual hurdle. Emma was missing her two front teeth. Still, she managed to play the “Carmen Fantasy” without a hitch. “I had to relearn how to tongue, but it was fine. It’s fun losing teeth,” Emma said. 

On Sunday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m., Emma will be featured in “From the Top,” on Classical WETA 90.9 FM and she will be playing at the Kennedy Center during the Christmas Holidays.

Emma is currently studying with Alice Weinreb of the National Symphony Orchestra. “She helps me go up one more level,” Emma said. Besides flute lessons, Emma practices for two hours each day.

“She has a practicing time and she is pretty good at practicing. When she has something hard though, like any human being, she has some resistance,” Marilyn Resmini said. 

Adding to the difficulty of her music, Emma memorizes her music for performances. “It takes about a month for me to get the music in my head,” she said, “I mean it’s hard because you have to worry about so many things with the flute. Sometimes I don’t feel like I want to practice, but then after awhile, I’m glad I practiced.” 

With such an impressive resume, it is easy to overlook that Emma is only 9 and a student. Emma attended public school, but after spring break of second grade, she decided to switch to home schooling. 

“I thought home schooling would be fun and interesting since my sister is also home schooled,” Emma said. 

“I feel home schooling is easier for younger kids,” said Marilyn Resmini, who acts as the girls’ teacher. Learning at home, Emma gets to practice the flute earlier in the day. Her favorite subject is art.

In her spare time, Emma likes to build and launch model rockets with her dad, Ronald Resmini. She is also an avid Steelers fan. When she was in second grade, Emma wore a Steelers jersey every day to school during the football season. “A lot of kids didn’t like it because they liked the Redskins or Eagles,” said Emma. Currently, she owns three Steelers T-shirts. 

“I’m just hoping to do my best,” said Emma, when asked what plans she has for the future. “I’m only 9. I have a lot of time to decide.”

In the mean time, Emma has advice for aspiring young musicians. “Keep trying,” she said. Her mother also encourages parents and children alike to not give up.