Saxophone Lessons in Gloucester City, NJ

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I should start off by saying each student is unique, and since the lessons are one on one, my approach to each student will be unique. That being said, there are certain skill-sets and areas of focus that every student should learn. For complete beginners, I start off with technique. What is good posture? What is good hand position? How do you form a proper embouchure and produce a supported airstream? Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

For beginning students, I start with Essential Elements, or another comparable method if their band program uses another book. Once the student reaches middle school and has a good concept of fundamentals, we progress to the Himie Voxman Selected Studies and Duets books. For high school and advanced middle school students, I use the Baermann Division III book, the Klose Method, the Rose etudes for clarinet, as well as beginning to introduce appropriate solo repertoire. 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 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: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

In my teaching I try to be sensitive to the individual student's needs and desires while stressing the discipline required to reach these goals. The study of music is often a progression of 'ah-ha!' moments where the student experiences an understanding of something they may have struggled with for a period of time. It is the responsibility of a teacher to leaad students to these breakthroughs by presenting a variety of approaches to something a student finds difficult while continuing to motivate them. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Ukulele

I feel like I have a very loose teaching style that is grounded in the fundamentals. I do not put deadlines or timelines on any student's progress, and I also realize that each student's needs are unique to each and every person. I work to give each and every student a very solid understanding of music (being able to sit at a piano or pick up a horn and play music, be able to recognize and understand the theoretical aspects of music, aurally discern chord progression and when a wrong not is played to understand why chords move they way they do and be able to easily hear your own musitakes). Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

For four years during my undergraduate studies, I got to spend an hour a week with Ralph Bowen’s gentle, understated method of teaching. He worked to get to know me personally, and then crafted lessons around my specific needs. With surgical precision, he conveyed information and assigned work and entirely because of his teachings, I improved a tremendous amount while loving music, myself, and him. Every student is different – this fact is cause for the gnarliest and most beautiful moments in education. Read More