Sax Weekends has come out of my personal passion for playing the saxophone. I was a clarinettist as a child, but then put it down until middle age when a series of accidents and coincidences got me playing again.
In my journey back to playing I tried everything I could find to make as much progress as I could, as quickly as I could! This included private lessons, many, many internet teaching aids, lots of Aebersold books and a number of jazz tuition workshops. Many of these were helpful, but I struggled to bring it all together and make sense of it in a way that brought it to life.
During that journey I found 3 things that became the most powerful forces for change and improvement and these are the foundations stones for Sax Weekends. I hope that these ring true for you as well, and that you reach out to see if Sax Weekends can move you on!
Practice with a purpose!
Technique matters, but it can be boring! Concrete goals and a focus on outcomes makes it much more enjoyable and drives progress
Musicality at the heart of everything!
Scales, arpeggios, chords, tone and patterns are all really important, but only if we can use it to make our playing more melodic, more powerful and more entertaining. Build your learning around tunes!
Ensemble at every opportunity!
Nailing something by yourself in the practice room feels great.
Nailing something in the ensemble embeds that learning, challenges and extends us, and gives us the motivation and drive to push on to better things!