Saxophone Lessons in Durham, PA

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo

My lessons are student driven and customized to each student. I take a student's musical background and goals into consideration when coming up with the lesson plan for each lesson. I aspire to find a balance between challenging my students without frustrating or overwhelming them and giving them reasonably reached goals with them getting bored. I make sure to acknowledge their success and offer positive feedback when they do well. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

In college I began my teaching career. I started teaching private lessons, band classes, and General Music classes. I continue to teach currently as well. Teaching music is truly my passion! Through my teaching I want to spark a passion for music in my students. It is important to me that my students truly enjoy learning music. I find asking the student about what they hope to achieve, and helping them create goals helps them to truly enjoy their lessons. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Music Keyboard

My teaching style is to identify what area a student needs help in and to remediate the problem by creating supplemental materials. Showing students what to practice and how to practice are key elements. My methods are geared to improve tone production, articulation, phrasing and musicality. I strongly recommend that students select classical music to practice. I heavily emphasize the playing of scales and arpeggios. The composers that are the best to study include Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

A beautiful sound is the beginning of the creation of beautiful music! I find it most important to do work on a student's sound in the beginning stages of playing. To achieve the foundations of a good sound, playing pitches (beginning with A on alto) on the mouthpiece alone will develop the student's sound from the beginning as well as lay the foundations for a good embouchure. Doing this brings awareness to the students use of air by showing him/her the muscules used within and around the oral cavity in order to produce an optimal sound on the saxophone without developing bad habits that could be detrimental to a student's health. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder

My beginning students learn the fundamentals of their instrument. I want every student to get a well rounded education from me. Woodwinds students study from Essential Elements. Young piano students use the Faber collection and older students use the Bastien series for the Older Beginner. Practical Theory from Sandy Feldstein is used for instrumental students. Spike and Party Cat piano theory books is used for younger piano students. I encourage students to learn solo pieces and memorize scales so they can audition for various festivals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet Synthesizer Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon English Horn Acoustic Guitar

I love the learning process and to see students progress through the stages of learning an instrument. I taught myself to play the piano before I started formal lessons. I began playing the saxophone at the same time I took up the piano. I entered my undergraduate program in 1992, majoring in music education with the saxophone and piano as my principle instruments. During my studies at the University of South Alabama, a new program was started in MIDI and I attended an extra year to master digital audio. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

My teaching philosophy, shaped through years of varied classroom and private experiences, revolves around empathy and individuality. Every student is unique in their strengths and deficiencies, and it is my job as a teacher to figure out the most effective and enjoyable method of conveying knowledge. I specialize in creating personal, individualized practice plans and exercises for students, even going so far as writing etudes and recording transcription exercises with specific students in mind. Read More