Saxophone Lessons in Oakdale, NY

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder

I am a passionate educator and performer from the greater Boston area.  I love to see my students succeed and achieve their musical goals.  My students have gone on to the college level at University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and University of New Hampshire.  At the undergraduate level, I played with the UNH Wind Symphony and the UNH Symphony Orchestra for three years.  I have had two full solo recitals at UNH, and I have had the opportunity to be recorded on the Wind Symphony CD: The Music of Daniel Bukvitch.  Upon graduating with two degrees I moved to New York City. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

For younger students/beginners, I am a huge advocate of the Rubank Elementary Method for Saxophone, since it covers a lot of the basic materials such as note values, scales, and arpeggios. For students who have progressed past this stage, I introduce "The Art of Saxophone Playing" by Larry Teal which introduces some more advanced rhythmic and articulation concepts. For saxophone students of all levels I strongly recommend Sigurd Rascher's "Top Tones for Saxophone" because it develops a students understanding of how to develop a strong sound and knowledge of the overtone series. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Music

I start with assessing the students' capabilities, after which I begin to develop the following areas: Development of their sound; Instrument Technique; Jazz Improvisation and Jazz Language; Theory and Jazz Harmony; Study and Development of Students' Own Repertoire. Depending on the level of the students and their needs, I push certain areas more or less. The key to becoming a successful student is to practice, to develop a good technique, but also to listen to a lot of music to develop the talent for music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Recorder Double Bass Music

For beginning woodwind students, I have had success using the Rubank method books as a starter. Alongside a method book, I like to work on material chosen by the student, as well as my own supplemntal exercises. It is important for the student to understand the musical concepts associated with the repertoire, as well as focusing on performing well. I also prefer to have my students keep a practice log book, in order to track their progress. For piano and music theory, I like to use the John Thompson method for beginner students, and the Bastien Piano Literature series for more advanced students. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I create my own lesson plans based off of the individual student. For voice students, we usually warm up, do technical exercises working on varying registers and techniques, and then work on repertoire. I often find the passages in a particular song that the student is struggling with and focus in on those, finding exercises to guide the student. For instrumental students, I work on a lot of music theory and reading, for students of all levels and ages. Read More