Aaron
SaxophonePianoAudio ProductionCompositionFluteClarinetComposing for Media
About Aaron
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Aaron is a saxophonist and composer based in Los Angeles. His background in both jazz and film music has led to a variety of experiences performing with various artists, bands and ensembles, as well as working behind the scenes as a music composer, arranger, producer, and audio editor on films, television shows, video games, VR, art installations, and digital softwares. As an enthusiast of the outdoors, Aaron is passionate about exploring how fostering technical and creative musical skills through education, such as improvisation, critical listening, and transcribing, can help to strengthen our relationship with our communities and the natural world around us.
Q&A with Aaron
Which musician would you like to play with?
Tim Hecker
Which musician has influenced you the most?
Matt Bellamy
What can you teach me better on your instrument than any other teacher?
I can teach a student how to enjoy the process of practicing - teaching skills that allow a student to create their own exercises that align with their unique musical goals so that practicing never becomes a chore, but instead becomes a time to explore, be playful, and simply enjoy making sound.
How did you learn to play your instrument?
I studied with various teachers (on various instruments), as well as played in as many bands as I could. Performing rehearsed music for others was just as much part of my education as sitting in lessons or practicing at home.
What equipment do you play on today?
I play a Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone, Yamaha soprano and alto saxophones, a Buescher clarinet, and use D’Addario reeds. I also compose and produce music in Logic Pro X, as well as notate compositions and arrangements in Sibelius. I use a variety of sample libraries, microphones and analog synthesizers for recording and music production.
Which personal trait helped you the most while practicing?
My stubbornness and insistence on enjoying my experience with music helped me refuse to settle with boring practice sessions.
What does your instrument have that others don't?
In addition to being easier to jump in and start playing songs more quickly (as opposed to string or brass instruments), the saxophone covers a wide range of traditional and contemporary genres that appear around the world, making it easy to find musical recordings of saxophone in any genre a student might want to explore, from jazz to electronics.
How do you handle children?
My priority is first and foremost is to get to know the kid - what’s important in their life? What are they excited to talk about or share with others? And then we work from there to incorporate our musical education into that.
What has been your greatest experience as a musician so far?
Playing a small, intimate solo show of my own music outside at night under the moon to a small crowd. This was my first time combining saxophone, electronics, and my own signing in a live setting, which was very challenging but gave me inspiration to continue finding my own sound.
What was the biggest stage you played on?
Jazz At Lincoln Center, performing at the Essentially Ellington Festival in high school.
Which record would you take with you to the desert island?
Duke Ellington’s “The Far East Suite”
Besides music, what else is important in your life?
Hiking, traveling, camping and being outdoors; reading; learning about animals; board games with friends.
Music style(s)
JazzRockFilm MusicAmbientElectronicOrchestral/Chamber Music
Level(s) Comfortable Teaching
All Levels
What languages can you teach in?
English
What's your age?
27