As I embark on a new teaching year with the return of school, I thought I’d finally write down a few simple ideas that have stood out to me as important for developing saxophonists. At the risk of sounding overly simplistic or cliché, I’ve come to refer to these points as “My Three Rules of Saxophone Playing.” No matter whether I’m working with elementary or more experienced high school students, it seems that every year I interact with a fair number of saxophone students who benefit from addressing one of these items.
These particular topics stood out to me because, while each is very simple, poor technique in any of the three can lead to significant challenges playing the instrument which in turn results in frustrated students! When a constant roadblock is present, progress stalls quickly and the instrument can become a source of frustration. So, without further delay, my Three Rules of Saxophone Playing.
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