Saxophonist Duncan Martin has been playing jazz in the New England area for forty years. He first performed at age thirteen in a five-horn dance band at the New Bedford Yacht Club.

At Phillips Exeter Academy, Duncan became the lead alto player and co-leader of the Royal Exonians, a school dance band which performed at in-school and exchange concerts. During his four years at Exeter, he formed the Cubalibra Quartet. The band's music was saved in vinyl by Vogt Recording Studio, Wellesley, MA, in 1960.

While attending Boston University, Duncan played lead alto in the Gary Berger Big Band, a college organization based at Harvard. At the Berklee College of Music he studied woodwinds with Joe Viola. During those years, Duncan formed a quintet and began playing commercial engagements.

After graduation, Duncan successfully taught instrumental music at the Elementary and Jr. High levels in Westborough MA. for eleven years. He built the concert band from thirty to ninety players in the 400 student Jr. High and established a sixteen- piece jazz ensemble. He continued to perform with the Duncan Martin Quintet as well as his funk band, Sambar.

He has been teaching saxophone, flute, clarinet, and recorder as well as theory classes and jazz ensembles at the John Payne Music Center since l980. He is the conductor and arranger for the John Payne Student Saxophone Choir whose performances include five TV appearances. The Choir has performed at Ryles', the Tam O' Shanter, the Regattabar, Sculler's and many other New England venues. Duncan has conducted the Choir for President Clinton on two occasions. During the last eighteen years, he continued to study saxophone with Ed Fiorenza, John Payne and Charlie Banacos, and regularly attends the annual Jazz Educators conferences to bring new teaching insights to his students.

For the last two years, Duncan has been teaching young people's jazz ensembles at the Harvey Finstein School of Music, designing arrangements for specific needs of the eight bands. He assists Harvey in the teaching of an ensemble of twelve-year-olds, called Blue Razz, which has performed at the International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Disneyland, California, in January of 1999.

Duncan'sTeaching Philosophy and Methods

Having had four children of my own, two of whom are learning-disabled, and having taught thousands of youngsters and adults, I am most interested in helping students develop strategies to internalize the vast amounts of information needed to learn to play the instrument and play jazz. Providing a safe and supportive environment for students is my prime concern in helping them to enjoy the process and the rewards that come from playing music with others. The John Payne Music Center and the Harvey Finstein School of Music are safe venues for learning.

As soon as the beginner can play a major scale, I start the improvisational and ear training aspect of musical self-expression. In the case of saxophone students, that may begin as early as the 5th or 6th lesson. As we get to know each other, I begin to sense a student's strengths, i.e. left/right brain dominance or equality. While supporting the dominant (easier) strategy of the student, I encourage the development of the opposite (more difficult) strategy.

As students play a scale, I ask them to be aware of the following visuals:

• The letter name of each tone.
• The place on the horn (fingering) that goes with the name.
• The step of the scale that coincides with the tone. (In the G major scale, G is step 1, A is step 2, B is step 3, etc.)
• The place on the music staff where one would read that note.
• The sound of each tone.

  (A tone refers to sound - a note is the symbol of that sound on the printed page)

With guidance and encouragement, students are able to express emotions through their improvisations. We live in a time when materials have been developed to facilitate the learning process in an enjoyable way. The Jamey Aebersold play-a-long CD's and books are a wonderful aid and I encourage their use.

Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson said in a clinic I observed, Whatever you're playing, whether it's scales, chords or patterns, make it musical. The bottom line is to play, play, play and enjoy the process.