Peter L
Instruments: Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Latin, Funk, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Soul

I've been teaching privately for about 15 years, starting when I was a student at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Since that time, I've taught students on Saxophone, Flute, and Clarinet at all levels, from beginners all the way to advanced players in high school. My focus as an undergraduate was in jazz performance, and I love to teach about jazz techniques, beginning to advanced improvisation, and group dynamics. However, I feel that a strong classical foundation is important as well, and emphasize reading and technical studies to make sure my students are as proficient as possible on their instrument.

For beginners, I like to start with the Rubank method books, which progress pretty rapidly. I also focus on tone production and scales as we move along at the level of the individual student. I gauge the speed at which we move based on the student in question, and prepare a practice routine for each student based on how much time they have to practice each day. For an intermediate to advanced student, I work with more the more advanced Rubank method books, and suggest solo literature appropriate for them to prepare. Additionally, I like to work with scales and long tones in a more advanced way, expanding the range of the instrument and tone quality as we prepare repertoire. With students interested in jazz, either as their primary course of study or in addition to classical music, we focus even more on scales and arpeggios, aiming to master first the most commonly used keys and then expanding to 12 key mastery. I like to begin with a play-along book like Jamey Aebersold's "Maiden Voyage", stressing the beginnings of improvisation, then moving on to more advanced tunes and chord progressions.