Clarinet, Flute and Saxophone Lessons
on the Main Line and Delaware County.

 

Main Line School Voted “Best Music and Dance Studio

by the Main Line Times and News of Delaware County

 

Main Line School of Music and Dance Woodwind Lessons

If you have always been interested in playing the flute, clarinet, or saxophone, you have come to the right place. Whether you are beginner, or a budding professional, we can help you with your musical endeavors. Since 1988, the Main Line School of Music and Dance has helped thousands of students learn the skills that they need to enjoy music and dance for a lifetime. In the woodwinds program at our Ardmore and Springfield locations, you will have the opportunity to learn your favorite songs, work on your school orchestra or band pieces, and delve into all of the techniques that will help to make you a fantastic woodwinds player. We will teach you proper breathing techniques, scales, arpeggios, vibrato, tone and a myriad of other important techniques. Additionally, we will help you with rhythm, theory, posture, and a host of other topics that will really pique your interest and make you a well rounded musician. For work in your school band or orchestra, your flute, clarinet or saxophone teacher will help you with preparing solos for your performances, ensemble skills for working with other students, or polishing the pieces you will be performing.

Click the video below to see some our woodwind students perform.

Our Flute, Clarinet, and Saxophone Instructors

The woodwind teachers at Main Line School of Music and Dance are highly qualified. They all have degrees in music
education, composition or performance, but most importantly they are experienced, well-rounded and patient with their students. They are youthful and fun and will engage you with material that is both interesting and exciting while tempering it with the necessary amount of structure. Additionally, you get to select your own repertoire so you can learn the songs that inspire you! We use a combination of note reading and incorporating your ear into your studies so you can reproduce a note when you hear it. It is important for you to be able to read the notes, but ear training is essential to becoming a well-rounded flute, clarinet or sax player. Our approach to your lessons will create a fun, balanced musical experience for you. Our flute, clarinet and sax lessons are all private one-on-one instruction and are available for 30 minute, 45 minute or 60 minute sessions.

Performance Opportunities

We offer you a minimum of two performance opportunities each year at our music showcases. Students perform on a variety of instruments including the flute, clarinet, sax, piano, keyboard, voice, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums and strings. Performers also range from beginner to advanced abilities. Some of the benefits that you get from performing in the showcase include:

About Woodwinds

Woodwind instruments fall into the broader
category of wind instruments. These instruments are divided into two categories: flutes and reeds. Flutes include instruments such as the traditional flute and the piccolo and are played by blowing a stream of air across a sharp edge that splits the stream. Reed instruments include the saxophone, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon and are played by focusing air into a mouth piece which causes the reed to vibrate. Brass and woodwind instruments can be played in orchestras and concert bands (or marching bands). These instruments are widely used in jazz and blues music as well as in current popular music such as rock and R&B (rhythm and blues) and improvised solos are also a part of the tradition of many of these instruments.

Woodwind Instruments Taught At the Main Line School

Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe and Bassoon. If the instrument you are interested in is not listed here, please call and ask us if we can teach it!

Why Choose Us For Flute, Clarinet or Sax Lessons?

Five Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone Lessons


1. Insist On Private Lessons When Learning a Woodwind Instrument
Group lessons work well for preschool music programs, choruses and theory lessons. However, when learning how to play a
woodwind instrument, private lessons are far superior. In a private flute, sax, or clarinet lesson, your teacher can focus all of their efforts on you and this allows you to learn at your own pace. Additionally, your teacher does not have to instruct a class at a certain level, but has the time and focus to work on your strengths and weaknesses. This is beneficial to your teacher because they don’t have to divide their attention between five or ten students at one time. With private flute, clarinet or saxophone lessons your teacher can help you be the best that you can be.

2. Help Your Child to Set Goals
Goal setting is one of the most important skills to develop in order to be successful on the flute, clarinet, or saxophone (and life in general). To be effective, make your goals specific, measurable, and attainable. An example of setting a musical goal for yourself would be to play a particular scale at a certain speed or to have a certain number of songs memorized. Another goal might be to perform in a recital. Goals are always easier to achieve when you set a deadline for them. Try setting some goals of your own and watch your progress soar!

3. Make Practicing the Flute, Clarinet or Saxophone Easier

As with anything else in life, improving on the flute, clarinet, or saxophone takes practice. One of the main problems with lessons can be the drudgery of practicing and the ensuing “fight” between parents and students to practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:

4. How Young is Too Young. Starting at the Right Age

Adults can start any instrument at any time. An adult’s success is based on how willing they are committed to practicing. We teach many beginner flute, sax and clarinet students in their sixties and their seventies. For children, starting an instrument at the right age is a key element to their success. If a child starts woodwind lessons too soon, they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop their lessons. The last thing that you want to do is to turn a child off to the instrument because they had one unpleasant experience (which could have been prevented). Sometimes if the child waits a year to start their lessons, frustrations may be avoided and progress may be much faster. The following are some guidelines we have found to be successful in determining how young a child can start taking music lessons on a particular instrument.

5. How Much Should I Be Reading the Notes?
This is a very interesting topic. There are several different approaches to the study of a woodwind instrument. Some involve pure note reading and rhythms, while others utilize the ability of the ear. The bottom line is how well you play the flute, clarinet or saxophone. This may be achieved by note reading, using the ear, or a mix of the two. If your teacher determines that you are a visual learner, an approach based heavily on note and rhythm reading with some ear training mixed in would work well. If your teacher determines that you are an aural (ear) learner, a program based heavily on ear playing tempered with some note and rhythm reading would be appropriate. The right frame of mind is crucial for optimal learning. Therefore, catering to your learning strengths will ensure that you get the most out of your flute, clarinet and saxophone lessons.

6. Bonus – Have Fun Playing!

Your instrument should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. Try not to put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace. The key is to be able to enjoy the journey.

Music Lessons (click below for link)

Are All Music Studios The Same?
Studio Comparison List (click here)

REGISTER NOW FOR MUSIC
AND SINGING LESSONS!

Ardmore Location
692 Pont Reading RoadSpringfield Clarinet Lessons and Classes

Ardmore, PA 19003
(next to John’s Sneakers)
610-658-5284

Springfield Location
353 Baltimore Pike (2nd floor)
Springfield, PA 19064
(next to Chuck E. Cheese)
610-658-5284

In Home Flute, Clarinet and Sax Lessons
These Main Line, Delaware County and Montgomery County woodwinds lessons are given
in the convenience of your own home.
610-658-5284