Saxophone Lessons in Hurdle Mills, NC

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo Oboe English Horn

For beginning students, we will spend a good amount of the first few lessons in developing core fundamentals. Once we have a solid foundation, I will start to add in some exercises. I work out of many books to expose my students to different methods of playing. For more advanced students, I will work with them on developing more characteristic sounds. We will also dive into deeper topics such as tone color, articulation style, and period specific styles. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Accordion Lap Steel Guitar Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students who are children, I typically start with Hal Leonard's Essential Elements. The first lesson i assess the student's ability - whether they can play, read music, and what kind of music they like. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp of the fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their level. For adults, I try to find out what the student is interested in, and guide my instruction accordingly to keep the lessons engaging and fun, no matter their ability level. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Ukulele

I have been a music educator for over 20 years. I was a middle school band director for 14 years. All of my bands received first division and second division ratings at festivals and my students received first and second division ratings at individual solo and ensemble festivals. In addition, I was a judge for solo and ensemble and festivals. My students took trips to Chicago for music workshops and to see the Chicago Symphony. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Saxophone Drums Orchestral Percussion Latin Percussion Music Djembe

I create my own lesson plans (and some materials) specific to each student. Some standard books I use are Alfred's Drum Method book 1, The New Breed, Portraits in Rhythm, The Drummer's Complete Vocabulary to name a few. The books are necessary for developing music literacy, however I remind students that the pages don't make sound!!! Developing a discerning ear is paramount in my approach. Therefore we do a lot of listening and I engage students in dialogue for them to develop a personalized mental image of what they are trying to play. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

I like to customize my lesson plans based on the student's needs. It also depends on the style of music that is being learned. I typically like to start with the Rubank method books. These books follow a progressive sequence of beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. However, this is not necessary; the concept of these books is to get a grasp of the fundamentals. I also provide many fundamental exercises I have created and used in my daily practice. Read More

Instruments: Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I take a very detailed and analytical approach to music performance, and this is reflected in my teaching. I believe many students look at a piece of music that seems too difficult and become too overwhelmed to realize that's it's not as difficult as it may first appear. By breaking down music into its components, pitch, rhythm, dynamic, articulation, etc., and tackling each item one at a time, students who thought of music as a strange and foreign language begin to see it as something that just works and makes sense. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder Piccolo Mallet Percussion Music Keyboard

I am a passionate instructor who loves to inspire others to fall in love with music. I graduated from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts which is where I went for my high school degree, with a concentration in flute. I went to West Virginia University for my Bachelors in Music Industry. I loved majoring in music industry because I got to play in the studio and learn all the behind the scenes of recording and music technology. Read More