Are you interested to learn saxophone? Or maybe, your child is interested in the instrument, so you’re looking for an online saxophone school?
Due to the ongoing pandemic, parents worry about their child’s safety, so they try to avoid onsite and go for online saxophone courses instead.
When Is the Best Age To Start Saxophone Lessons?
The best age to learn to play the saxophone actually varies. This is mostly determined by how capable the student is to handle the type of saxophone they’re interested in. Seven to eight years of age as the minimum is ideal. However, it’s best to consult first with your chosen sax school teacher to get the right advice.
Check more: A Guide To The Different Types of Saxophones from Ted’s List
For a younger student, an alto saxophone may be more ideal, given its size of roughly two feet in length. The alto saxophone is also popular amongst beginners because it has compact size and lightweight.
One huge advantage of learning to play the saxophone is that the fingering and note reading is similar for all sax types. This makes it easier for students to switch between the alto, baritone, tenor, soprano and others as it only requires making adjustments to embouchure. This is why many beginner students choose to start alto saxophone then make a switch once they get older.
What To Look For in a Sax School?
Online saxophone lessons save you time and keep your kids safe by not having to travel to and fro from home. Be it a music theory or a certain genre, you have access to a lot more online lessons on the kind of sax your children want to learn.
McGill Music Sax School Online shares three things you should consider when finding the best online saxophone school.
1. Credentials
Even if done online, your teacher should have some sort of credentials to be able to teach saxophone. Preferably, before you enroll in any saxophone lessons, check if they have a music performance degree.
Although the degree isn’t necessary, at least find out whether the teacher teaches full-time and it’s not just a teaching “gig.” A full-time teacher may have more experience dealing with different kinds of situations during online saxophone lessons.
Don’t shy away from a teacher with a waitlist. This is a good sign that most of the students have been with him for a long time.
2. Experience
Another thing to look for in an online teacher is somebody who has experience performing the saxophone, much better if it’s in front of an audience. Even if you only wish to play saxophone for pure joy and have no intentions to have a public performance, you still want to have a teacher who is capable of teaching you the sax skills you need.
After all, your goal in enrolling in online lessons should resemble wanting to improve yourself at playing saxophone. A teacher who has experience is more likely to have advanced mechanical knowledge of the instrument. This can be an advantage for many students, for many reasons such as:
- Identify and correct any issues in which the students mishandle the instrument.
- Check the instrument for any mechanical problems with the instrument that students may not have noticed.
- Make on-the-spot fixes on the instrument, saving students time away from learning saxophone and money for repairs.
Some music schools post schedules on when teachers will be performing publicly. If not, don’t hesitate to ask when the next performance will be. Teachers would definitely appreciate playing for their students.
3. Organized
The last thing students need is a teacher who doesn’t remember when the lesson is and at what part they’re in the course. A good sign that your prospective teacher is organized is when his online bio or website is updated. If the teacher can offer a printed or virtual list of the courses that will be tacked during the online music lessons, then he or she is taking his job seriously.
The students’ success with their private lessons greatly depends on how the teacher structures the course and gives them assignments and pieces to practice. At the least, your lessons should include practice in between.
At the end of each course, the teacher may give assignments or sheet music for students to practice every day to the best of their ability. Then, they will provide critiques with some tips to students to encourage them to play better. And although no performance is perfect, a good teacher will always find ways to help students improve.
Have You Found the Right Saxophone School for You?
At the end of the day, whichever musical instruments you wish to learn, it all boils down to finding the right teacher for you. There’s no one type of music school or teacher that can be great for everyone. You need to find someone who can work with your style of learning.
All lessons should have something to impart to students. Reflect on how you improved through your online lessons. After the first few months, your saxophone playing should be made better instead of worse.
