recording original music for a film soundtrack 2022
Take Lessons with Jake Dester
Hey, Jake Dester here.
Just wanted to share a bit about myself and what I can teach you!
I’m a professional musician based in NYC with over 20 years of experience. I work as a performer, teacher, studio musician, composer, and producer.
My Education
I studied music at the world-renowned University of North Texas (North Texas State) where I learned from faculty, guest lecturers, and artists in residence. I have a degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Arranging & Composition and a minor in Music Theory.
In school, I studied with some of the world’s greatest teachers and players. In my time at North Texas I was privileged to learn from jazz saxophone Professors Jim Riggs (Frank Sinatra, Dallas Symphony) and Brad Leali (Harry Connick, Jr.).
I was also fortunate to learn from amazing guest artists including Dave Brubeck, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cobb, and Bobby McFerrin. I gained insights from countless other guest lecturers at UNT including many living saxophone legends such as Chris Potter, Dave Pietro, Jeff Coffin, Dave Binney, Will Vinson, and Wess Anderson.
Additionally, I studied one-on-one with a variety of players beyond the core faculty including Mike Steinel (author of Building A Jazz Vocabulary), Chris Dickhaus (Saxophone Professor at Winona State University), Dustin Mollick (baritone sax in the Jazz Ambassadors), Tito Charneco (NYC jazz and Gospel saxophonist), and Brian Girley (in-demand NYC performer and influencer).
Now I am available for private in-home lessons throughout NYC as well as online lessons via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.
What I Will Teach You
Each student is unique, and it is my goal as your saxophone tutor to shape my teaching style and give assignments based on how you learn, your skill level, your taste and desired results, and your available practice time.
Lessons are focused on what is most useful for you, and may consist of any combination of the following:
for Jazz Students...
my focus is on five main things:
1. Tone and Intonation
• exercises to refine your sound including...
- Mouthpiece Exercises
- Long Tones
- Undertones
- Overtones
• how to use recordings of your favorite players as Tonal Models for building a sound that is true to both the jazz tradition and your personal taste
2. Tunes
• which ones to learn
• tools and methods for learning tunes faster with less effort
• gain long-lasting memory and recall of both melodies and chord changes
• ultimately be able to hear and learn tunes, in real time on gigs and at sessions
3. Transcription
• learn solos and licks by ear, matching articulation and tone
• make your own detailed transcriptions and get the most out of them
4. Technique
• diatonic (modal), pentatonic, and synthetic scales and patterns and using them in real-life situations
• playing faster and more accurately
• articulate your instrument in a way that is true to the jazz art form, and instinctively know how and when to articulate when reading sheet music with a big band or combo
5. Jazz Vocabulary
• study, compose, practice, and apply licks and patterns over grooves, tunes, and common chord changes
• develop your own unique, authentic style
• understand Harmonic Substitutions, Alterations, and Extensions and when and how to use them in your playing and composition
MORE BACKGROUND...
Early Career (2000-2006)
I grew up in Tulsa, OK where I played saxes and clarinet throughout middle and high school. I won multiple auditions for Tulsa All-Metro Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra as well as the Oklahoma OMEA High School All-State Jazz Band.
College Career (2006-2012)
I studied Jazz Saxophone Performance at The University of North Texas. While in college, I rehearsed and performed regularly throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in a range of settings including big bands, jazz combos, rock bands, and contemporary and classical ensembles.
My big band experience includes playing in multiple groups at UNT as well as playing in The Pecos River Brass, The Basically Basie Big Band, The Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and the Lone Star Jazz Orchestra.
I cultivated experience as a Composer, Arranger, and Bandleader, forming and directing my own independent projects in and out of school, resulting in a breath of leadership experience and a number of diverse studio and live recordings.
After College (2012-2015)
I stayed in the north Texas area and continued to work in a variety of roles in education, jazz, rock, studio recording, performance, music direction, and composition.
I auditioned and became a Denton Independent School District Certified Music Tutor, giving saxophone lessons to 5th-9th grade students.
I worked remotely as a Staff Transcriber for smoothjazzbackingtracks.com, transcribing and notating smooth jazz saxophone solos for their online sheet music store.
I also directed and managed my own groups, ranging in scale from two to 13 musicians performing private and public events throughout the Dallas area.
