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My youngest son, Logan, is 8. He has always been a music lover (sheesh - when dad is a music / band teacher, he has been around it for his whole life), and he has pestered us relentlessly for weeks to get a Saxophone. He said that it was his favorite kind of "jazz instrument" and he loved jazz, especially "smooth jazz." We went over to Rettig Music in Westlake and tried it out to see if he could physically play it. He barely could get his hands around it in a way I was satisfied with, and it hangs so low on him, he might have trouble reaching with his right hand. After seeing him play it in the store and realizing that he could play without hurting himself, we decided to go ahead and rent an alto sax for him (he says he wanted to try a Tenor, but we told him he could grow into it).

We rushed home and I gave him his first lesson. We worked for about 20 minutes with putting it together and talking about the parts, being very careful and meticulous putting it together, adjusting the neck strap, putting on the reed, etc., then he took to it like he was born to play. I showed him once how to make the embouchure. In about 10 minutes we were through 6 exercises (I explained the concept of a whole note / whole rest once and he got it well enough to read the music), and then he was improvising with the 3 notes he knew. After a few minutes more, His mouth was very "buzzy" and we had to stop.

He insisted on another lesson later in the day. We learned C in addition to B, A, and G and after maybe 15 more minutes of playing, finished reading page one of the Rubank Elementary Method for Sax. He then "played around" with the Sax, carefully playing one note at a time, and trying to 'make a song' out of what he learned.

I know, maybe I am just a Dad making a big deal out of nothing...but I've taught band for many years and I have never had a 5th or 6th grade beginning student take to an instrument like he took to that Sax. And he is just finished with second grade.

This old band teacher has a tear in his eye. I've never seen anything quite like this, and it's my son doing it.

that's awesome!! i'm glad your son has good taste in instruments!
my mom always says that I took to the sax the same way, but I was in 5th grade haha
good luck with everything, I'm sure he'll really enjoy it!

that's awesome that he took to it so quickly...but i mean really? saxophone? at least he was to play tenor sax eventually but still...if you want him to play a real instrument give him a tuba later on

Tenor love from one sax to another!

Great story! You'll have to keep us updated on how he's doing with it.

He's having some troubles reaching the right hand keys and working the register key.

However, he is learning blues scales as we speak, and is bothering me when he can play real Jazz. I will be teaching him to improvise over 12-bar blues form soon. He is already trying to make melodies and has figured out "Hot Cross Buns" on his own and is working on playing the piano part in the beginning of Linkin Park's "What I've Done." that he likes so much from Guitar Hero.

Of course, now I have to teach him how to play piano since he wants to play that as well.

We went on vacation and he only practiced twice while we were gone, so there was a bit of a hiccup in his lessons, but he is asking to play twice a day now. I am rolling with it, and trying not to push hard. He played a few minutes for our family on vacation. I was pretty surprised when he played mary had a little lamb and a c scale since I didn't teach him the latter, and we had only talked about the former....

Strouse wrote:that's awesome that he took to it so quickly...but i mean really? saxophone? at least he was to play tenor sax eventually but still...if you want him to play a real instrument give him a tuba later on

Trombones are good too. You know, just a thought...

Freakling1 wrote:

Strouse wrote:that's awesome that he took to it so quickly...but i mean really? saxophone? at least he was to play tenor sax eventually but still...if you want him to play a real instrument give him a tuba later on

Trombones are good too. You know, just a thought...

Just so you know, my oldest son is 13 and has been playing TROMBONE since 5th grade

Falcon30 wrote:

Freakling1 wrote:

Strouse wrote:that's awesome that he took to it so quickly...but i mean really? saxophone? at least he was to play tenor sax eventually but still...if you want him to play a real instrument give him a tuba later on

Trombones are good too. You know, just a thought...

Just so you know, my oldest son is 13 and has been playing TROMBONE since 5th grade

Cool!