“Christopher is an accomplished music teacher specializing in clarinet and saxophone. Offering online lessons, he believes in the profound value of music education, emphasizing its ability to enrich cognitive abilities and the soul. With a Master's and Bachelor's degree in saxophone performance, Christopher tailors his approach to each student's goals and needs, fostering excellence and joy in music.”
- Christopher
BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTOPHER NOW
I firmly believe in the profound value of a musical upbringing, as I've personally witnessed how learning music at any stage of life can significantly enrich one's cognitive abilities and soul. My role as an educator involves tailoring my approach to suit the unique goals and needs of each individual student. Whether it's enhancing musical proficiency in an academic context, supporting professional growth, or simply nurturing a recreational hobby, I'm here to guide the journey. My dedication to fostering an environment of excellence extends to creating a safe and inclusive space where students can freely express themselves, nurture their innate talents, and find joy in the world of music. I specialize in offering private lessons for saxophone and music theory, welcoming students across all levels, from beginners to intermediate and advanced learners.
Name: Christopher (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 25
Gender: male
I recently completed Master's and Bachelor's (H) degrees in saxophone performance at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. In the spring of 2023, I was also a music theory TA at the University of Toronto. My principle teacher, Wallace Halladay, studied with Arno Bornkamp and rigorously trains the art of music interpretation and saxophone excellence. My studies were augmented by a focus in music theory in addition to conducting and interpretation from Gillian MacKay.
In 2022, I performed in the Iriqtus Quartet and placed third among our cohort in the final round of the Canadian Music CompetitionIn 2018, I won the University of Toronto Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition twice, both solo and with the Karisyg Saxophone Quartet, and subsequently performed with the school's wind bands. I am also a University of Toronto Scholar, Rhodes Scholar nominee, and recipient of the Harvey Botting Graduate Performance Scholarship, Herold and Jean Bohne Scholarship, Leslie John Hodgson Scholarship, Eugene Rittich Scholarship, Norman and Hinda Tobias Memorial Scholarship, Walter Homburger Scholarship, and an FMUA Individual Project Grant.
I studied intense solo and group performance skills at the Université Européenne de Saxophone in Gap, France, with Claude Delangle, Vincent David, Joonatan Rautiola, Christian Wirth, Mariano Garcia, Daniel Gauthier, and Vincent Lê Quang. Furthermore, I developed high-level saxophone proficiency with Timothy McAllister at the Orford Music Summer Academy. I additionally performed in masterclasses for Arno Bornkamp, Timothy McAllister, Otis Murphy, Stephen Page, Brandon Jinwoo Choi, Sarah Jeffrey, Connie Frigo, Eric Hall, Dominic Desautels, Darren Hicks, Miles Jacques, and Griffin Campbell. Previous private lessons with distinguished saxophonists include Kenneth Tse, Chien-Kwan Lin, Taimur Sullivan, Stephen Page, Djamel Mami, and Rami El-Farrah.
English
Mandarin
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Lessons in your home
Christopher is available to teach in your home if you are located in the following areas
Online lessons
Christopher can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.