Benjamin Tomassetti Saxophone Clarinet Music Jazz Lessons

Benjamin Tomassetti Saxophone Clarinet Music Jazz Lessons

5.0(2 reviews)

About

I hold the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, and am a retired college professor of music. I have been teaching privately since 1987, and am a successful and friendly teacher who loves working with students of ALL levels. I teach in my home studio, which is also a working audio production studio. There is room for a parent to sit-in on the lesson. Believe it or not, I've been doing this since I was a graduate student, and one of my private students from back then is now a college professor in Jazz Saxophone.

I also teach at a local music store, and have passed multiple background checks in my life. I am a married man (30 years), and am a father of two children (one in HS the other in college).

I simply love teaching music! I fell in love with this profession over 30 years ago, and have never regretted it. I am a professional working jazz saxophone player, recording engineer, and teacher of music. I write music, play music, teach music, and record/produce music. It's a dream come true, for me.


Highlights

Hired 4 times
1 employee
37 years in business
Serves Newport News , VA

Reviews

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RW

Rudy W.

One of the best teachers by far. I would highly recommend him because he knows his stuff.
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September 21, 2018
Hired on Lessons

RW

Rudy W.

Benjamin has the best learning process for saxaphone, in addition, he teaches you how to improv. I would definitely recommend him.
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August 12, 2018
Hired on Lessons

Frequently asked questions

I begin each lesson with a short warm-up on the instrument.  Then, we play through the last lesson's assignment on what the student was to practice for the week.  We fix things as we go, but the goal is to have zero "Repeat Assignments" each week.  I then present the new material, and we advance through the lesson text in a positive manner.

Each week, I write a lesson sheet that shows exactly what the student is to practice, and what things to focus on during the practice sessions.

It is recommended that each student practice each day for the same period of time as the lesson itself: 30 minute lesson=30 minutes of daily practice.

I hold the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and from the University of Oregon for graduate school.  

I am a retired college professor of music, and have been teaching private lessons since 1987. 

I charge the month in advance for the lessons.  Each student has an account on my computer, and I keep track of the payment date, payment amount, and each date of each attended lesson.

I prefer not to credit money from month-to-month, and prefer providing make-up lessons due to illness, emergencies, etc.

I got started teaching in graduate school at the U of Oregon.  I taught a Basic Music class to college students who were not music majors.  They got 3 elective credits for the class, and I simply fell in love with teaching.  I will never forget that very first day.  I had an office in the basement of the U of O, and began teaching private saxophone lessons to Middle School and High School students that same school year.

I have worked with students in elementary school, middle school, high school. college, and working adults. Most of my students are in middle school and high school, as those are the "band years" for many people.  However, I do have adults and elementary school age children currently studying with me.

I am fond of each and every time a student of mine successfully plays a tune from the lesson book, an improvised blues solo that had a clear dramatic shape and "told a story," or whatever the task at hand is at that moment.  I truly enjoy the experience of being there with the student when that "moment of success" occurs.  The proverbial "Aha" moment when the student "gets it," is a beautiful thing.

Find a teacher that truly loves what he or she is doing. Everybody needs money. Find a teacher who does this for the love of it, and then pay that person to teach you that which he/she loves. 

Think about what you want from the lessons.  Do you see them as strictly "tutoring" for band at school? Do you see them as a supplemental educational activity in the arts semi-separate from school?  

I can, and will, assist my students with their band music, but I see the lessons as a separate educational activity, with a separate curriculum.  Most of my students work on my stuff, and they go to band class and read/learn that music there without much difficulty.  Students who take private lessons with a caring and educated teacher tend to progess at a faster rate than those who do not.


Services offered

Music Theory
Clarinet
Audio Production