Saxophone Lessons in Retsil, WA

Instruments: Saxophone

I knew from the day I heard my middle school band teacher playing his saxophone that that was what I wanted to do. The passion has only continued to grow for me, and I want to pass my knowledge and passion onto my students. I graduated from Western Washington University in 2016 with a BA in music and a minor in audio recording. Upon graduating, I quickly immersed myself in the music scene of Bellingham by joining two local bands, both of which recorded albums that I am featured on and contributed some of my song writing abilities to. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Shakuhachi Conga

I have very high standards for teaching.That is why I did not start teaching until my fourties.At that point I felt that I had both the life experience and skills to be a good teacher.There is a lot more to playing music than just playing the right notes.That is what I call the mechanics of music but the not the soul.Obviously you must start with the basics to get to any deeper level of expression.That is what I am most passionate about.Why does anyone want to play an instrument? Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

The first few students I ever had were actually swimmers! My first teaching experience came as a swim instructor for people of all ages at a local club. Because of my work there I was able to convert a small number of those kids into saxophone students as well and the teaching itch began! For the most part these students were family friends, and very much beginners so my strategies revolved around basic practice routines, some tone development work and helping with parts for school band or the like. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

For my younger students I usually start with major and minor scales tied in with simple to challenging etudes. I do not have a specific book that I work out of, though if the student has one that they work out of I would be happy to accommodate. For adults I usually have the same approach, but we will focus more on a specific genre or style that they may want to emulate. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I'm a gentle person who believes in exposing my students to the best music, and bringing out of them the music they have within. The idea is to ease their frustrations, not add to them. As long as the student actually tries, I feel confident they will enjoy the wxperience and learn a great deal. Music is one of life's greaat pleasures and worth every bit of the effort required to do it well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Cello Viola Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Harmonica Ukulele Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My motto is my students create their own lesson. I formulate lesson plans off of the styles of music you are most interested in. If my student has a more "just for fun" attitude, the lesson will inevitably be a more light hearted feel. If the student would like to focus on more technicalities, that as well is a different approach. However, I do have a more structured plan for younger students. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone

My teaching style when helping out others is being laid back but also making sure that what we assign is being worked on. One thing that I have noticed in myself is that if I try to take more than I can handle, I set myself up for failure so making sure whatever we are working on is enough to keep you practicing until the next time we meet. I also love seeing anyone succeed so when that happens we make sure to be supportive but also make sure if something doesn't sound quite right we take some time to address that and see what we need to do so that next time you come, we are acing the material! Read More