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Teaching
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Student Accomplishments
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-Three of my students have been selected by audition as members of the prestigious Disney All-American Band.
- Two of my students were featured professional performers at the 2016 Jacksonville Jazz Festival
- One of my students was selected to the Disney All-American Band for a second year as a teaching assistant and resident arranger/composer.
- One of my students made it to the finals of the Keilwerth Saxophone Idol Competition, which is open to professionals of all ages from around the globe. My student won third prize in this prestigious competition and was the youngest competitor.
- One was selected to play at the 2012 Presidential Inauguration.
- Many have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at the most competitive and prestigious music schools and conservatories in the world. One of my students received a fellowship to the Manhattan School of Music to study Jazz Composition.
- One is currently pursuing his Masters degree as a teaching assistant at Florida State University.
- Other students have gone on to pursue/receive masters degrees from Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory and Northern Illinois University, among others.
- One of my students received an award for Best Student Composition from Downbeat Magazine.
- One of my students released his debut album in 2015, featuring some of the finest jazz musicians in the world. The album features, and was produced by world-class drummer, Ulysses S. Owens.
- Two of my students auditioned and won the Bob Washington Scholarship for jazz students. The scholarship is very competitive and is open to all jazz students in the state of Florida.
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Selected Lectures and Clinics
- Jazz Saxophone Masterclass, 2016 Vienna Conservatory. I covered various aspects of saxophone performance and pedagogy including warm-up exercises, improving air support, developing virtuosic technique and mastering altissimo.
- Understanding the roles of Soloist and Accompanist, 2016 Vienna Conservatory. Speaking to all jazz majors and faculty, I demonstrated how to get beyond the repetitive comping/no interaction approach to jazz performance in a small group situation. Playing both saxophone and piano, I was able to talk about and demonstrate concepts from both perspectives.
- Playing Standards to Develop Your Own Language, 2016 Vienna Conservatory. I covered my approach to stretching the harmony of standards by expanding upon upper-structures and substitutions to develop an “inside-out” approach.
- Jazz Composition Masterclass, 2015 University of Texas, Arlington. Speaking to jazz composition students, I discussed various approaches to the creative process of writing original jazz compositions, using some of my compositions as examples of varying approaches. I also discussed methods for creating reharmonized versions of existing tunes.
- Advanced Improvisation Concepts, 2015 University of Texas, Arlington. Speaking to jazz majors, I covered ways to expand harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary in improvisation.
- Developing Your Unique voice as Composer and Improvisor, 2013 University of Oregon. In this masterclass I discussed ways to apply a more improvisational approach to composing music, allowing for more organic and through-composed melodies, chord changes and forms.
- Expanding on Upper Structures in Improvisation, 2011 University of California, Fresno. I talked about my approach to stretching harmony in improvisation, using upper-structures and substitutions as a jumping off point.