Saxophone quartets teach, perform for thousands of students

From Grand Haven down to Allegan and over to Marysville and Bloomfield Hills, three Grand Valley saxophone quartets spent the beginning of the summer performing for about 2,400 young musicians at 18 elementary, middle and high schools around Michigan.

The Saxophone Studio, consisting of the Yavin IV Quartet, GQ Quartet and Jubilee Quartet, facilitated outreach workshops in an effort to educate and inspire future musicians throughout the months of April and May.

"It's vitally important when training future music teachers or performers to give them experiences outside of the normal requirements of a music program," said Dan Graser, assistant professor of saxophone. "Not only do our students get experience performing in front of several audiences, but they are also sharing what they have learned over the past few years with younger students who may wish to be music majors and can use these saxophonists as inspiration."

Karsten Wimbush, soprano saxophone for Jubilee Quartet, said he began this outreach initiative in 2015 as a way to give back to the community while keeping young students interested in music performance.

"Seeing the faces of elementary school students light up from the new sounds they hear or the interaction with a high school student first considering going into music at college are important moments for each of us in the Saxophone Studio to experience," said Wimbush, a music education and performance major who graduated in April and will now begin his student teaching through Grand Valley's College of Education.

Wimbush added that while the ensembles aim to help guide students toward educational aspirations in music, they also act as a resource for teachers.

"Our first priority is to help these teachers with their work as much as possible, so we ask them what concepts they are focusing on with their students," Wimbush said. "From that information, our quartets study the repertoire we have to see where we can highlight those concepts. Students frequently mention that they now realize how effective the methods they are using every day in the classroom can be in the long run."

When introducing performance pieces, the quartets alter their presentation based on the age of the audience.

"For middle schoolers, we keep our information brief, while reinforcing a fun environment," said Andrew Peters, soprano saxophone for GQ Quartet and a freshman music performance and psychology major. "For high schoolers, we may go more in-depth by specifying the purpose the composers had for their pieces, or what culture the harmonies and rhythms are based from. Sometimes we include short presentations about extended techniques."

Melissa Campbell, tenor saxophone for Yavin IV Quartet, said the ensembles bring an array of musical genres to the table during the programs.

"Having a variety of music helps when you're playing for younger students because it helps keep their attention," said Campbell, a senior music education major. "Our quartet performed choral music, saxophone quartet standards, minimalist pieces and even a 'Star Wars' medley."

Aside from teaching lessons in musicality, one of the biggest lessons the quartets try to bestow upon students is confidence.

"For these students, it may seem impossible to play the music we perform," Peters said. "We made sure to tell them that we had the same hesitations when we began college, and that this level of performance is all about pushing yourself one step further than you think you can go."

Peters said it is a privilege for the quartets to represent Grand Valley while providing younger students with new musical knowledge.

"It is satisfying to see many students approach us afterward with specific questions, or look at our music in awe," Peters said. "Having an effect on these students is inspiring because we were in their shoes not so long ago."

For more information about the Saxophone Studio, contact Dan Graser at [email protected] or visit www.gvsu-saxophone.com.