As a starting point, it is essential that the practicing woodwind student engages in a mission to master the simplicity of sound development, finger coordination and melodic mastery of their instrument. As a professional, I am still a student of music and practicing daily on my instrument. It is a proven fact that all instrumentalist around the world admit that they will always be students of music and no one really has finished accomplishing their musical goals.
Personally, I will always listen to other musicians that play my instruments and discover new and fundamental things about their playing, their sound and their approach to music. I am not so stuck on the ideas of my own. I always look to other people/musicians for inspiration for musical ideas and cures to some of my inabilities within my realm of instruments. Therefore, I will always be a student of music as I am constantly looking for new ways to accomplish the most technical approaches of music and my instruments.
For my students, it is my goal to bring all of my students to this level of thinking. Sometimes, I bring some musical material into the lessons that I still want to master. That way, it is not only a mentorship, it is team work and we are learning together!
This month, my students are focusing on sound development where they listen to the tone of their notes on the instrument. I ask them, “Do you really want to hear that all day on the radio?” During that process, we work on the instrument to get a better sound and better tone. This can not be achieved in all lessons or in one day. It takes a lot of dedication, experimentation and patience to accomplish the most overlooked thing called sound! A message to all my students – sound is everything!
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Edmonton Academy of Music is a southwest Edmonton music school that prioritizes building long-lasting relationships with our students—training and guiding them through their technique, repertoire and performance.
