Nicholas M
Instruments: Saxophone
Styles: Classical, Jazz
Nicholas M
Instruments: Saxophone
Styles:
Classical, Jazz
Where I Teach:
In Your Home
My Studio
Ages Taught: 10-80
ABOUT
Degrees / Training / Special Info:
BM, Temple University, Saxophone Performance
Overview:
I am a passionate and dedicated performer of music within the contemporary and classical canons. As a teacher, I cater my lessons to a student's specific needs as I understand that every individual learns in a different manner. I am always curious to find new and exciting ways to explain musical concepts, so, if something doesn't register intitially, I will be persistent in figuring out a way to make it work! As a performer, I have appeared as soloist and as a member or small and large chamber ensembles at venues such as Shermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, the Kimmel Center, the Fenway Center in Boston, Tenri Cultural Institute and SPECTRUM NYC. I enjoy working with living composers and have played for people such as Jennifer Higdon, Michael Djupstrom, Matthew Greenbaum, Raoul Pleskow, William Bolcom, etc. I am committed to the presentation of new music because I feel as if it is just as important as the classical canon and more relevent than any other time to the world we live in today.
EXPERIENCE
I am a fairly new teacher but since completing my degree in May of 2015 I have already began to build a private studio as well as teach at a few local music schools. I believe that in order to truly understand an instrument, practice must take place nearly everyday. In lessons, I teach students how to practice by creating short goals that add up to long-term progress. For younger students, I find it helpful to treat these goals as games in order to make practicing feel fun as opposed to feeling like work. I also believe that students of all levels should be performing regularly so that all of their practicing is going towards something that they can be proud of.
METHODS USED
A beautiful sound is the beginning of the creation of beautiful music! I find it most important to do work on a student's sound in the beginning stages of playing. To achieve the foundations of a good sound, playing pitches (beginning with A on alto) on the mouthpiece alone will develop the student's sound from the beginning as well as lay the foundations for a good embouchure. Doing this brings awareness to the students use of air by showing him/her the muscules used within and around the oral cavity in order to produce an optimal sound on the saxophone without developing bad habits that could be detrimental to a student's health. In addition, I will focus on scales and other fundementals to achieving a solid technique but will also keep the student engaged by playing music that he/she enjoys listening to. I believe that playing for students can be inspirational and always will play for them what they play for me in their lessons to set the highest possible example.
LESSON STYLE
It is most important to me that my students become passionate about what they do! I realize that every student learns differently and has different interests than my own. Because of this, I like to cater my lessons to what they would like to do as often as possible and through this I find creative ways to incorporate fundemental technical elements into the lesson. This can be through creating patterns to practice using the material of a musical phrase from their favorite song or expanding their playing range on the instrument by playing it in different keys and octaves.
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
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