Andi got a saxophone for Christmas only 18 months ago, but is already setting our Sax School community on fire with her amazing videos!
Find out how Andi has used the Sax School lessons and our ACCELERATOR program to supercharge her progress on saxophone.
Saxophone Surprise
Andi’s husband gave her a saxophone for Christmas as a surprise. “I’ve always loved the sax breaks in songs, so he bought it on a bit of a whim,” explains Andi, “but I’ve absolutely loved it!”
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Andi to make progress on saxophone, however, “I started with a ‘learn to play’ book, but I wasn’t making much progress,” says Andi. “Then in April, I decided to join Sax School, … and with the videos it really started to bring me on”.
For someone who has been playing for just 18 months, Andi is already tackling some really advanced tunes such as ‘Caribbean Queen‘, ‘One Step Beyond’, and ‘Night Train.’
Amazing Progress on Saxophone
‘Night Train’ was a particular challenge for Andi. “I had never heard it before, and I loved it, ” says Andi. “But when I tried to play the really tricky fast section, and I couldn’t do it at all. But I thought, if I can do that, then I’ll really be making progress on saxophone”.
Then Andi heard about our new Accelerator Programme of one-to-one tuition, for people who really want to supercharge their progress on saxophone.
“I thought it might be able to help me,” says Andi.
With the help of her Accelerator tutor, Chris, Andi soon made great strides with ‘Night Train.’ “Chris was so patient with all the fall-offs and the scoops and the tricky fast section. He broke it down into little sections which made it so much easier,” she says.
Chris encouraged Andi to share her video of ‘Night Train’ in the Sax School Community, where it got great feedback from other members with nearly 100 comments.
Accelerator – How it works
Andi has now learned more tunes as part of the Accelerator Programme, such as the Junior Walker track ‘How Sweet it is’.
“It works really well,” explains Andi. “I record short videos as I learn each section, and send it to Chris with some notes. Then he sends me a critique back, and explain different techniques, with suggestions on how to improve.”
Saxophone Goals
Having spent the last 18 months playing at home, due to COVID-19, Andi is keen to get the confidence to play in public.
“I really like soul and funk music, so I’d love to play in a band,” she says.
After making such great progress on saxophone in just 18 months, we know you will get there Andi! Congratulations on being our August Legend!
Andi’s Tips for New Members
- If you are complete beginner like I was, start with the Starter Songs and work through them. Don’t try to skip ahead!
- Then go onto the Moving On Course, because each song is like a whole adventure and you learn so many different things
- Use the “slow down” option on the lesson videos and backing tracks to make it easier to learn tricky sections.
- Aim to learn a song that you really want to play.
Want to make great progress on saxophone like Andi? Get access to over 600 lessons, courses and masterclasses, plus the support of our tutor team and our amazing worldwide Sax School Community, with Sax School PRO. Find out more here.