RCEditions

LEARNING by TEACHING and by DOING IT. 'Just do it.' The old Michael Jordan/Nike ad is my mantra. I have been learning by doing it since age 17, when I began teaching at J. Frank Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, as a 10 hour per week after-school private saxophone teacher, as a freshman in college. The band directors were the very hardworking Bill Brawn and James Lemmond. If the primary requisite for teaching is caring and being a nice person, they met it, just as have all those who inspired me. Since then I have taught in many places, including Westwood HS, Maynard Public Schools, Univ. of Mass. Lowell, Phillips Andover, U. of Rhode Island, Brown University, Univ. of Hartford, Yale University, Penn. State, and my current positions at New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Boston University and the Longy School of Bard College. Indeed, I have always taught close to my age in number of hours spent. I am now 58 as of this writing with a more active playing and teaching career than I have ever had, performing 5-10 new solo works a year, playing as orchestral saxophonist with several orchestra including the Boston Symphony, and as soloist around the world. It takes a long time to build a career, but it takes very hard work every day to build it. I am a bit concerned that today's students don't fully understand this, and believe I am a good model. But I find that a few are looking for a single dream job, or an easy way to get to that position. It had been my experience that it doesn't happen that way. Joe Allard, and his contemporaries Robert Nagel (trumpet), and John Swallow (trombone), all worked very hard, teaching, playing with set orchestras, whether NBC, NY Phil, NYC Opera, Ballet, NY Brass Quintet, etc. etc. But they built careers, based on saying yes to virtually every date, with the knowledge that a 'no' from them, would mean they would not work again. Gunther Schuller gave us the same lecture (the entire conservatory) in a convocation when we were in school. But I knew it, and observed it, and I live it. 10 or 15 years ago I played the circus, and for very short money. I enjoyed it-played a lot of big band charts at double tempo for several hours, and my tux smelled like elephants for a long time! But I wouldn't trade that experience. My colleagues took me out for a beer and laughed at my complaint that my lip hurt. From that date, I learned better how to play without hurting my lip! So to my students I say, ‘Don't practice 'til it hurts. Practice until it doesn't hurt. Find the 'right' way to play.’ Eventually it may be easy, but students need to work harder and longer.

From 1979 on 'til 1986 I spent hours in the basement, practicing and writing letters to composers or orchestras for 'gigs.' And the early success ratio was 1% or less!. But one of those letters produced 3 summers of performances with the Santa Fe Opera, including the American Premiere of 'Lulu,' and another, an invitation to the Marlboro Festival (again for 3 summers) from Rudolf Serkin. There are many more, but they all started with letters, just as when I wrote to my baseball heroes. However, in the summer 1986 my five year old came downstairs and asked what I was doing, took my address book, and asked what it was. I said it was a list of all the important people I need to write or talk to. She looked through it and said innocently, 'where is my name?' From that day forward I spent less time on my career, and more time with my children. That was an important moment, and we all need to find the balance between career development, and what is really important.

A Salute to (My) Teachers

6. Colleagues, Family and Friends, and mostly, just working hard