Saxophone Lessons in West Mclean, VA

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Music

I grew up in the Washington DC area playing Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, and Baritone Sax. I attended Walt Whitman High School and was a member of its award winning Jazz Ensemble as a Tenor Saxophonist. In 2003 I was selected as the lead Alto Saxophonist for the Maryland All-State Jazz Ensemble. I went on to study Jazz at Emory University in Atlanta under Gary Motley and E.J. Hughes. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

For beginning students, I ask if they are using a specific book in their school program, and will work with that. Otherwise, I will start with the beginning Rubank method book, and move through books containing etudes and exercises of increasing difficulty. These may include folk/popular tunes and lighter classical repertoire. I believe that ensuring that the student enjoys playing is the single most important aspect to learning an instrument. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

In college I took a woodwind pedagogy class because I wanted to focus my teaching on my primary instruments rather than a general knowledge of music. I began teaching professional in the summer of 2013 when I worked for the Bel Air School of Music(now defunct) as a Saxophone and Clarinet teacher. While I believe strongly in the importance of musical fundamentals, I also like to think outside the box as a teacher. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar

Currently, I teach at at an elementary school in Palm Beach County. (Florida Public Schools) I am teaching ages k-5 general music, chorus, and band. The instruments I teach weekly include trumpets, violins, flutes, keyboards, piano, guitar, and bass. When I student taught high school teachers at the Boston Latin School, (Boston Public Schools) I taught chorus, string ensembles, AP music theory and all ensemble instruments in every family. Before formally teaching, I was a private composition and music theory tutor for college peers. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Djembe

My approach to teaching is based on a large amount of communication between the students, the parents, and I. I love to know what my students are thinking in order to enhance what they are looking for in musicianship. I believe that musicians should be allowed to play and learn freely, however, the foundation given by learning jazz theory, gives any musicianship a bigger dynamic of playing for whatever genre they specifically like to play. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Bass Guitar Organ Music Keyboard

My approach seeks to breathe air under the wings of the students' interest and attention by making them a constant starting point, while also laying the groundwork of introspection for students to develop and apply their own practices of learning, exploration, and innovation going forward. My teaching methods focus on considering embodied experiences of music, as well as a range of philosophical considerations. Students will be encouraged to think about how feelings, subjectivities, sounds, and spaces interact in complex ways, along with a series of other metaphysical questions that I believe are essential to a holistic praxis of understanding and learning music. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet French Horn Oboe Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students I start with basics: learning how to hold the instrument, put it together, etc. Then when that is solid we learn a few notes. From there we go to the Rubank books. At the same time, we start reading music that I find appropriate for them. For adults, it depends on what they want to learn. Popular songs or songs they request. But I also push for technical mastery of the instrument so I push for knowledge of scales and then keep pushing with more challenging/fun pieces. Read More