Why You Should Take Lessons With a Specialist, Not a Generalist
Taking lessons with a saxophone specialist can help you develop a strong sound concept, learn saxophone-specific techniques, make appropriate repertoire choices, set smart goals, and get access to extracurricular opportunities.
“Someone who has devoted their life to mastering the intricacies of a particular instrument has the potential to be significantly better qualified to teach it than someone who hasn’t.”
I’m not a big basketball fan. But like everyone else, during the month of April, I found myself powerless to resist the ESPN documentary The Last Dance. In 10 luxurious episodes, the film chronicles the rise of Michael Jordan to world super-stardom through new behind-the-scenes footage and plenty of slow-motion highlights. And it’s all punctuated by some serious ‘90s hip hop jams.
It’s a thoroughly satisfying examination of Michael Jordan - the player, the pop culture icon, and the flawed human being. But while I loved all the Jordan footage, I found myself even more drawn to the other Bulls’ players.
There was Dennis Rodman, who describes his rebounding technique the way a physicist might talk about quantum particles:
Dennis Rodman is recalling exactly how each player’s ball would spin and let me again say RECALLING, which doesn’t even highlight the initial fact that he KNEW the angles and spins of the balls like this in the first place good lord #TheLastDance 👏 @dennisrodman #genius pic.twitter.com/4v2SVocSKc
— Lauren Zima (@laurenzima) April 27, 2020
Rodman made himself so valuable as a defensive player that coach Phil Jackson allowed him to take a two-day vacation to Las Vegas in the middle of the 1997 NBA finals.
And there was Steve Kerr, who realized early in his career that his road to success ran through his three-point shooting. Kerr’s long-distance acumen complemented Jordan’s famous drives to the basket. In the 1997 finals, the Bulls exploited the Utah Jazz defense’s narrow-minded focus on Jordan, leaving Kerr open to sink the championship-winning shot.
Watching The Last Dance, it becomes clear that what separated the Bulls of the ‘90s from the Bulls of the late ‘80s wasn’t Michael Jordan -- Jordan’s average points per game was actually higher during his pre-championship Bulls seasons. The secret to the greatness of the ‘90s team was that Jordan had the perfect teammates behind him. Each supporting player fulfilled a unique and necessary role. They were a team of specialists, and they won championships.
I like to think of myself as the Dennis Rodman (ok, maybe Steve Kerr) of music lessons. Like them, I am a specialist. I’ve spent my musical studies and professional life on one instrument - hours and hours practicing, performing, researching, thinking about, and teaching saxophone. I’m not telling you this to brag; in fact, sometimes I wish I could play other instruments. I’m telling you because I want to convey what it means to be a specialist.
Sometimes, I’ll get a student whose previous teacher wasn’t a saxophone specialist. The teacher might be a true generalist, playing and teaching an assortment of instruments, or they might be a multiple-woodwind specialist, or they might have a different primary instrument but they play and teach some saxophone on the side.
(Note: there are some multiple-woodwind specialists who are true experts on all woodwind instruments - I’m not referring to them here. I’m talking about anyone who teaches saxophone but does not have professional-level proficiency on the instrument).
These generalists are ubiquitous in music stores, online teaching platforms, and even some educational institutions. Generalists can often offer lessons at lower rates than specialists, making them attractive to students and parents.
I recognize that financial considerations are part of any educational decision. And I believe that lessons with a generalist are better than no lessons at all. However, if you are going to invest in private lessons, studying with a specialist can get you father, faster.
“By choosing a specialist you have in a teacher someone who has dedicated themselves to saxophone specific pedagogy, able to guide and help a student lay a foundation to help their success both early on and as they continue in their studies. A strong foundation of sound and technique that will last. Invariably students that study with specialists end up at the top of their sections, schools, and usually regional and state groups.”
Benefits of studying with a saxophone specialist
1. Prevent bad habit formation.
It’s always easier to learn something right the first time. A specialist can help build good technical habits and correct any mistakes quickly. Once mistakes turn into bad habits, they are difficult to unlearn.
When I hear a student who’s studied with a generalist.
Often when I see a student who’s studied with a generalist, I can see something’s not right as soon as they pick up the instrument. Bad habits can be related to posture, instrument position, hand position, embouchure, or other element of physicality. These habits likely come from either misinformed instruction, when an instructor incorrectly applies a physical technique from another instrument to the saxophone (such as the angle of a clarinet mouthpiece), or from a lack of awareness of correct technique (such as incorrect neck strap adjustment). These mistakes can cause tension and inefficient movements, hindering sound production and technical development.
2. Develop a strong sound concept.
It’s no coincidence that a lot of students sound like their teachers. Specialists can model a good saxophone sound for students to copy. An effective teacher can also provide imagery, analogies, and descriptions to help students understand sound production. And they can provide technical exercises that encourage flexibility, exploration, and development of sound. On the other hand, if a teacher is not able to model a great (or even good) saxophone sound, their students are at a disadvantage.
“If you needed braces, you would go to an orthodontist and not a general dentist. If you want to learn saxophone, lessons with a saxophone specialist will maximize your success!”
3. Learn saxophone-specific techniques.
A specialist will command a mental library of fingerings, technical exercises, and acoustical challenges of the instrument. For example, there are two main B-flat fingerings, each with specific uses. Generalists often teach only one of the two...and sometimes a third one that is no longer a part of saxophone pedagogy. A specialist will teach the proper technique and application of both. Furthermore, a good saxophone teacher will provide recommendations of equipment choices and suggestions to optimize reeds, mouthpiece, and instrument usage.
4. Make appropriate repertoire choices.
I’ve seen students who’ve only worked on learning music from one book for years. This kind of limitation in repertoire leads to limits in musical growth and interests. I’ve also seen students working on music that’s either way too easy or way too difficult, stalling their musical growth.
Diverse, challenging, and achievable repertoire assignments help guide a student forward in their musical journey. Specialists have a comprehensive knowledge of repertoire. They understand how to use specific repertoire assignments to drive student progress.
5. Set smart goals.
Students often have vague ideas of what they want to achieve - I’ll hear things like “get better at jazz” or “work on a song”. Useful goals meet SMART framework (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-oriented). Teachers should help students develop short-term and long-term goals, providing practice assignments that give them the best shot at achieving those goals.
6. Get access to extracurricular opportunities.
Extracurricular opportunities - like honor band auditions, extracurricular ensembles, summer camps, and competitions - can provide extra enjoyment and motivation. They help students apply what they’re learning in lessons within a supportive community of their peers. Generalists may have limited awareness of these instrument-specific opportunities, while specialists are often more committed to keeping up with extracurricular opportunities at the local, state, and national level.
If you want to become a better saxophonist, the choice is clear. A saxophone specialist can help you go farther in your musical growth and enjoyment. And you’ll get there faster, avoiding the pitfalls that generalists often cause. You might even say it’s a slam dunk.