Teaching

Music education is a huge part of my life, and something I am very passionate about. Nothing makes me happier than seeing students get excited about playing and watching them grow as musicians. Many of my former students have even gone on to pursue music careers of their own.

I am currently available for private lessons at my studio in Portland, located at Starbird Music. I'm also available for clinics and performances in the Maine/New Hampshire area. I'm very happy to work with students of all age and ability levels, from young beginners to gigging professionals.

Private Studies:

Saxophone - Study the fundamentals of good saxophone playing in a supportive and challenging environment. The emphasis is on sound production, technique, reading in a variety of styles, and improvisation.

Sound .... I really believe that tone is everything! Even a single note can be amazing if it is played with a sound that is beautiful to the listener. Learn how proper breathing, embrouchure, and tongue position can dramatically improve both sound and intonation.

Technique .... More than just playing fast, technique is really a combination of tone, evenness, and accuracy. By focusing on these areas, you'll be able to play anything you want at any speed you want!

Reading .... The best way to get good at reading notes and rhythms is to just do it! By reading music in a variety of styles, time signatures, key signatures, etc. we can dramatically improve our reading accuracy. The challenge then becomes learning how to interpret what we play with beauty and musicality.

Improvisation .... The reason why I play the saxophone! Once we get past the fear of improvising, it can become a great creative outlet and a way to really express our own musical personality. Improvising on an instrument uses more brain functions than almost any other activity, making it easy to get overwhelmed! By learning techniques for dealing with the most common difficulties (getting lost, finding the "right" notes, etc.) we can free ourselves to focus on making great music.

Jazz Improvisation - Available to students on any instrument. Take your improvising to the next level by developing a stronger time feel, building a larger jazz vocabulary, transcribing solos and phrases from famous jazz recordings, and learning how to really "learn" tunes.

Time .... A strong time feel is the foundation that all good music is built upon. In jazz that means you must be able to play strong, steady 8th notes that really SWING! Developing your sense of time can allow you to be more adventurous as a soloist. It will help you keep your place in the music and and inspire you to play more rhythmically diverse ideas.

Jazz Vocabulary / Transcribing .... Many of the ideas jazz musicians play are based on simple diatonic melodies and sequences. By learning as many of these as we can, we create unlimited material for improvisation. Additionally, we must study the playing of great jazz musicians through listening and transcription. By learning solos and phrases from recordings, we can incorporate classic jazz vocabulary into our own playing. Like the saying goes, "Imitate, assimilate, innovate!"

Learning Tunes .... Memorizing tunes from the classic jazz repertoire will allow you to play with other musicians and liberate you from reading songs out of a "fake book" while you improvise. It is very hard to be creative and musical when all your energy is going into reading what's in front of you. If we can really internalize a song (the melody, chord changes, scales, form, etc.), we will have the freedom to just play and make the best music possible!

Clinics:

Saxophone Masterclass - The focus is on all things relating to sound production, including breathing, proper embrouchure and tongue position, and overtones. I also talk about reeds and the importance of finding a quality setup that's right for each individual.

Sax Sectionals - For both concert and jazz band sax sections. In a concert band setting, we'll talk about intonation, vibrato, and tips for blending both with each other and the ensemble. For jazz bands, we'll discuss basic jazz articulation, sound, and how to phrase together and really swing as a section. Songs from band class will be used for demonstrating and practicing all the topics we discuss.

Combo Coaching - One of the biggest challenges for a young jazz player is LISTENING, both to him/herself and to the other players in the group. Small group jazz is all about spontaneous interaction, which requires this type of listening and awareness. By working on listening in specific ways, we can improve time feel in the rhythm section, eliminate "clutter" and overplaying, create more interaction between the soloists and rhythm players, and increase each individual's musical awareness.

Performances:

Guest Soloist - Bring me in to be a featured soloist with your jazz ensemble / combo in a concert setting. This can also be combined with a masterclass, clinic, or rehearsal to create a day-long experience for students.

David Wells Trio/Quartet - I can bring my own working group to your school to perform and work with your students. Many of the musicians I play with are also educators, teaching at such schools as the Berklee School of Music, University of Southern Maine, and Bates. Both horn players and rhythm section players will have an opportunity to learn from some of New England's finest jazz musicians in an inspiring workshop setting.

For more information, email me at david@davidwellsmusic.com