Saxophone Lessons in Penn Center, PA

Instruments: Saxophone

I am a fairly new teacher but since completing my degree in May of 2015 I have already began to build a private studio as well as teach at a few local music schools. I believe that in order to truly understand an instrument, practice must take place nearly everyday. In lessons, I teach students how to practice by creating short goals that add up to long-term progress. For younger students, I find it helpful to treat these goals as games in order to make practicing feel fun as opposed to feeling like work. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone

My teaching experience began in my post undergraduate college days. After graduation, I began studying at a studio called Jazz Improv with a Master's level instructor. One of his students asked for a saxophone teacher and the party was referred to me. I was then able to obtain a second saxophone student; I have also had two piano students when teaching. I enjoyed teaching music and it is something I look forward to getting back to as I attempted to acquire students on my own with minimal success. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I structure my lessons in the same way I structure my own personal practice. I usually start off with a few technical exercises, then cover some theory, and then work on repertoire. How much time goes in to each category will depend on the student. A beginner tends to need more time on technique, whereas someone who has an audition or recital coming up will spend most of their time on repertoire. 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: 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 Saxophone Flute Recorder Oboe English Horn

I firmly believe that everyone can learn to play music well. Natural talent exists but if you have the passion and desire then you can achieve anything! I plan the lessons around the individual student and their needs and focus on keeping the students eager and positive by emphasizing strengths and finding solutions for improving areas of difficulty. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Keyboard

While my lessons are catered to each individual student, each follows a general curriculum that I have developed over the years through teaching. Method books are a great structured way to quickly get confident on an instrument, however they don't often encourage listening skills or creativity. This is why I structure my lessons around particular method books like Rubank or Faber while providing additional pieces, exercises, and improvising to supplement the book. Read More