Teaching

Saxophone Studio Overview

One of my favorite elements of being a teacher is the one-to-one relationship in private lessons. Over the course of private study, I’ve had students receive accolades in district, regional, state, and even national auditions. Likewise, I’ve also had students that are studying saxophone as a secondary musical element and are just wanting to have better familiarity and facility on the instrument.

I teach almost all students both concert classical and jazz styles. I feel that as a saxophonist, you should at least be equipped to approach any type of music written for the instrument. Regardless of idiom, students will work to develop their music literacy, refine a characteristic tone, advance their basics and technique, organize a practice routine, and expand their repertoire.

Here are example grade-level technique and repertoire expectations:

8th Grade — Can play full-range chromatic scale and major scales two octaves (4s-4f) from memory. Can perform a half-page lyrical etude and half-page technical etude with minor error. Can perform a whole-page solo piece with minor error. Can improvise over a 12-bar blues.

10th Grade — Can play full-range chromatic scale and major and minor scales two octaves (4s-4f) from memory. Can perform a full-page lyrical etude and full-page technical etude with minor error. Can perform a multi-movement contrasting solo piece with minor error. Can identify and play vocabulary over five primary chords (major, dominant, minor, half-diminished, whole-diminished) in a set of chord changes.

12th Grade — Can play full-range chromatic scale and major and minor scales full-range from memory, as well as various modes. Can perform a full-page lyrical etude and full-page technical etude with minor error. Can perform a multi-movement masterworks solo piece with minor error. Can play head tunes of jazz standards and improvise serval chorus from memory. Can transcribe short excerpts and commit vocabulary to memory.