I've been playing saxophone since fourth grade. I can remember very enthusiastically choosing the saxophone when it came time for 'instrument night' or whatever my school called it, only to be told I should start with something smaller by my parents and future 5th-8th grade music teacher (disclaimer: NOT my 4th grade music teacher in my immediate future.) Alas, instead of going home with an alto saxophone, I went home with a flute. Though it wasn't a saxophone like I'd hoped for, it was an instrument! Despite my excitement and enthusiasm, I couldn't seem to get a sound out of the instrument -barely a sound out of the head joint even! There were somewhere around six or seven of us in our group lessons which we were pulled out of something like reading or study hall for.. and they were all excelling far beyond me. I couldn't understand this because I was practicing, I just couldn't get it! Seeing my peers 'get it' and begin their journeys with the flute was discouraging, but thankfully not discouraging enough to keep me from music.
Soon, I began taking saxophone lesson after school to try my luck with that- though I hadn't yet given up flute.
I remember my first saxophone lesson like it was yesterday: I walked in to see Jaimie Bernstein (my first instrumental teacher) sitting on the floor with two paper cups, and a box of reeds....
Well, I suppose I could go into detail about the entirety of my first lesson, but I think it will suffice to say that I showed natural ability for the saxophone, and after two or three after-school lessons, I stopped taking flute lessons to focus on saxophone.
I was indeed nervous for my first group saxophone lesson. Everyone else started on saxophone as they chose, and now it was time for me to play catch-up.Thankfully, I didn't struggle to catch up. This instrument I got. What a relief it was to little fourth grade me to realize that I could play an instrument after all, and maybe the flute was just out to get me or something ?
Disclaimer: I picked up the flute again in high school, taught myself and helped out the elementary band, and also had fine time in woodwind methods. Perhaps little me was subconsciously set on saxophone as well, sabotaging my flute playing? Had I not had issues in fourth grade, I could be a flautist today(!!)
I continued to play saxophone even as my peers stopped due to things such as braces, sports, and other reasons. By the time I was in eighth grade, the number of young saxophonists had dwindled quite drastically, though my friend Casey and I were still quite attached to the saxophone. We started doing extra pieces in lessons and concerts. I remember specifically playing a duet arrangement of "The Can-Can" full of eighth notes at a spritely tempo (daunting at the time) for a concert, despite our music teacher's reservations and concern for our success earlier in the day. Well, we didn't give up the idea of playing that duet that we had worked so hard to prepare, and had a successful concert that evening, but I will say that was one of my more nervous performances in middle school.
When it came time for me to register for classes in high school, I knew I wasn't going to have any trouble fulfilling my fine arts credit and accepted that I would probably in fact, surpass the requirements. I soon realized I would have to make a choice that I wasn't used to making. Choir and band were during the same block, and students had to choose whether they were going to sing or play. Initially I was quite frustrated. Why would any high school force you to choose between band or choir? They're both so wonderful yet different musically. After the initial struggle it seemed simple: I'd play in band. I could still sing, but at this point in my musical career I didn't have much solo repertoire to play so band it was!
I was shocked to find that here band seemed to be the cool thing to do. It was great to have so many people to play with but I soon found out that this particular director had favorites. Needless to say that's how band worked for my first two years of high school.
Coming into my junior year of high school we had a new band director. Turns out she was a friend of mine from a music camp I had done a few years back, and a UVM graduate. Unfortunately, many of the people who were involved with band before had now left on sheer principle that the old band director had gone. Being the one of the only serious musicians in the band now brought me a lot more responsibility. I was now playing principal alto, which meant playing solos not just for saxophone, but to cover for our lack of oboes and/or horns. I was leading the ensemble, in a way- so I practiced my music so I could be a better example to my peers. My teacher signed me up for district auditions in both classical and jazz, and started a jazz band and requested my participation. Never before had I had so much musical responsibility!
I was incredibly nervous for my first district audition. I hadn't played any solo repertoire up to this point, and being a perfectionist, I of course wanted to get in. Results came in and I received principal second. Out of the many people who auditioned I was pleased with my results.
In my senior year of high school I was once again accepted into the district honor band.
