Saxophone Lessons in Edgemont, PA

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

For beginning students, I start with Essential Elements, or another comparable method if their band program uses another book. Once the student reaches middle school and has a good concept of fundamentals, we progress to the Himie Voxman Selected Studies and Duets books. For high school and advanced middle school students, I use the Baermann Division III book, the Klose Method, the Rose etudes for clarinet, as well as beginning to introduce appropriate solo repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone

I'm a very passionate Musician and believe in the use of music as a tool for healing spiritually and helping others as music provides a source of discipline, requires great concentration and is soothing to the mind. Music is an outlet for people when struggling or having hardships as well as a source for developing good concentration skills and necessary disciplinary habits. I have a Master's in Music Therapy and currently work as a Music Therapist in a nursing facility. Read More

Instruments: Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Oboe

Each student is unique in their own way, from how they learn to how they produce an end product. But one thing I stress in my teaching with all students is demonstration, imitation and repetition. The old adage that says, "practice makes perfect", is not always right. If the student is practice wrong, they will perform it wrong. I believe its my responsibility to demonstrate how it is done right so they can imitate it right and make sure that they are repeating it correctly. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I first began teaching while still completing my Bachelors degree at William Paterson in 2011. Most of my students were beginning level piano students, but I had a few more advanced students as well as some people studying saxophone with me. My teaching philosophy is to combine teaching the technique of an instrument with learning songs as well as theory and improvisation/composition. Everyone learns technique, but learning music that I wanted to learn, learning how those songs were written (theory), and eventually elaborating on those songs (improvisation), and writing my own music (composition), was what really got me deeply engaged in the act of practicing and making music, and I have found over several years of teaching that it keeps my students engaged and enjoying the learning process. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet Accordion

I typically start woodwind students with the Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method series. I like to use the Faber Piano Adventures Series or the Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course for piano instruction. In addition to the method book, I like to incorporate physical/breathing exercises, supplemental warm-ups, sight-reading, music theory worksheets, and student selected repertoire in lessons. I also encourage students to create their own compositions. In the past, I have digitally recorded many of my students' compositions and have really enjoyed encouraging students to express themselves through original composition. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Organ Double Bass Keyboard

Therefore, strong emphasis is placed on being able to become calm, relaxed yet thoughtful and imaginative when playing. I also believe that a lesson serves four purposes. 1) Learning 2) Modeling 3) Experimenting and 4) motivating. True learning; however, occurs between lessons, so the most important thing is to motivate students to want to practice between lessons. This is the most important challenge -- for this reason, no matter how intense the lesson gets, it is important that students leave the lesson feeling confident and good about themselves NO MATTER WHAT. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

For four years during my undergraduate studies, I got to spend an hour a week with Ralph Bowen’s gentle, understated method of teaching. He worked to get to know me personally, and then crafted lessons around my specific needs. With surgical precision, he conveyed information and assigned work and entirely because of his teachings, I improved a tremendous amount while loving music, myself, and him. Every student is different – this fact is cause for the gnarliest and most beautiful moments in education. Read More