Playing & Teaching the Saxophone A Modern Approach

Playing & Teaching the Saxophone: A Modern Approach provides a method for teaching the saxophone that is specific enough to use as a textbook in a collegiate saxophone methods class, simple enough for a band director to use in guiding their saxophone sections, clear enough for adult beginners to teach themselves the instrument, and deep enough for professionals to use as a resource in teaching private lessons at any level.

The first sections of this book, Getting Started and Learning the Notes, take a student in a collegiate methods class or other adult beginner through the fundamental concepts of playing the saxophone. The In-Depth section then lays out critical concepts that are essential to the further development of any saxophonist. As a contemporary guide for teaching the musicians and music educators of the 21st century, this method addresses the pedagogy of not only the instrument, but of the whole student. It includes a diverse array of musical examples that celebrate communities and cultures around the globe, and a "Wellness for the Young Musician" chapter offers an overview of practices that will help students navigate performance anxiety and avoid injury while playing.

Designed to be a lifelong reference for band directors and private instructors, the book includes "Hand-It-Over" sections that can be used as student instructional sheets. These materials, along with video performances and teaching demonstrations, are also available in the book's companion website.

Allison D. Adams is Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a member of the Nief-Norf Contemporary Music Ensemble. A frequent performer with the Knoxville Symphony, she has also presented recitals and lectures at events such as the World Saxophone Congress, the International Saxophone Symposium, and NASA Conferences. Her saxophone quartet, The Estrella Consort, was appointed ensemble-in-residence at the 2022 Alba Music Festival Composition Program in Italy. Adams previously served on the faculties of Ithaca College and Cornell University. Her main saxophone teachers include Steven Mauk, Eugene Rousseau, and Timothy McAllister.

Brian R. Horner has designed a multifaceted career as a saxophonist, educator, artist manager, author, and entrepreneur. A graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music where he studied with Donald Sinta, his 15-year university teaching career has included appointments at Middle Tennessee State University, Austin Peay State University, the University of Tennessee, and Western Kentucky University. Horner has appeared at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, and New York City's Mannes College of Music, and has performed with the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and the Gateway Chamber Orchestra. He has premiered more than a dozen new works for saxophone, and his recordings with pianist Elizabeth Avery include Saxophone Music of M. Zachary Johnson--Live At Steinway Hall, and Serenade - Music for Saxophone & Piano, and garnered a cover feature in Saxophone Journal.

Foreword
Introduction

Getting Started
1. The Saxophone
2. Parts of the Saxophone
3. Saxophone Assembly
4. Saxophone Disassembly
5. First Sounds on the Neck/Mouthpiece
6. Embouchure
7. Basic Voicing
8. Breathing
9. AIR-ticulation
10. Saxophone Posture and Hand Position
11. Basic Tuning
12. The Saxophone Family

Learning the Notes
13. The First Notes: BAG FED
14. Middle C and Low C
15. Voicing and Overtones for Low Notes
16. The Octave Key
17. New Notes: F#, C#, Bb
18. Flawless Fingers
19. Low C# and D#, G#
20. Filling in the Gaps: One Octave Chromatic Scale
21. The Chromatic Scale: Second Octave
22. Palm Keys
23. The Lowest Notes: Bb and B
24. The Many Fingerings of Bb
25. Alternate Fingerings for F# and C
26. Final Performance

In-Depth
27. Introduction to In-Depth Concepts
28. Articulation
29. Vibrato
30. Voicing & Overtones: The First Overtone
31. Voicing & Overtones: The Second Overtone
32. Overtone Practice Routine: ROVR
33. Intonation Training
34. Reed Storage and Adjustment
35. Developing Musicality
36. Introduction to Jazz Concepts
37. Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophone
38. Altissimo
39. Extended Techniques

Teaching Tools
40. Introduction to Teaching Tools
41. First Lesson Planning Guide
42. Troubleshooting
43. Saxophone Pitch Tendency Guide
44. Saxophone Equipment
45. Saxophone Maintenance
46. Wellness for the Young Musician
47. Suggested Practice Routine and Warm-ups
48. Saxophone Resource Guide: Listening, Repertoire, and Further Reading

Appendix A: Major Scale Reference Sheet
Appendix B: Transposition
Appendix C: Teacher's Guide to Saxophone Methods
Appendix D: Chamber Music

Acknowledgements
About the Authors