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The Importance of private lessons

Ed

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One of the biggest misconceptions is that the instruction that students receive in school is adequate for their development as a saxophonist. While most band teachers have some level of familiarity with most of the instruments that make up their band it is unlikely that they will be a saxophonist. Even if they are they are not generally going to be able to give one on one lessons. What they will be able to do is suggest a framework for practicing and they should be able to suggest private instructors.

The private instructor should be able to work with the student on not only their fundamentals but on any specific challenges that they are having in their playing. It's not a monitored practicing session as much as a dedicated resource who can give helpful pointers about how to overcome any problem areas in their playing. They are also able to give constant feedback on how the students playing is progressing. Finally, the instructor will be able to recommend pieces that challenge their students so that their playing continues to improve.

Above all else a private instructor should inspire their students. When students are just starting out practice and playing needs to be fun. As they progress and mature the focus of a private instructor is likely to change with their level of playing and maturity.

If your child's band teacher is not able to recommend a private instructor then you may be able to find one by talking to other band parents or by calling your local music stores. Another great option to check out is your local college which may have either a saxophone professor who can recommend an instructor for your child.
 
To highlight and expand on what Ed says: YOUR KID'S BAND DIRECTOR PROBABLY ISN'T A SAXOPHONE PLAYER.

(Most band directors, oddly, seem to be brasswind players. I don't know why this is.)

I mention this on my own little Wiki: when music majors are in college they take courses in a variety of instruments for a semester. The idea is to teach them ranges. Hopefully tone quality. Perhaps how difficult they are to play. Generally NOT technique.

Do you want your kid to learn from someone who took A class 30 years ago for 10 weeks or someone who's played the instrument most every day of his life for hours a day?
 
pete said:
(Most band directors, oddly, seem to be brasswind players. I don't know why this is.)

What's wrong with brasswind players? For the record my saxophone teacher (now my boyfriend) was a trumpet player (I made him see the light and he converted to saxophone later ;) ) My bf still teaches privately, right now allof his students are saxophonists but he also can and has taugh trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, piano, guitar... to name a few. He can play all of those instruments. To be pointed out that my bf is an arranger who specialises in brass and woodwind arrangements. So what I'm trying to say is that it's not so important that your saxophone teacher is a saxophone player in the strict sense, but rather important that the teacher has knowledge of the instrument, the range, the vocabulary, the litterature/excercises for the instrument, how its used/the role it plays in ensembles and as a lead instrument and has excellent knowledge of music theory and knows of the correct interpretation of the different musical genres.
 
kcp said:
pete said:
(Most band directors, oddly, seem to be brasswind players. I don't know why this is.)
What's wrong with brasswind players?
Well, I divorced one :).

kcp's probably getting at the same point we all are: you want a teacher that has the best possible knowledge of the horn.

But, regarding brasswind players as directors, I was an Air Force Brat, so I've been to a LOT of schools. Let's see.

* Grade school. Director: trombone player.
* High school 1. Director: clarinet player.
* High school 2. Director: trombone player.
* High school 3. Directors: French horn player, trumpet player and clarinet player (3 guys, different band "levels" -- and the French horn guy got the saxophonists).

... I've also heard the "brasswind players are directors" comment more than once. We could poll it.

I guess the sax players are too busy doing our day jobs :p.
 
I think if you can benefit from learning jazz or classical with a great teacher no matter their instrument. I think if you want to learn to play your instrument that you would be best served by a sax teacher (in the case of taking sax lessons). Ask a trumpet player how to sub-tone on a sax. They might know or they might not. Now ask them to show you.

Another example, there's a great master class that was in The Saxophone Journal some years ago by James Houlik. I picked up tips I had never heard anywhere else up to that point. I've never had private lessons. My band teachers growing up were sax and clarinet players (although the clarinet guy struck me as a trumpet player for some reason when I was in school). My major complaint with these guys were that they never encouraged anyone to do private lessons.

