Rafael

Rafael, Freelance Musician, Composer, Arranger and Tutor. I am a graduate of the prestigious Birmingham Conservatoire with a BMus(Hons) in Jazz, started learning the saxophone at the age of 12 years old, I’ve completed the 8th Grade of ABRSM in Classical Saxophone and had private jazz classes after becoming interested in jazz and improvisation during my 5th grade.
I play saxophone, Flute, compose and arrange to a high standard. During the years I have played in diverse types of bands and groups such as Support Band for 12 times Grammy-nominated artist and holder of one Grammy for “Best Gospel Song” in 2011 saxophonist Kirk Whalum which became famous for his feature on Witney Houston’s track “I Will Always Love You”, sax solo feature on radio hit for an artist called D`Alva on the track ";Frescobol";, support band for MPB artist Ed Motta, Symphonic Orchestra of the Army, Jazz Orchestras of the Army, Big Bands, Local Wind/marching Bands and recently run my own 3 original groups. Rafael has thought students overseas using the latest Skype, Facetime and Zoom technology.

Availability: Monday to Saturday 9am - 6pm (GMT) or through Skype, Facetime, Google Hangouts and Zoom.

Willing to travel: 30 miles

Experience: Been a professional musician for 10 years and I’ve been teaching saxophone and flute privately for the last 8 years. I have experience teaching people of all ages and abilities, groups, students living abroad, and I am also an experienced peripatetic music teacher. I can teach and/or prepare students for ABRSM, Guildhall and Trinity grades in classical or Jazz from grades 1-8 examinations. During the last 2 years of my experience, I also had the chance to deliver diverse types of workshops in a group setting such as Jazz workshop for a local big band which is made up of all ages and abilities. I play all the saxophones (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Baritone), flute and also have 3rd Grade ABRSM in Classical piano.
My approach to teaching is based on the individual needs of every student and their learning objectives. My teaching is generally tailored to the individual interests or aspirations of the student. I can teach any music style (classical, jazz, folk, pop, experimental, rock, blues), improvisation, composition, arranging or just follow the requests/requirements of the student.
Playing the saxophone is my passion and I love to pass my knowledge and skills to my students. I take music quite seriously, but I also have a lot of fun playing and teaching music. In each of my classes, I always encourage my students to express themselves, be creative and I also help them achieve their goals by pushing every student to the best of their abilities, whilst providing a range of knowledge always in a fun environment.
As part of my teaching approach, I generally provide suggestions of local groups, bands, projects and opportunities for students of any ages or abilities to perform and express their talent. Finally, my approach includes encouraging my students to keep a diary of study, I sometimes send homework, always keeping the student engaged whilst I continually reassess/evaluate their progress to make sure the student is developing effectively and reaching their goal/result. I addition can also teach music theory, advanced harmony, arranging, composition, and various instrumental techniques.