Information About Alex - Cardiff teacher

Personal Description:

Hi! My name is Alex and I am a current student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where I study saxophone performance. Music is my passion and I absolutely love exploring it through the sax! My favourite styles to play are most definitely jazz and classical. Teaching and tutoring has always been something that I have looked forward to, as I really like passing on my knowledge to other budding musicians as well as following a student on their musical journey as they discover the joys of the saxophone. Studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has giving me the opportunity to be taught by world class saxophonists and benefit from some of the best musical education, I am therefore very eager to pass on my skills and enthusiasm!

In over a decade of being a saxophonist, I have played in a variety of different ensembles and bands as well as solo concerts, from jazz big bands, to classical wind quartets, to pop gigs, orchestras, saxophone choirs, jazz quintets and many more! As a saxophonist, being equally comfortable in a jazz and classical setting is rather rare, I am therefore lucky to have this skill. I am at home with teaching all the technical aspects associated with playing the saxophone as well as classical performance, jazz improvisation as well as some of the necessary theory that comes with these styles!

Outside of the musical world, I am a keen sportsman and love trying new things!

Tutoring Experience:

Though I am only 20 years old, I have some experience of one to one teaching online over zoom. As well as having coached younger students when they have asked for advice and help.

Being Saxophone 1 in various ensembles has given me a sense of responsibility and care for those in my section, I feel as if this translates well to tutoring.

I have also also led musical workshops with younger children as part of a university project.

Tutoring Approach:

My approach to music tuition is rather simple. I am an advocate of letting the student find their own taste and preferences in music, instead of forcing different styles upon them, that may not be suitable to them. This being said, I do expose my students to different styles and encourage them to gain interest in the styles the saxophone is most present in; jazz, classical and pop.

For beginning musicians musicians I believe that introducing proper technique from an early stage of development will save a lot of time further down the line as well make progression much quicker. I therefore make sure to take time to enforce these properly and to pick up on the the small details so that the student is prepared to tackle any style of difficulty of Music!

Finally, I am very open and encouraging! I love when students present me with what they they like or what they’ve been working on, I would always do my best to cater to their preferences.