Teaching Philosophy

My main belief as a teacher is to work with each student to pursue a mutual goal of achieving their highest performance level. I will work with each student to realize their full musical potential, regardless of which degree plan they are pursuing. I strive to see students grow in their musicianship and interest in music. 

I take a student-centered approach to teaching. I adapt to each student individually by getting to know them and the way they learn. I will teach them in a way that fits their learning needs so that their lessons contain the most beneficial information for them. For example, I will play with and for students who are aural learners. This helps them hear exactly what they are supposed to play, either technically or musically. For a visual learner, I follow a written check-list format and create documents with what the student did well and what they need to improve. 

With repertoire, I let my students choose and then we decide in their lessons if the piece is a good fit for them. I want the piece to challenge them, but not so much that they become detached and frustrated. I believe that students should explore different etude books, become proficient in all scalar patterns, and learn a variety of extended techniques as well. Their repertoire should be diverse in musicality and technical ability. I guide them to composers they have not heard of before and the standards. I am an advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education and I pass that on to my students so that they start to listen and program repertoire by underrepresented composers. 

I expect my students to come more than prepared for each lesson and practice diligently. It is important, however, that they are not focused on saxophone exclusively. I hope that each of my students’ find a balance between saxophone life, home life, and hobbies. 

I strive to guide and direct students in such a way to help them develop musical independence. I will give my students the resources they need to develop strongfoundational skills, such as handouts on embouchure formation, scalar exercises, long tone development books, etc. After the student gains understanding of the fundamentals, they are on the right track to gaining independence through musicality decisions. Students should acquire musical proficiency and gain an awareness of the process of learning so that they are able to teach themselves. I want all my students to acquire the insight to ask questions, and find their own answers.

Book a lesson.

If you’d like to book a clarinet, piano, or saxophone lesson, please fill out the form below.

$80 per hour

$40 per half-hour

Attendance Policy

We all know that life can be unpredictable, but a student must notify me within 24 hours in advance of any absences in order to receive a make-up lesson. Notice given less than 24 hours in advance is not guaranteed a make-up lesson and may not be entitled to a refund. Exceptions due to sudden illness, family emergencies, and weather may be granted at my discretion. If I need to cancel for any reason, the student will receive a make-up lesson.