1. Beginning Saxophonists
Clinician — Dale Wolford
Modesto City Schools
August 3, 2016

2. My background Your background?
Taught 5-12 grades in public and private schools for 12 years
Former Professor of Saxophone at CSU-Stanislaus & San José State
Music education professor at CSU-East Bay and SJSU
Performer
Your background?
2. How many Elementary/Middle/High School teachers?
3. How many just Band? Orch+Band? Choral+Band+Orch? General Music + Band?
4. How many 5 yrs less teaching? 5 yrs & more?
----- Meeting Notes (8/3/16 09:31) -----
-woodwind player?
-brass?
-percussion?
-strings?
other?

3. Goals Today Starting beginner saxes
How to visually and aurally identify problems with students
Easy repairs
Recommended horns/reeds/mouthpieces
Answer your questions!
Listening to recordings – play recording featuring great saxophonist (or other instruments) at beginning of class as students get ready.

4. Starting beginners Do you isolate wwds/brass/percussion or together?
What method book do you use?
Do you start with the book or do other activities first?
What are your goals by December?

5. My beginning band “method”
First Five Days lesson plan (on dalewolford.com)
Beginning Notation
Beginning Sax Fingerings
First Lesson checklist

6. Beginners Top teeth on top at 90° angle
Teaching the embouchure w/mouthpiece connected to neck
Top teeth on top at 90° angle
Include placing the reed on the mtpc, tightening ligature

7. Teaching the embouchure
Say “Ohh”/smile
Or “Ohh/Vuh” ( as in “V” for Victory) for lip placement
Avoid strong smile
Egg analogy
Chin should be “ski jump, not orange peel”

8. Teaching the embouchure
Step 1 —“Ohh/Vuh”
Step 2 — place reed on lower lip without moving embouchure
Step 3 — Blow air (no sound!)
Step 4 — Gradually raise lower jaw until sound starts
Demo and have them do it!
Note correct tone quality

9. Correct Chin shape: “Ski jump chin”
Bunched chin
show how to fix quickly and easily

10. Bunched Chin- “Orange peel”
show how to fix quickly and easily

11. Not enough mouthpiece This is hard to SEE, but easy to HEAR!
Many beginners do this to keep from “squeaking”
Muffled sound
Student goes sharp in upper register
Hard to play lower and upper registers
Tape on mouthpiece fixes this!

12. Too Much Mouthpiece Squeaks a lot (especially on high “G”) “Rude” tone
Common with beginners
Stress: “Find the place where you get the best tone”
Demo!

13. Tilted Mouthpiece
Student has uneven front teeth--have dentist shave off to make even or add a cap
Makes tone sound “dull”
Demo

14. Off Center
Again, result of uneven teeth

15. Off Center
Line up neck of horn with nose

16. Dull tone Check for proper embouchure pressure w/mouthpiece alone:
Then (see handout):
1. DEMO w/o neck, mtpc alone!
2. Have someone push octave key for me

17. Holding the Horn “Short” students on side
“Tall” students between legs when sitting
For Standing: rest alto/tenor on right hip
Demo!

18. Now you teach! “Short” students on side
“Tall” students between legs when sitting
For Standing: rest alto/tenor on right hip
Then have volunteer teach entire class!

19. Teaching the embouchure
Step 1 —“Ohh/Vuh”
Step 2 — place reed on lower lip without moving embouchure
Step 3 — Blow air (no sound!)
Step 4 — Gradually raise lower jaw until sound starts
Demo and have them do it!
Note correct tone quality

20. Further Development Intermediate players Vibrato “Pulsations/beat”
(see handout)
Moving towards “musical” vibrato!
Switching to Tenor & Bari Sax
Skip?

21. How do your students get to a“concept of sound?”
Longtones (discuss different types)
Intonation (use SmartMusic, tuner, tuner app like Tonal Energy, drones -
Vibrato
Concept of “Tu”
----- Meeting Notes (1/12/12 17:16) -----
Demo drone w/Tuning CD

22. Equipment
It really matters!
Mouthpieces
See handout

23. Ligatures
These are worth the cost – don’t go out of round like metal ones!
Rovner - “dark” or Versa
----- Meeting Notes (1/12/12 17:16) -----
Recommend Rovner "Dark" for cost and durability (demo dropping the ligature!)

24. Reeds Classical D'Addario“Reserve” Gonzales Vandoren Blue Box Jazz
Vandoren Java or ZZ

25. Instruments
See handout
Beginner
Intermediate
Professional

26. Maintenance Bi-annual “leak check” Things you can fix yourself:
Fixing octave key
G# key adjustments
Low C#, B & Bb won’t play
Pad tears or falls out
G# Adj. screw
Demo – bring student horn?
Take pictures?
Or find website?

27. Alternate fingerings SK Bb taught 1st, not bis! Memory tool:
SK Bb by step,
Bis Bb by skip
SK C
Chromatic F#
(download my Chromatic Scale Routine from
----- Meeting Notes (1/12/12 17:27) -----
See p.2 of handout for fingerings

28. Repertoire List Encourage sax quartets – SATB or AATB
Jazz Quintets – AATTB or SATTB
Sight reading duets
See my web site for recommended, solos, duets, methods, etc.
Dale.Wolford.com

29. Recommended Methods For band directors:
“The Saxophonist’s Manual” by Larry Teal
“Art of the Saxophone” by Larry Teal

30. Quiz?
How do you fix a student with an embouchure like …

31. Questions?

32. Contact info:
Web site:
These slides and other handouts on my website under “Teaching/Masterclass”