Music Lessons in Huntington, NY

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Recorder Piccolo

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
It was exposed to me by a great music teacher in high school that if you choose to play one particular woodwind instrument, then if you are patient and interested it isn't so difficult to learn to play other woodwind instruments. This is partially because the basic idea of finger combinations in opening and closing holes on a tube are common on all woodwinds for playing all of the notes, scales, and melodies. Clarinet and saxophone share the design of a mouthpiece using a single reed. Oboe, English Horn, and bassoon al share the use of a double reed as the mouthpiece. Producing a sound on flute is unique to itself because of the instrument specific embouchure, but once you develop is for flute, you'll be able to play all of the instruments of the flute family including piccolo. The same teacher explained to me that in the Big Band tradition it is expected for a saxophonist to also be able to "double" on clarinet and flute in order to be fully qualified for playing opportunities. He was right, and I'm very happy that I listened to him and followed his advice!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Speak to your child honestly and straightforwardly. Respect and be sensitive to their level of curiosity, confidence, and their feelings about showing different vulnerable sides of themself. They will answer you if you let them talk without judgement coming from you. Listen to what they want, and not what you project onto them. If your child shows interest in an emotional way while hearing any kind of music in any kind of format, then they are probably ready to be introduced to learning about music. The music that they react to might be background music from a toy, tv show, game, movie, radio, or just about anything. All you need to do is to explain that that sound that they are hearing is called music, and that it's made by people to communicate in a way that just plain words can't do on their own. Music, dance, and art are the means in which we administer medicine to the soul, and to each other.

When will I start to see results?
The student will most likely start to see results once they feel a sense of accomplishment by being able to do something for the first time that they only previously dreamt of doing. The sensation of learning is like planting and properly nurturing seed, carefully caring for it and following the correct approach with patience until a seedling sprouts up and shows positive, healthy growth. Once this is accomplished, a new sense of accomplishment is born strenghtening and enabling the student to absorb more knowledge and to develop more control, technique, and a stronger sense of musical expression and artistry.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
I had a teacher that recognized my interest in Jazz related types of music when he visited my junior high school band. I also had a different teacher during the summer break before I started high school that I studied with privately that taught me very much about developing a pleasing tone quality, and how to interpret and play a written melody with clarity, expression, nuance, musicality, passion, and projection. Then the first teacher that recognized my interest in jazz recruited me to go to his high school and he took me under his wing and guided me towards developing a well rounded palette of skills with Jazz based styles as the foundation. He taught me and guided me in developing my musical knowledge of modern harmony and theory with a focus on jazz, and how to hone in my overall performance skills for any kind of setting.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practice with intent and patience. Keep track and focus on individual specific goals so that you don't overwhelm yourself with too much on your plate to accomplish all at once. Always try playing musical passages at slower tempos and strive for good tone, good rhythmic accuracy, and good musicality. Never force yourself to practice when you feel pain or continuous fatigue. Take breaks, then get back to your instrument when you've caught your breath and are mentally ready. Practicing at different dynamic levels is always a must. nobody wants to listen to a monotone musical performance. Mastering crescendos and decrescendos on wind instruments is one of the keys to properly and successfully utilizing the instrument's capabilities to let you express your self emotionally and creatively as a performing artist. Smooth control of the tasteful and subtle use of vibrato is also a key element and very usefull tool in being able to move the listening audience with your heartfelt performance.

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