Donald L. music, saxophone, music theory Carson, CA

 Donald has been playing the saxophone since 1994. When he was 10 years old he took lessons at church and in a year was playing in the church band. Since that time Donald became a student in the Hamilton High School Academy of Music in Los Angeles where he become apart of several festival winning ensembles in the school including Hamilton's Jazz "A" Ensemble and Woodwind Ensemble. Donald has also won numerous awards for outstanding musicianship and improvisation at many high school jazz festivals including the Fullerton and Monterey Jazz Festivals. In 2002 Donald attended the Berklee College of Music on a 4-year full tution scholarship and during that time as played, recorded, and studied with such active musicicans as Sheila E., George Duke, AG, Terri Lynn Carrington, Delfyeao Marsails, Ralph Peterson, Donald Harrison, Javon Jackson, Dante Winslow, Billy Hart, Wallace Roney, and Joe Lovano.Also during this time Donald was a part of the horn section for hip -hop artist Raydar Ellis' band, The Fundamental, and also was the creator and head composer for the jazz/hip-hop quintet, J4DA. In May of 2006 Donald graduted with a B.M. in Performance and continued to perform around the Boston and New York areas with J4DA, Ralph Peterson, and Delfeayo Marsalis in addioton to teaching private lessons  and was also selected to perfrom for Branford Marsalis at his doctorite ceremony at Berklee College of Music in September of 2006 and also became a piano instructor for the Hamilton-Garrett Music and Arts Academy in Roxbury Massachusetts. In the beginning of 2007 Donald moved to New York City and began teaching privately in Brooklyn and later on teaching saxophone at the Seoul Music School in Queens. Donald also continued to perform with J4DA with regular performances in Manhattan at venus such as The Groove, Fat Baby, NuBlu, Blue Note, and the Bowery Poetry Club. Since returning to Los Angeles in Febuary of 2008, Donald plays weekly at the church services of Second Mount Carmel Baptist Church in South Central Los Angeles and is currently leading a working trio with bassist Frank Abraham and drummer Lyndon Rochelle of J4DA.

Specialty in Jazz,Gospel, Funk, and Hip Hop. Saxophone lessons in Los Angeles area.

It's all about building a connection with your instrument. Learning how to hear for the right notes so there's a fair amount of ear training involved in the lessons at all levels. I also like to pass students recordings of sax players to listen to as well as a reference, so hey, I hook up with free music! And also the proper way to breath to get the most out of your sound. The saxophone was meant to be a "loud" instrument right.

Reading is fundamental in the music world, an esstential skill and even the pros sometimes have trouble reading when they don't work on it for a while. Reading exercises will be worked on regularly.

Jazz, Ear Training, learning jazz and funk solos, sound development, jazz harmony, jazz history, arranging, jazz improvisation

music, saxophone, music theory