Saxophone Lessons in Minneapolis, MN

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Accordion Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass French Horn Tuba Piccolo Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Oboe Bassoon English Horn Conga Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is based on each student's needs. Some students like to learn at a fast pace and others like to go slower. I listen carefully and ask questions, basing instruction on what creates success. My approach is to make learning fun. I bring markers and stickers and other visual aids to create a unique learning process. I like to use games and sayings to help remember things, many of which I've developed over the years. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Euphonium Mallet Percussion

One of my biggest strengths as a music teacher is figuring out students' learning styles and differentiating instruction accordingly. I absolutely do not use a cookie cutter approach. I am very good at personalizing lessons to fit students' interests and needs. I feel it is important to allow each student to learn at his or her own pace. I set goals that will challenge the student, but be easily attainable with regular practice. Read More

Instruments: Voice Saxophone Clarinet

For students of all levels, I emphasize the fundamentals. No matter what style our focus is in, the development of scales, chord progressions, modes and technique patterns are universal. I incorporate solo literature early and often and work with the students to play the music that they listen to every day. We develop the students ear through weekly memorization of music the student enjoys on a daily basis. This allows us to branch into more advanced literature with a deeper understanding of what makes a style, a style. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Organ Synthesizer Music Keyboard

I've been teaching lessons for students and also giving advise for others for 35+ years. I've been told that I have a very gentle nature. I guess it's the way I was brought up. anyway.....I teach to a students strengths and weaknesses. For example; One may have a young sax student that has very good sound right out the gate but cannot understand the language on the page. Conversely, the student that gets the language right way, but alas, the thing sounds like a duck call! those are specific issues that need to be addressed. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

For beginning students, I like to focus for the first few weeks on playing scales and songs without written music, and I continue to incorporate learning by at any level. When I begin using written music I use the Accent on Achievement or Essential Elements method (I am also comfortable with other standard elementary methods and would be happy to use whatever method a student's band director is using), which is a good place to start whether or not the student already reads music. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

My primary objective in my teaching is to use the multitude of different musical styles within my arsenal to help each of my students find what type of music they are most interested in learning, and to be the best resource I can to help them achieve his/her musical goals. My beginning students generally work out of the Standard of Excellence Book 1, and then graduate to a combination of the Rubank Intermediate/Advanced Methods combined with a mixture of various jazz methods (Jamey Aebersold, Jim Snidero, etc.) as well as a variety of pop/folk/movie theme collections depending on the interests of the individual student. Read More

Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Piccolo

For beginning students, I generally start with the Accent on Achievment book series and spend the first few lessons assessing and addressing the important fundamentals of the students' particular instrument. After working out of the book for an apropriate amount of time, I introduce solo repertiore from both pop and classical genres. I want my students to learn, but I want them to have fun and enjoy what they are learning. Read More