The Internet is a great place for getting some really solid advice from some quality players but I would still recommend studying with a sax teacher for the player who is just starting out on the instrument. I think they'll get their fundamentals together much faster and can then move on to other instructors if necessary.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
The Internet is a great place for getting some really solid advice from some quality players but I would still recommend studying with a sax teacher for the player who is just starting out on the instrument. I think they'll get their fundamentals together much faster and can then move on to other instructors if necessary.

I agree that it is important to have a teacher for the fundamentals. I have to add that I've always felt that a musician is formed from the love and desire of creating music. Meaning that if someone really wants to dedicate their time into pursuing music, they will figure out how to play their instrument one way or another. For example back in High School, I was in charge of this one guy who was a couple years younger than me. He just moved from clarinet with absolutely no experience with a saxophone. He suffered from not knowing half of the fingerings, poor tone, and lack of any notable technique. My job was to get him to essentially memorize a few pieces of concert music. He did express his desire to learn more about the instrument, so I gave him a few tone producing pointers and told him to work on long tones. I also gave him the names of several suggested readings. After I had graduated, I came back a few years later to visit my old school. This kid was now a senior and he came a LONG way. In fact his tone and technique rivaled another player who was 1st chair in the state jazz/classical programs when I was still in school. I asked the kid who he had been studying with. He claimed nobody, and that he just took the little bit of information I gave him several years earlier and locked down and studied the books. This guy is currently working on his Bachlors degree in music right now with hopes of becoming a music educator. So when there's a will there is a way.
 
At the mention of masterclasses, I'd like to recommend these to everyone in addition to private lessons. I attended my first one yesterday, with Dr. Otis Murphy running the show. There were probably only about 30 people in attendance, but most were music majors. Also the sax faculty of the university it was held at and a few other prominent members of the Music Department were there. I think everyone there picked up a few tips tricks that they hadn't heard/hadn't though of previously, even the well pedigreed sax professors.

It was impressive to see the tone and the expressive lyricism of one particular student make great strides in just 20 minutes of one-on-one-(on-thirty) work. Even my teacher (one of the professors there) told me she learned a few things. Both Dr. Murphy and Dr. Moye are once-removed students of Marcel Mule, btw.

My private lessons (which have just recently picked back up after a long hiatus, and about 7-8 months of playing sans lessons) have helped to speed up my progress (which was slow for 7 months) to a point where I could notice an improvement within the first hour of the lesson, and for weeks after that. Just imagine what some of these self-teacher phenoms could do with proper training!

**BRENT**
 
Brent,

You are totally correct.

My reasoning is that I have a wife, son, job, and about 18 other things demanding my attention on a daily basis. Getting to practice scales and music are an indication that I've had a good day. :)

There are a few guys in my area who I would really like to study with I just have to carve out the commitment of time.
 
Ed Svoboda said:
Brent,

You are totally correct.

My reasoning is that I have a wife, son, job, and about 18 other things demanding my attention on a daily basis. Getting to practice scales and music are an indication that I've had a good day. :)

There are a few guys in my area who I would really like to study with I just have to carve out the commitment of time.

I too have a wife, son, daughter and a few other things on my plate, daily. I haven't had a lesson in over a month due to various things that have come up, including my teacher's husband getting the flu, then catching it herself, and after talking to her tonight about setting something up for friday (trying for the 3rd week in a row), turns out she has pnuemonia. I wished her well and told her to get back in bed.

I still have enough learned from the last lesson and the master class to keep me going for a little while longer.

Even if you can find the time for one lesson a month, Ed, I think it could be beneficial to your development.

As far as practicing scales, something I picked up from Dr. Muphy last night was an excercise for concentration and scale development.

Play a Major scale the full range of the horn, when you get back to your root tone immediately switch to Harmonic Minor top to bottom and back to root. After that, go Melodic Minor top to bottom and back... one breath.

That's a little bit beyond my capabilities right now (gotta practice those minor keys more), but it was interesting to see the effect on the player who was asked to do it. (It was worked on after a couple flubs during a Klose Étude from memory that hadn't been played in a couple weeks). Its logged in the back of my mind as an excercise for when I build up to that level.

**BRENT**
 
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