Private Lessons

I offer saxophone, piano, clarinet and theory lessons to students of all ages either 1 to 1 from my studio in Barlborough, Chesterfield or alternatively on Skype. For more information on Skype Saxophone, Clarinet or Piano lessons please contact me for further details on lessons.

With well over 20 years perfomance and 10 years of  teaching experience I have taught students of many different age ranges and a variety of abilities. I worked for Derbyshire Music Service and this provided me with a wealth of experience teaching students of both Primary and Secondary level where I covered many areas of Chesterfield and Bolsover. I am very aware of local performing opportunities and encourage all of my students to take advantage of as many of these as possible.

My own playing experience ranges from solo wedding performances, playing with some of the top musicians in the country, being musical director of the Bolsover Drama Group, recording work to touring Europe with the NSWO.  I have also played at numerous wedding venues around the country.

I now have an equal amount of younger and more mature learners. I have many late starters and encourage everyone that now is as good a time as any to learn an instrument. I firmly believe we are all life long learners and it is becoming more and more popular to take up a new skill later in life purely for the fun and enjoyment. There certainly aren’t many activities more enjoyable than making music.

The Saxophone is great fun it is a multi genre instrument capable of capturing many different moods, styles and covering many genres. Taking up Saxophone lessons is a great way of letting your hair down and enjoying yourself!

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to buy to help me learn the saxophone?

A quote taken from the saxontheweb.com forums is:

Don’t buy more gear, buy more lessons.

I feel this is very true but their are some resources that will certainly compliment your learning….

Tutor book(s)

My favourite, as it’s an extremely thorough book that takes you from the very beginning to an advanced stage is: The Saxophone Manual by Peter Gelling. The drawback of this book is that it moves rather fast and without tuition/other resources you may well struggle to keep up. Nevertheless this book contains many pearls of wisdom and resources that will be of benefit to every sax player.

Alternatively another, more straight forward choice (and available for Amazon Kindle!) is The Saxophone Manual for Dummies this is a more modern approach to learning the saxophone – highly recommended!

A recommended child friendly tutor book that also contains graded exam pieces is Saxophone Basics a teachers favourite for years! Highly recommended for young learners.

A good music stand

Go durable! A great quality, yet cheap folding music stand is This one from Lindo I highly recommend buying one of these, don’t lean over awkwardly to read music stood in crazy places. It can be dangerous and ruins your posture!

Is the saxophone hard to play?

The saxophone is one of, if not the most, modern popular instruments. For that very reason the saxophone has been designed to be accessible and easier to play than many traditional instruments. The fingering system is very straight forward, it is relatively easy to make a sound and getting started, with the right help, takes very little skill!

Like any instrument, being able to play the saxophone and being able to REALLY play the saxophone are two different things and it does take a lifetime to truly master the saxophone, but if it were too easy it’d be boring, right? Getting good is a large part of the fun.

Which saxophone should I start on?

This is a debated question via all sax players. Most players have their own opinion but the widely accepted opinion is that the Alto is the most accessible saxophone. The alto is a reasonable size, requires a sensible embouchure and has the most repertoire written/arranged for it.

That said, you should choose the saxophone that you will play the most! Whether you love the singing qualities of the alto, or the mellow, sober tone of a tenor you should choose the sound you love, you’ll be investing many hours listening to it. You should choose something you adore listening to!

From what age can my son/daughter start playing saxophone?

If they can reach around and press the keys, they can play it!

I currently have two six year old students. One female and one male. Both have different issues playing saxophone but both can now finger a handful of notes and make (mostly…) nice sounds! You can get harnesses to effectively “strap” your child into the saxophone allowing them to distribute the weight evenly.

With correct posture, a good stance, enjoyment, a fun approach to their learning and on the odd occasion; some crafty positioning of the saxophone on the floor, any child can learn to play saxophone but I recommend coming for a “measure up” lesson just to check that they are big enough!

Where do you offer lessons?

I've taught saxophone, clarinet and Piano to people through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

I've taught people from Barlborough, Chesterfield, Worksop, Mansfield, Sheffield, Alfreton, Matlock, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham and even Leicester! Of course if you can't get to me in person you can always take advantage of my Online Saxophone Lessons via Skype please Contact me for details

Can I hire you for my Wedding or Private Event?

Absolutely. I have lots of experience of performing at Weddings and Private Events.  I have played both as a Solo artist and as part of a mixture of ensembles.  The saxophone is a brilliant instrument for creating a relaxing ambience and is therefore the perfect choice for a wedding or function.  If you'd like to book me for your wedding or private event, please get in touch