In Person Lessons
In Person Lessons Available at:
Music Village- 2971 Union Ave., San JosE, CA
Saxophone, Flute, and Clarinet music lessons are currently available on Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays. Lessons are scheduled between the hours of 2pm-8:30pm. Please visit the CONTACT PAGE to inquire about availability and tuition rate.
There are several benefits of taking in person lessons. The main benefit is the ability to play together in the studio. This could be helpful when learning to play songs and exercises. Another benefit of in person lessons is the ability to purchase music books and accessories before or after the lesson.
For in person lessons, I would recommend students to always bring:
-Instrument
-Reeds (if playing Saxophone or Clarinet)
-All music books and sheet music
-School Music (if necessary)
Failure to bring these items may result in a loss of lesson.
Tuition Payment
How to pay for lessons
The lesson tuition will be due upon scheduling the first lesson (before the first lesson to reserve time slot) and is payable via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. If students wish to continue lessons after the first four lessons, the tuition will be due the fourth week of every lesson period thereafter. I will send out an invoice on the third week of lessons to serve as a reminder that tuition will be due at the following lesson. Payment on the fourth week of lessons reserves you (or your child) a timeslot for the following four weeks. Failure to pay the tuition will result in a loss of timeslot. If payment is not made on the fourth week, the time slot will be released. Cash, or Checks are welcome but must be paid at the start of the lesson.
There is a $25 charge on any bounced or cancelled checks. TUITION IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
Lesson Cancellations
I require a phone call no later than 12pm the day of a lesson. To avoid a loss of a lesson, call, text, or email no later than 12pm and there will be no loss of a lesson. DO NOT CALL MUSIC VILLAGE TO CANCEL LESSONS! I do not get their messages until I arrive at the store. With notification, the lesson can be made up at a later time. Any cancellation after 12pm (day of lesson) will result in a loss of that day’s scheduled lesson, which cannot be rescheduled.
If a student cancels (with or without phone notification) his/her lesson for 4 consecutive weeks, the students time slot will be lost. The reason for this policy is to prevent wasted time slots that other students could have used as permanent lesson time slots. Only if a student has a medical injury accompanied by a doctor’s notice will the time slot be reserved. In addition, time slots cannot be held while a student takes a break from lessons unless the student places a deposit and schedules a return date. Again, this policy is to ensure available time slots to other students who wish to take lessons or schedule make up lessons.
Students are expected to arrive on time to lessons each week. If a student arrives late to a lesson, that lost time will not be made up. If a student arrives more than 15 minutes late, that lesson will be considered a lost lesson that cannot be made up. It is the student’s obligation to see to it that he/she is able to make lessons on time. If you know of a time conflict, please call ahead of time (before 12pm the day of lesson) and we can talk about rescheduling the lesson.
Finally, please cancel lessons if a student is not feeling well. ANY STUDENT WHO COMES IN AND SHOWS SIGNS OF ILLNESS (COLD/FLU/COVID) WILL BE SENT HOME AND HAVE THEIR LESSON CANCELLED FOR THE DAY. This rule is to prevent myself and all students that will enter the studio that day from getting sick. Please see note on the studio door for further instructions.
Structure of Lessons
What Will We Work on in lessons?
Each lesson will be divided into different segments. For beginners, we will spend the whole lesson working on the fundamentals of your instrument. For intermediate and advanced students, we will work on several technical exercises, scales, songs (technically difficult as well as sight-reading new material), and then we will work on the students’ school band material or a selection of the students choice. Please come to all lessons prepared by having practiced the material that we worked on at the previous lesson. We will be able to cover more topics if students practice his/her material.
Materials (Sheet music)
Which music books should you get?
In our lesson, I will assess where the student ranks in terms of proficiency and technical abilities on his/her instrument. I will suggest several method books for students to purchase and use in our lessons.
For Beginning students, the method books that I recommend are:
-Standard of Excellence Books One and Two for Saxophone (Eb Alto or Bb Tenor), Flute, or Bb Clarinet
-Rubank Elementary Method for Saxophone, Flute, or Clarinet
For Intermediate and Advanced students, the music that I will suggest will consist of technical exercises, music theory, and music in the styles of classical, jazz, or other musical styles. In addition, Intermediate and Advanced level students should select a song book that will interest them and that will be a fun project to work on.
I will work on introducing several styles including Jazz and Classical to all students in the form of audio recordings, sheet music, books/articles, and any other form of media. It is my goal as a music instructor to make sure that all students are not only proficient on his/her instrument, but on track to become a well rounded musician.
Practice Time
How long should you practice for?
Just like anything else, music requires a lot of time and discipline. You will not turn into a professional musician overnight, but with a balanced practice routine you will improve faster and achieve your goals at a more rapid pace. I suggest that all students should practice at least 5 days per week.
Here’s the amount of time that I suggest:
Beginning: 30 minutes/day
Intermediate: 45-60 minutes/day
Advanced: 75+ minutes/day