David

I`m a jazz saxophonist based in London, and my group has performed at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and at jazz festivals across Europe (such as Vicenza Jazz). I occupied the 1st Tenor Saxophone chair in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, performing at venues such as Buckingham Palace, the Barbican, and on BBC Radio 2, collaborating with artists such as Grammy winner Gregory Porter (alongside which I featured as a soloist), Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

I have 7 years of professional experience in teaching saxophone privately to students of all ages and levels, and for the last 4 years have taught saxophone, clarinet, and flute at a secondary school in London. I have extensive experience in tutoring for ABRSM practical and theory exams, as well as GCSE performance and composition coursework, both privately and in a formal school context.

Further, I was offered places on the undergraduate jazz performance courses at Trinity College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds College of Music, and the New School in New York. I pursued and graduated in Philosophy at the London School of Economics.


Examples of the main areas I teach are:

ABRSM practical exam preparation (both classical and jazz)
Jazz improvisation (and related genres, e.g. funk, pop, smooth jazz)
Music college audition preparation (jazz performance)
Saxophone technique
Music theory
Jazz composition
Jazz/contemporary harmony
Reading music notation


Whilst teaching, my objective is to help students become the musicians they want to be in a clear and enjoyable way. I understand that even though there are universally solid educational principles and methods, my students have their own individual goals and different learning styles, and my tutoring style aims to balance and reflect both of these things. I strive to balance theory and practice, too – in a typical instrumental lesson, after warming up, we would first play through a piece that my student would be working on, aiming to identify areas of improvement. Then, we would focus on those areas, demonstrating ways to improve and giving my student a step-by-step plan to achieving this, supervising them as they work on it. In doing so, I aim to give my student key skills that allow them to work on these areas independently in the future. I strive to do this in a way that is engaging and fun – playing music should be enjoyed! Both my past experience as a tutor and my own experience of studying with some great saxophonists (Ben Wendel, Mark Lockheart) have helped shape my own teaching style.

I teach the majority of my students either weekly or bi-weekly for an hour, depending on their schedule and preferences. Both in and after every session I give detailed feedback as well as a detailed plan to work towards a student’s own musical goals, as well as suggestions for how to take their musicianship to the next level. I also hope to inspire students by setting reachable targets, by playing music together, and by introducing them to new music and new concepts that pique their interest. I also try to tailor the feedback and the assignments I set students in between lessons to their daily lives, as I realise they likely also have plenty of other work/school commitments.

Availability: Any time on weekdays and weekends

Willing to travel: 12 miles

Experience: In the last 7 years I have taught saxophone and music theory lessons privately to many students of varying ages and levels, from primary school-age, to adults, to students preparing for music college auditions. I have extensive experience in getting students through ABRSM exams (all the students I have entered for exams have passed, most with Merit or Distinction). I currently teach saxophone, flute, and clarinet at a state secondary school in London, helping students achieve great results in GCSE Music performance and GCSE Music composition coursework. When I played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra I assisted extensively in their educational workshops (and was selected to tour educationally with their small educational ensemble, NYJO Ambassadors) and in the running of NYJO London, one of the organisation’s training ensembles.

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