Being forced (without an incredible amount of resistance) to audition for jazz districts was something else entirely. My experience with playing jazz was basically nonexistent up until my junior year of high school when my teacher started an after school jazz band. I could read quite well and knew the concept of swing so that was no big deal, but improvising was a different beast entirely.
When it came time for me to register for classes in high school, I knew I wasn't going to have any trouble fulfilling my fine arts credit and accepted that I would probably in fact, surpass the requirements. I soon realized I would have to make a choice that I wasn't used to making. Choir and band were during the same block, and students had to choose whether they were going to sing or play. Initially I was quite frustrated. Why would any high school force you to choose between band or choir? They're both so wonderful yet different musically. After the initial struggle it seemed simple: I'd play in band. I could still sing, but at this point in my musical career I didn't have much solo repertoire to play so band it was!
I was shocked to find that here band seemed to be the cool thing to do. It was great to have so many people to play with but I soon found out that this particular director had favorites. Needless to say that's how band worked for my first two years of high school.
Coming into my junior year of high school we had a new band director. Turns out she was a friend of mine from a music camp I had done a few years back, and a UVM graduate. Unfortunately, many of the people who were involved with band before had now left on sheer principle that the old band director had gone. Being the one of the only serious musicians in the band now brought me a lot more responsibility. I was now playing principal alto, which meant playing solos not just for saxophone, but to cover for our lack of oboes and/or horns. I was leading the ensemble, in a way- so I practiced my music so I could be a better example to my peers. My teacher signed me up for district auditions in both classical and jazz, and started a jazz band and requested my participation. Never before had I had so much musical responsibility!
I was incredibly nervous for my first district audition. I hadn't played any solo repertoire up to this point, and being a perfectionist, I of course wanted to get in. Results came in and I received principal second. Out of the many people who auditioned I was pleased with my results.
In my senior year of high school I was once again accepted into the district honor band.
Being forced (without an incredible amount of resistance) to audition for jazz districts was something else entirely. My experience with playing jazz was basically nonexistent up until my junior year of high school when my teacher started an after school jazz band. I could read quite well and knew the concept of swing so that was no big deal, but improvising was a different beast entirely.
Wait..improvise?! You mean, play something that isn't notated, just, making it up on the spot?!
(I know, classic 'classically-trained musician' syndrome.. but on the plus side, that made me a skilled reader!)
I recall getting into many an argument with my teacher about improvising because well, I was being slightly childish and afraid of going so far out of my comfort zone. Admittedly, I never dug deep enough to understand the full theory of the whole improvisation thing, but I just tried to stay in the key and play what I thought could almost work. In jazz band, I hardly improvised if I could get away with it, especially because there were some students who had the opportunity to get their feet wet in the jazz pond, or studied privately and were therefore pretty good at improvising. On occasion that I did solo, I tried to read from the suggested notation, or- if that wasn't available, chugged along, holding my head above water.
Our jazz band played at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival my senior year- one of the pieces being an arrangement of Harlem Nocturne, a piece mostly for solo saxophone. This I loved, because any soloing I had to do was either melody or notated in the piece :)
Junior year I did not make jazz districts and wasn't particularly surprised. A lot of saxophonists auditioned, and they usually only take two alto saxophonists.
Senior year however, I made it into the district jazz honor band as second alto, and I was surprised, because so many people had auditioned.
Also in my junior and senior years, I auditioned for the all-state band. (Something I now understand to be ridiculously competitive in the area of classical alto saxophone). I didn't make it in junior year, and was quite discouraged, but determined to make it in my senior year. Unfortunately, I missed getting in by one point my senior year (and at the discretion of the professor of saxophone at one of the colleges I was looking into, who later sent me an acceptance letter to the program and to this day tries to get me to transfer any time I see him!)
Not making all state was probably my most discouraging moments musically at that time. To work so hard at something so personal only to have it not be good enough is really tough, but it taught me a lot, and it definitely helped to later learn just how competitive classical saxophone is!
Before I knew it, I was preparing college auditions, and wondering how the heck I came this far with saxophone. Whether or not fourth grade me realized choosing the saxophone meant choosing my career I can't be sure. It's funny to think back of how in fourth grade picking an instrument taking lessons and playing in band was just the thing to do...and now look where I am: a second semester junior in college, preparing to become a music educator, and studying saxophone.
Happy reading,
Becky
Becky
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