Voice Lessons in Memphis, TN

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bassoon

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I actually chose my primary on a bit of a wayward path; initially I wanted to play the French Horn, which would have meant starting on trumpet in my district. I was absolutely set on it until the night before I got nervous and thought to myself "trumpet is kind of a silly word" (it isn't, but I was 10) and picked saxophone the next day. In the 6th grade, they asked who may be interested in new instruments, and I raised my hand. My directors saw I had large hands and figured I was a fit for bassoon. Here I am 20 years and 3 degree later, and I think they were on to something. My secondary instruments came as a result of my desire to play jazz in high school, and continue playing jazz in college. I maintained playing saxophone even with bassoon, to the point where it was a second primary through my bachelor's degree, and added clarinet and flute to play in jazz band and pit orchestras.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Be deliberate, be analytic, and be slow. Often times there are simple mechanical issues that are causing problems, and figuring out the fundamental root of the issue by thinking and moving slowly will solve in 5 minutes what brute force would take an hour. Only play at a speed where you can hit 100% of the notes 100% of the time.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Readiness for lessons mean different things for different students. Some want to catch up, some want to maintain, and some want to get ahead. For the instruments I specifically teach (instruments common in the school band), readiness starts when band starts. If the student is able to physically hold and play the instrument, they are ready to start lessons.

When will I start to see results?
Results come as part of deliberate practice. As a teacher, my job is to guide this practice, help set goals, and provide solutions for problems the student encounters but I can't be with them every hour of every day 7 days a week to do this. For beginning students, practicing as little as 5-10 minutes a day will yield results. As the student gains comfort and skill, the time allotted to practice should increase, but any consistent focus will bring results quickly.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
I've been blessed with an enormous number of wonderful music teachers, but the biggest inspiration to me was my band director through grade school and high school, Mr. Monroe. He was himself an excellent performer, as well as a composer and a performer, but his greatest strength was the love and care he showed each individual student. There were 250 of us in the high school program alone, and he made sure we all felt like his favorite students. The way he earnestly cared about his students as individuals, paired with his high expectations for musical achievement created a fantastic environment of growth and support that I try to emulate every single day.

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