415-508-6557
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24 Years
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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Saxophone lessons in San Francisco . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet
My teaching method varies from student to student. I strive to find the best possible approach for teaching each individual. 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. I create my own custom lesson plans and materials as needed. I also welcome students to bring in and learn music they have heard somewhere else that inspires them. Read More
Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder Piccolo
My lessons are typically structured in the following way: 10% Warm Up/Tone Development 30% Reviewing Mastered Material 40% Learning New Concepts and Material 20% Sight-Reading Read More
Instruments: Piano Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Music Keyboard
The first lesson is always a trial lesson, in it I attempt to access where the student is musically. I also use the time to find out what the student's musical goals are . We look at things like reading, theory, dexterity on the instrument. If the student plays a wind instrument we look at things like embouchure and breathing. Once I have gotten a good idea as to the student's skill level and have spoken to the student about their musical goals and interests. Read More
Instruments: Saxophone
First and foremost, I believe in HONESTY and RESPONSIBILITY to my students. I remember when I took private lessons many years ago with various teachers and thought that I was pretty good at playing saxophone. It was not until I studied under Dr. Keith Bohm that I realized how horrible those previous teachers were. They were negligent and was not able to provide the essential fundamentals for me as a young musician and thus, I developed many, many, MANY bad habits. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Saxophone Flute Clarinet
I love seeing my students grow in their knowledge and appreciation of music! Excellence is rewarding, and I teach the process to get there from whatever level we begin. I use positive reinforcement and notice what the student is doing right. Then, I give critique and an action plan to improve performance. It feels good for the student and teacher when they learn the methods to break down what is currently difficult into smaller pieces so that it is both manageable and possible to go further than they thought. Read More
Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Ukulele Recorder Euphonium French Horn Tuba Music
Making sure that the student is having fun, learning and achieving their musical goals is most important. I understand that each student progresses at their own pace and has diffrent goals and desires. While there are certian excersises that everyone needs to work on, solos and concert pieces are what students are drawn to. Therefore, I make sure that students are working on fun and challenging pieces that will keep them engaged in music. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Clarinet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Ukulele Mandolin Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar
I always say that rhythm is more important than the notes. Play the right rhythm and the notes will come instead of playing every right note while sacrificing rhythm. I encourage students to make their mistakes loud, proud, and in rhythm so everyone has a better idea of what needs to be worked on most. I also emphasize isolating parts to practice and working backwards. Example: play the last two bars of the song until comfortable with it, now play the last 4 bars, last 6, last 8...etc., whole song. Read More
Instruments: Drums
Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Many students have been selected as first chairs in the middle school jazz band or in their elementary school concert ensemble group.
Most of my students started between the age of 6-12, so I have yet to see them reach their full potential & I am so excited to see where it goes! Also, I am excited to add more students that will be put onto a trajectory of success!
What is your dream piece to perform and why?
I would say, at this current moment, anything by Lee Morgan. Would love to collaborate with a quartet / quintet of jazz players to cover some of his music. Particularly the Cornbread or Gigolo records.
If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
Probably working in a record store or something with history. Even cooking.
What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
I would say anything avant garde or comprised of experimental components. It's due to my enjoyment of looking to push boundaries or try new things in the realm of music.
When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I wanted to pursue music out of high school. The thought truthfully entered my mind after hearing of a band called Sleep. They showed me the music of the underground & the prospect that being a musician was just being a rockstar, but an individual who was very well versed in their craft, that if needed, would wear multiple hats to make a living. Touring, teaching, creating instruments, working in the music business. The one thing those was making sure that you are professional in playing, relationships, & teaching. You cannot do this without the passion & skillset that the role mandates.
Become a teacher was a process, but one that I've wanted to fulfill now for years. Its been almost 4 years of teaching music & I'm happier with my decision more and more each day!
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
Moeller technique or percussive stroke techniques. As well as the interplay between wrists & fingers.
All the books I use are list above. I chose them as I learned from them, revisited them to further work on technique, & to evaluate their effectiveness. Fortunately many of these works are used as staple texts in a drummers vocabulary & will give them the springboard to dive into their topical studies i.e jazz, rock, interdependence.
Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes. The earliest family members from Italy, that my family knows about, has been involved with music. My mother's mother and her family were known as a musical / artistic group of individuals. She knows that a variety of individuals ranging from her grandfather, uncles, mother, and children, including my mother, were musicians. Some were playing as fun, some played & created for the city of Philadelphia's orchestra as well as marble carvings. Music & the Arts have always been in my family!
What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Accurate improvisatorial approach to the instrument. To keep constant diversity & creativity in the instrument. Stop going to the licks, phrases, & figures that are easy or difficult or fun, but that the player has mastered. It's trying to blend or funnel your influences in a new way, constantly. You will always sounds & approach the drums as yourself, but what can be add to the vocabulary & your original statement; the thumbprint.
What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Normal is about an hour or hour & a half.
10-20 minutes of chopping incorporating ideas & theories amongst patterns. Taking 5,7,9,10 stroke rolls etc & turning them into repeating patterns, i.e. quintuplet, sevtuplet, nontuplet etc.
10 minutes from a book called stick control. Refine weakness or potential sloppiness with left hands.
15 minutes from a book called new breed to work on interdependence amongst the four limbs.
15-20 minutes of working on polymeric playing amongst two or more limbs.
20-30 minutes of playing along to a song to either test licks & chopping or to practice ear training / playing parts from a song.
At this point, its constant refinement & search for new material.
24 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Saxophone lessons in San Francisco to students of all ages and abilities.
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