Saxophone 4
Course Code: ME614B
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Duration: 10 sessions (over 10 weeks)
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What is the course about?
Continue to improve your saxophone playing and musicianship. This is our 4th year of instrumental study. You will study solo repertoire, rehearse ensemble arrangements, and practise improvising.
What will we cover?
- Structured use of all 12 major and minor keys
- focus on jazz styles
- Students will be encouraged to write their own exercises and share practice habits
- Regular opportunity to improvise
- Expand your repertoire of tunes.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Demonstrate improved tone and musicianship skills
- Design a personal practice plan for future development
- Record yourself performing class tunes and tasks
- Improvise with greater ease and confidence
- show a working understanding of the jazz idiom
- transcribe simple saxophone solos.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
For experienced and knowledgable players.
You should be able to play all major and relative minor scales and arpeggios, keep time well, and read music in all common time signatures. Some experience of playing across the major VI II V I sequence is essential.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught through weekly practice of technical matters, aural practice, memorising tunes, section playing and soloing.
Reference recordings will be in use, and play-along tracks. Technical practice week to week and learning of study tunes is essential to the good progress of the course.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Students will be expected to make space for regular instrumental practice. A music stand, metronome and access to a piano or keyboard are essential to your personal practice.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
We will continue next term as ME614c.
Sarha is an experienced teacher and gigging musician, performing on the saxophone, arranging and composing on the piano, in classical, jazz and world music genres. Her principal band, Bollywood Brass Band, is the UK’s pioneering Indian-style wedding band, performing tunes and compulsively danceable rhythms of Bollywood films. Twice nominated for Songlines World Music Awards, the band has performed across the world in concerts, festivals, and Indian weddings in the UK, Europe, India, Thailand and South Africa. Sarha played with Ghanaian Highlife band Orchestre Jazira, and socialist big band, The Happy End. She also plays in the Charlie Mingus jazz cover band Hog Callin’, The Great Yiddish Parade marching band and Freylekh klezmer band. Sarha’s specialist area is World Music, and she has a PhD on the study of the Flattened Supertonic across different cultures. At CityLit she teaches jazz and classical piano, saxophone, world music styles (practical and academic courses), musicianship and music theory.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
