About John
John is an accomplished musician specializing in teaching clarinet, flute, guitar, saxophone, and voice. He offers lessons in his studio, at students' homes, and online, accommodating various learning preferences. John holds a Bachelor of Music from Macewan University and a Master of Music from McGill University, where he is also a doctoral candidate, expected to graduate by 2026. His approach to teaching is tailored to individual students' goals, focusing on technique and relaxation across instruments. Recognized with the SSHRC CGS-M Award in 2021, John's expertise is enriched by his profound understanding of jazz and classical music. He is fluent in English. Book an interview with John to explore diverse musical avenues and advanced instruction.
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My teaching philosophy varies based on the subject matter. While I maintain that good instrumental technique is inarguably fundamental to performance practice, and I am quite rigid in my definition of good instrumental technique, I believe that any student will progress their fastest when lesson plans are tailored towards their individual tastes. My job as a teacher is to listen to the goals of each individual student, keeping in mind their available practice time, ability level, and level of investment, and break long term goals into short term achievable markers. For technique particular to the saxophone, I have developed a curriculum through thousands of hours of personal trial and error, and I have amassed dozens of exercises to solve numerous technical issues. My standard for a technical approach to any instrument is to be able to navigate the instrument completely in a relaxed fashion. While knowing many scales in 12 keys is an excellent benchmark, I feel the best way to develop a relaxed approach to an instrument is with simple exercises that don’t overly challenge a student’s knowledge of scales, allowing the focus to be on proper execution. Learning the modes of the 4 parent scales in 12 keys is a separate activity that can take many years, and may not be necessary for the casual student. Theory, composition, and improvisation I have found are best taught in a way that involves repertoire that interests the student. Exercises for any topic can be directed towards music in any genre. Once again, it is the job of the teacher to break the musical journey in to small steps with exercises, artist recommendations, and constructive critique.
Name: John (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 30's
Gender: male
My musical education began at a school for the arts in my hometown of Edmonton Alberta. Since that time I have completed a Bachelor of Music from Macewan University (Edmonton AB) and a Master of Music from McGill University (Montreal QC). I am currently a Doctoral candidate for the Doctor of Music degree at McGill University and expect to graduate by 2026. I have performed extensively on both saxophone and clarinet with esteemed artists such as PJ Perry, Jean Michel Pilc, Gil Goldstein, The Edmonton Jazz Orchestra, as well as both McGills Jazz Orchestra and Chamber Jazz Ensemble.
SSHRC CGS-M Award Holder 2021
I have studied with some of the best jazz musicians in North America and have taken much of their teaching materials and philosophies as my own.
English
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
John is available to teach in your home if you are located in the following areas
Online lessons
John 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.
John's Studio Location
John offers lessons from his studio. Please note that map locations are based on the postal code of the teachers studio. address will be released to you if needed.