Saxophone Lessons in Jefferson, MD

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Saxophone Flute Synthesizer Music Keyboard

My methods are different for every student, but I always start with fundamentals. This includes scales, exercises to improve sound and intonation, reading, writing, improvisation, and most importantly listening. Depending on the path the student choses, some areas will be focused on more than others. I will often introduce more advanced concepts early if the student displays interest in them. I am not the kind of instructor who will say "play your etudes first and then we can talk about improvisation." I almost quit shortly after I started music because I had an instructor with that outlook. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Music

My teaching philosophy encourages exploration of music with a focus on the uniqueness of each individual student and their particular aspirations, typically emphasizing reading classical music and improvising solos for Jazz or other more contemporary styles while having fun growing as a musician! I try to make sure lessons are fun and rewarding by adapting my teaching style to focus on the student's learning style and interests. For jazz students I encourage a lot of back and forth play-a-long between myself and the student or between the student and a play-a-long track. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Music

My teaching experience dates back to my touring years when I was an active performer. I have more than ten years of formal and informal experience performing, producing, and teaching music. Nowadays I mostly teach and work with music and technology. As mentioned above, I always teach the student to listen first, to appreciate the chosen style or genre and then, reproduce it. I think the most important thing to learn about music is that you need to let it become second nature. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

My first experience as a teacher came as a sophomore and junior in high school. I was involved with a program where high school students would work with elementary school band students once a week, and help them work on their band program music and develop their musicality. I found the experience to be extremely rewarding, and have maintained that interest in teaching. I spent time in college working as a music theory tutor for beginning music students, and in graduate school worked to develop and implement lesson plans for beginning clarinetists. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Double Bass Piccolo Oboe Bassoon Music Keyboard

Deep Water; Joe Keys and the Late Bloomer Band; Frederick Douglass Alumni Dukes of Jazz Combo; Dunbar Alumni Big Band; Common Time Band; Rose Gold Experience; Milton Russell and the Promise; Brooks Long and the Mad Dog No Good; Charmaine Michelle Quintet; Funk Out The Trunk; The Pirates; Musicians Paradise; Sonic Trip Masters All Stars; The Upstarters; Irescent; The Kevin Ellis Project; Jeron White Polarity; Kim Poole Experience; and the New World Jazz Orchestra. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet

A typical lesson with me will be structured like this:Emphasis on basics (scales, studies, tuning, etc)Sight Reading and Ear TrainingLearning techniques through pieces I am always aiming for technical building through the process of working through real music in order to keep lessons fun and engaging. I typically start beginning students with Essential Elements and work through the basics with that approach. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

Getting my students to understand how consistency is much more important than anything else when it comes to practice is the first thing I strive for. I've found that making music learning a fun experience is what will help the student learn. No matter the age, training classically and applying music that the student enjoys is very important to keep the interest level high while not compromising the integrity of music as an art. Read More