Did you play saxophone at school? Do you dream of playing again?
Do you think it’s too late to return to the sax? Read on…
Shannon hadn’t played the saxophone for 30 years, when her husband bought her a sax as birthday gift. Two years on, Shannon is playing saxophone in professional gigs with her band.
Sax at School
At school back in the mid ’70s, Shannon was a keen sax player, playing alto sax in stage and concert bands. Then in her twenties, she toured with a rock n’ roll band, singing and playing keyboard. Shannon’s sax took a back seat as there was already a sax player in the line-up.
“Then other life events happened: medical school, children, etc. I’m afraid I left the sax for about 30 years!” says Shannon.
I got hooked on Nigel’s relaxed and thorough teaching style
Returning to the Sax
After her husband bought her a sax as a birthday present, Shannon soon discovered Sax School. “Nigel’s free YouTube videos got me hooked on his relaxed and thorough teaching style,” explains Shannon. “I’ve been a part of Sax School for a little over a year now”.
You might think it would be really hard to return to the saxophone after such a long break. But Shannon was surprised at how quickly her skills returned. ” I’m happy to report that my ability on the sax came back fairly quickly – it was definitely NOT like I was starting from scratch,” she says.
Time to Practice
Like many adult learners, Shannon found it difficult to make time to practice. But she found a solution with Sax School. ” The 30-day Practice Challenge made me realize I could find the time to work daily sax practice into my schedule,” she says.
Saxophone Tunes
Shannon was already playing piano and guitar and singing with her classic rock/pop/originals band, and now after returning to the saxophone, she has added that too. “I love jazz and the sax enables me to bring some different music to our repertoire. So, we are doing ‘Baker Street‘, ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,’ ‘Wave’, ‘The Heat is On’ and ‘Blue Bossa‘, for example,” explains Shannon.
my ability on the sax came back fairly quickly
Jam Sessions
Now that Shannon has returned to the saxophone, she is taking every opportunity to perform. “I’m adding more pop and rock tunes to our band that have sax solos in them. I host an open mic and jam session every Thursday in our town and so I’ve challenged myself to play at least one sax song every week as well,” she says.
Shannon’s story shows just what you can achieve when you return to the saxophone as an adult.
Congratulations Shannon – our Student of the Week!
Check out Shannon’s great video of “Take 5” which she shared in our Facebook Community.
Want to return to the saxophone like Shannon?
Get started with Sax School membership today and see how our Student Pathways, Mini Courses, and huge lesson library will help you make massive progress on your sax. Get Started Here!