Nic C
Instruments: Saxophone, Clarinet
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Funk, Showtunes, Swing, Soul, Marching Band
Nic C
Instruments: Saxophone, Clarinet
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Blues, Funk, Showtunes, Swing, Soul, Marching Band
Where I Teach:
In Your Home
Ages Taught: 10-80
ABOUT
Degrees / Training / Special Info:
BM, in progress, Kennesaw State University
Awards:
2012-2016 Dean's List for Outstanding Academic Performance 2013 - University of West Georgia Wright Scholars Musician 2012 - University of West Georgia Wadsworth Music Scholarship
Overview:
I am a young professional musician based in the Atlanta area who loves any chance to share my love of music. I am a senior at Kennesaw State University and have been teaching for 6 years now. Some highlights of my musical career have been playing with Ray Charles' family at the Ray-union Benefit Concert, studying jazz performance in Alessandria, Italy with Steve Dancz, and traveling across America to play in some of the finest saxophone ensembles in the nation. I am currently the first chair alto saxophonist in KSU's Wind Ensemble for the third year in a row and the baritone saxophone player in the KSU Big Band.
EXPERIENCE
My teaching experience began in high school where, as a junior, I began teaching middle school saxophone players. As I went through high school I began to realize that I had a knack for teaching young players one-on-one as opposed to a large classroom, this is what inspired me to study music performance as opposed to music education. When I moved to Kennesaw to change majors from Classical to Jazz Saxophone Performance, I realized how fortunate I was to now know how to teach both classical and jazz genres of my instrument. While at Kennesaw I have taught several students on clarinet and saxophone. There are few things in life that are as rewarding as seeing a breakthrough on a students face. Once they get through the initial discomfort of playing whichever instrument they choose, and they realize that playing a musical instrument well is a terrific accomplishment, the rewards are endless.
METHODS USED
There are many acceptable method books for beginning students, however, I have found that if a student gets relatively comfortable on their instrument before trying to decipher a grand staff, they seem to enjoy the learning experience more. The hardest part of teaching music, in my opinion, is the educational content that isn't in a method book. Finding someone who can play your instrument better than you can often be more inspirational than finding a new piece that is slightly out of your comfort zone or using a method book that, at the end of the day, is supposed to help a student reach the ability level of the person the student aspires to be. Having said all that, young students must learn the building blocks of being a good player before trying jump right into their long term goals.
LESSON STYLE
Developing respect and passion for music is paramount in music lessons. I don't believe in forcing method books and content that, at the end of the day, the student doesn't care about, on my students, they should have a voice in what their being taught. I tailor my teaching style to fit every single student differently. Young players must learn scales and etudes, but that is usually only for half of the lesson; the other half usually consists of finding inspirational performances and pieces that will be FUN for the both of us to learn. Adult students can look forward to lessons that are straight to the point. While I do encourage everyone to learn the basics and fundamentals of playing music such as scales and sight reading, I have found that most adult students wish to perform in atmospheres that require many abilities such as playing by ear and improvisatory skills which are not taught in most high school and middle school curriculums.
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