My Teaching Philosophy:
Saxophone is a very young and popular instrument nowadays, because it can be used in different music styles – from classical to jazz and pop. Thanks to this there are more and more people who want to study it. There is a possibility for everyone to find the most suitable style.
Playing the instrument at any age has big advantages: it significantly develops our mind, creates more awareness of our sensitivity and also creates a chance to socialize with other people in order to play music together and make great like-minded friends.
I believe that teaching should always be a joy. Through my teaching I find it my responsibility to path out interesting ways to inspire and excite students to be consistent in practicing. It is crucial for educators to constantly evolve and be pro-active to find good ways to make our students fascinated and satisfied with music making.
Interested to learn to play the saxophone? Please send me an email here.
Check out my bio here.
Or have a browse of very kind testimonials from my students and colleagues:
“Michellina is an extremely effective and passionate tutor! What I appreciate most about her teaching style is that she is able to adjust her lessons to accommodate her students’ personalities, abilities and interests, no matter how vast, while at the same time continuously challenging us to improve as musicians and exposing us to music beyond our usual (school) repertoire. It is easy to ask questions or make mistakes without feeling judged in the kind of learning environment that she creates, and she genuinely cares about her students’ progress, whether or not they are amateurs or casual musicians. Not many can be talented musicians and wonderful teachers at the same time, but Michellina is definitely adept at both.” – Jaime
“Michellina is one of my favourite Teachers in life. She is always passionate, patient and inspirational. Whenever I feel lost in saxophone learning, she always gives inspirations and encouragements. She totally changed my thoughts about saxophone and broadened my horizons in music. I’m very grateful to her for her guidance. She is superb!!!” – Eason
“I was fortunate enough to be under the tutelage of Ms. Michellina Chan from 2019-2021. I would definitely rank her in the top tier of Singapore saxophone teachers I have studied with in the past few years with regards to her pedagogy and musical direction. Michellina is highly adaptive in catering her lesson based on the goals that I have set for myself. Often than not, she would address areas which I am lacking and often push my playing capabilities to the next level; for example by breaking down various technical passages into smaller exercises, imparted me with various efficient practice approaches and heighten my active listening skills. Overall, Michellina is an exceptional music teacher and performer, I would therefore highly recommend her to anyone looking for a saxophone teacher.” – Sean
“Over the past 2 years under Michellina teaching I have learn so much from different ways of approaching problems and music. And time after time she have taught me to be creative with the way I practice. With that approach my practice session never turn stagnate, her lesson not only filled with knowledge is also filled with energy. Her never ending energy is also infectious and sometimes gives me energy to keep moving forward with my practice.” – Xavier
“Our first collaboration started back in 2019 when our Saxophone Quartet just won the Malaysia Wind Prize and was looking for a mentor to prepare for our winner’s recital. Right off the bat, Michellina has been an inspiring tutor who is not only highly skilled, but also generous with her knowledge and experience on the saxophone. She is also highly adaptable to the level of learning of each individual and just overall an extremely down to earth person to be around. From then on, we knew no event will ever be the same without her involvement and so we continued to collaborate with her (and her amazing group, K口U) on other events such as Saxophone Ensemble workshops, Kuching’s inaugural Youth Band Fiesta, virtual productions and even had her on our virtual chat session (Insider’s Spotlight). Looking back, Michellina has been an amazing friend and mentor to us, and undoubtedly one of the reasons behind the success of our organisation today. We look forward to more collaborative and educational opportunities with Michellina in the future.” – Jesmond, The Band Lab
Saxophone Day 2023
Information: Join us on a fun day of honing your saxophone playing alongside other like-minded & passionate saxophonists! We will kick off the day with some fun warm up and technique exercises! Knowing the organizer, there will be some fun mini competitions along the way! 😉 Have you had any trouble with sticky keys/saxophone maintenance? No problem, we will share with you our tried and tested way of showing your instrument some tender loving care aka from a musician’s perspective:-)! An ensemble rehearsal will follow – we’ll explore various genres of music! After that, we will dabble in extended technique, a little show-and-tell and crash course – hopefully the head start one needs to embark on their colourful musical adventure! We will end things off with a little jam session followed by ensemble presentation!
Details of Saxophone Day 2023:
15 June 2023
10h-18h
Musospace
#03-02 140 Paya Lebar Rd, AZ Building, Singapore
What to bring:
Saxophone (Bb/Eb) + everything you need to make sound aka reeds, mouthpiece, ligature, neck strap/harness, cork grease,
Pencil & Paper
An enthusiastic energy!!
Who:
Saxophonists who are passionate about the instrument!
Preferably 2.5 years and up of saxophone experience (for the best experience!)
– Can play major scales up to 3# and 3b
– Can sightread grade 3 and up
Agenda:
10h-10h30 Fanfare – arrival of participants + nice chats
10h30-11h30 Blow that sax! (warm up)
11h30-12h30 Mend that sax! (with Xavier Tan)
12h30-13h30 A break for your chops – aka lunch (not provided – bring a sandwich and some snacks!)
13h30-15h30 A plethora of sax delights aka ensemble! (with a 20” break in between)
15h30-16h30 Jam-o-clock!
16h30-17h30 Celebrating that sax! (presentations) *
17h30 Goodbyes 😦
* If anyone is interested to present a piece, please let us know! 🙂
Price:
$50 (As much as I would have like to make this free, there are unfortunately overhead costs that has to be covered! If it’s well received, we will look for donors next time!)
Sign up:
https://forms.gle/Bw1QzKWJhbZr6e3r8
Michellina Chan 