Piano Lessons in League City, TX

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bassoon

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
This is a cop-out answer, but mastering anything is difficult and requires effort. There is no one individual thing on any instrument that stands out as the hardest to accomplish. Many difficulties for bassoon can be traced to reed quality issues, or inconsistencies in fundamental techniques such as half-hole, or thumb key usage. I don't believe in singling out one "hardest" part of an instrument, because so much of it is based on case-by-case situations.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
For bassoonists, I use the Weissenborn Method for Bassoon. It's the most comprehensive etude book, and it covers everything a student will need to know from beginning well into college. This is also supplemented with my own methods. For other instruments, beginners often bring their method books from band, which I heavily supplement with my own materials. As the students progress, saxophones will move into the Ferling studies, and Clarinets to the Rose studies. If using a method book, I choose ones that present a cross section of music typical to be performed and techniques that can be advanced. The point of an etude book is to build a vocabulary for the student.

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
I have prepared countless students for state Solo and Ensemble competition, youth orchestras, and even college auditions. My private students generally score Superior or Excellent, as well as the ensembles that I coach. I have had students participate in the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Youth Orchestra, and many district honor bands hosted at different universities. The students I have helped with college auditions were accepted across the board, and are enjoying their musical careers at schools like Kent State University, Cleveland State University, and Miami University.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I've thankfully been put into many musical situations I can feel proud of, but a standout to me is winning the CCM Chamber Music Competition, Woodwinds Division with a close group of my friends. I began playing in the group filling in for a good friend who developed a hand injury, and we ended up clicking and gelling very well. Our preparation for the competition was very rigorous, and the music we played was extremely difficult, but the end result was putting on a spectacular performance. What was special about this performance compared to others was being able to accomplish it with the friends I had made, and feeling like we all put a distinct and individual touch on the piece. Even if we hadn't won, the music we played was at such a level that it felt like an achievement to get to the end!

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