Saxophone Lessons in East Setauket, NY

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Music

My first true teaching experience happened around the age of sixteen, which was by tutoring my siblings friends and preparing them for NYSSMA. I found this to be a truly enjoyable experience and realized that this was a passion that I wished to pursue in the future. From there, I enrolled in several music education courses when I attended Berklee College of Music. After learning from a variety of different music educators from various different backgrounds, I felt that I found my calling and knew that I was pursuing a career that I was passionate about. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

I believe in a very organic and intuitive approach to teaching/learning the saxophone. Of course, my methods will be very different depending on the age group and level of experience each student has, but many of my core principles with remain the same. One of my beliefs as a teacher of the saxophone, is that it is equally as important to foster musicality as it is master technique. Many teachers spend a disproportionate amount of time of technique, and the end result is a very robotic player. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute

For younger students, I find that book based methods are very helpful, and typically I go through the Hal Leonard Essential Elements Series. Once the student has a firm handle of the basics of saxophone (fingerings, embouchure, dynamics, etc.) then I start having them read etude books, and prepare pieces for recitals and other performances or auditions. For adults, I like to teach based on a goal oriented program. For example, If I have a student who is only interested in learning the saxophone for the sake of playing "Yakety Sax" or "The Pink Panther Theme", then I will tailor the lesson plan towards learning that while still working on the fundamentals of Saxophone along the way. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Flute Clarinet Ukulele Oboe Bassoon English Horn Keyboard

I began teaching oboe and piano lessons when I was in college at Ball State University, about 8 years ago, and have added the other instruments over the course of the last 5 years. I struggled with intense performance anxiety, and found that singing at open mics relieved some of the stress I felt when I played the oboe. I encourage singing everything through before even touching the instrument, and ask all of my students to get comfortable with singing in lessons, because it's going to happen! Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

I never work exclusively from one book or another. Finally, I'm a strong believer in the importance of having a strong ability with and (even more importantly!) understanding of the fundamentals of the saxophone, and of music itself. This means guided practice of the basic exercises in lessons, and guided analysis/breakdown of music to see the inner patterns at work. For my students that want them, I create practice guides after each lesson (written music with exercises discussed) and send follow up emails with suggestions for things to focus on in that week's practice. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

I started teaching music in college through my babysitting network. When the mothers and fathers of the children I cared for found out that I played piano and woodwinds, many of them asked if I would also give their kids private lessons. Having a knack with kids and with music, my music teaching practice quickly blossomed in that small town. I have found that while it's important to keep kids sharp in their ability to read music on the page, it is at least as important to engage their creativity off the page. Read More