Alex W
Instruments: Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Flamenco, Salsa, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Punk, Mariachi, Avant-garde
Alex W
Instruments: Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Gospel, Musical Theater, Opera, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Electronic, Flamenco, Salsa, Showtunes, Spirituals, Reggae, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Swing, New Age, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Marching Band, Punk, Mariachi, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 3-80
Bachelor Degree: Wright State University
2019 Soloist with the Sinclair Wind Symphony
2020 Soloist at Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium
2020 Soloist at OMEA Professional Development Conference
My name is Alex W. and I graduated in 2020 with a degree in Instrument Music Education from Wright State University's School of Music. I studied with renowned music educator Dr. Shelley Jagow for six years there. I have been privileged to be able to primer several works for wind band and saxophone quartet at the three appearances I made at OMEA Professional Development Conference, the second largest music conference in the country. I have participated in masterclasses with the famous Donald Sinta Quartet, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and most recently with the pedagogue Otis Murphy at the Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium. In 2018, I also had the opportunity to perform for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and discuss with him the importance of music and education.
I have been playing the saxophone for 12 years and began teaching around 5 years ago at Beavercreek Schools. Due to completing my education, I had to temporarily cease private teaching and have recently begun again with the pandemic becoming more under control. I have now been able to return to Beavercreek and Miamisburg Schools in addition to my new role teaching at Stivers School for the Arts as an adjunct instructor. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a student grow as a musician and person overtime. Establishing a personal connection with them to create an environment of success is one that is always a concern of mine. Doing so will allow the student to soar to new heights and present a challenge for me to continue fostering their growth. They learn from me and I also learn from them. These are the things that make teaching rewarding for me.
After introductions have been made by me and the student, I usually ask a goal of theirs that they would like to accomplish during their studies with me. From there, I usually focus on fundamentals while I try and figure out where they are as a player and cater my instruction to what I discover. For an elementary student, that might be relating musical concepts they are being taught by their 3rd grade music teacher, like "ta's" being quarter notes, to what they are learning on saxophone. For a young adult or a prospective college student, I will generally focus on checking their embouchure, what their knowledge of major and minor scales are, how fluent they are reading sheet music, what reeds they should be playing on, and among things. We then move on to more advanced topics that would not be possible to cover in their band classes at their home school. Ideally, we would take a look back at our previously established goals, reevaluate them or set new ones. All students receive a specially crafted plan to reach the goals they desire to achieve, no matter how small or big.
I believe that fundamentals, as outlined above, are crucial to master for a student to truly understand their instrument. When a solid foundation has been established, it is much easier to approach those more complicated concepts. It then allows everything that a student do to become easier and truly move forward in their learning at an accelerated pace. For example, it will be easier to play a chromatically technical excerpt in a band audition when the student already knows how to play a full range chromatic scale. Approaching music in a practical manner will give students the skills to become better and better. I make sure that I can differentiate instruction based on a students needs pr learning styles. Learning is meant to be fun and rewarding and it is my job as an educator to make that happen!
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