Back In Tulsa (2015)
I moved back to Tulsa for a brief period and played with Tulsa's top jazz musicians, performed at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, taught one-on-one lessons, worked a variety of gigs, sat in with local groups, and spent my downtime transcribing and studying Charlie Parker solos and producing music.
From Tulsa to Chicago (2015-2016)
I spent about a year in Chicago teaching lessons, street performing, transcribing and arranging, and sitting in and collaborating with a variety of Chicago's finest musicians and groups including S'pocket, Rosetta, and JWeihaas.
New York City (2016-present)
After Chicago, I moved to Brooklyn to pursue new opportunities. I formed a duo with guitarist/vocalist Sydney McNulty and performed throughout the NYC area for a variety of public and private events.
I became an enthusiastic street performer, playing jazz and pop covers in the streets and subways.
I have led a variety of different bands and projects, performing and recording original music and covers. I also play around town at various jam sessions and cyphers.
I teach private lessons in person and online, and regularly study and transcribe extensively and occasionally create YouTube content around it.
I offer In-Home Lessons, Online Coaching and Remote Lessons.
Please email [email protected] to get started!
Just wanted to share a bit about myself and what I can teach you!
I’m a professional musician based in NYC with over 20 years of experience. I work as a performer, teacher, studio musician, composer, and producer.
My Education
I studied music at the world-renowned University of North Texas (North Texas State) where I learned from faculty, guest lecturers, and artists in residence. I have a degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Arranging & Composition and a minor in Music Theory.
In school, I studied with some of the world’s greatest teachers and players. In my time at North Texas I was privileged to learn from jazz saxophone Professors Jim Riggs (Frank Sinatra, Dallas Symphony) and Brad Leali (Harry Connick, Jr.).
I was also fortunate to learn from amazing guest artists including Dave Brubeck, Curtis Fuller, Jimmy Cobb, and Bobby McFerrin. I gained insights from countless other guest lecturers at UNT including many living saxophone legends such as Chris Potter, Dave Pietro, Jeff Coffin, Dave Binney, Will Vinson, and Wess Anderson.
Additionally, I studied one-on-one with a variety of players beyond the core faculty including Mike Steinel (author of Building A Jazz Vocabulary), Chris Dickhaus (Saxophone Professor at Winona State University), Dustin Mollick (baritone sax in the Jazz Ambassadors), Tito Charneco (NYC jazz and Gospel saxophonist), and Brian Girley (in-demand NYC performer and influencer).
Now I am available for private in-home lessons throughout NYC as well as online lessons via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.
What I Will Teach You
Each student is unique, and it is my goal as your saxophone tutor to shape my teaching style and give assignments based on how you learn, your skill level, your taste and desired results, and your available practice time.
Lessons are focused on what is most useful for you, and may consist of any combination of the following:
- help with music for school, professional gigs, and/or recreational bands and ensembles
- prep for auditions
- scales, arpeggios, and other patterns
- technical and lyrical etudes
- reading music
- learning all the fingerings
- tone and sound production
- tonguing and articulation
- improvisation
- standard jazz tunes
- history of saxophone playing
- musical notation
- music theory
- writing your own music and exercises
- sight reading
- classical studies and etudes
- jazz transcription
- playing by ear
- hearing and being able to identify chords and chord changes by ear
- reading lead sheets
- using computer software and apps to improve learning speed exponentially
for Jazz Students...
my focus is on five main things:
1. Tone and Intonation
• exercises to refine your sound including...
- Mouthpiece Exercises
- Long Tones
- Undertones
- Overtones
• how to use recordings of your favorite players as Tonal Models for building a sound that is true to both the jazz tradition and your personal taste
2. Tunes
• which ones to learn
• tools and methods for learning tunes faster with less effort
• gain long-lasting memory and recall of both melodies and chord changes
• ultimately be able to hear and learn tunes, in real time on gigs and at sessions
3. Transcription
• learn solos and licks by ear, matching articulation and tone
• make your own detailed transcriptions and get the most out of them
4. Technique
• diatonic (modal), pentatonic, and synthetic scales and patterns and using them in real-life situations
• playing faster and more accurately
• articulate your instrument in a way that is true to the jazz art form, and instinctively know how and when to articulate when reading sheet music with a big band or combo
5. Jazz Vocabulary
• study, compose, practice, and apply licks and patterns over grooves, tunes, and common chord changes
• develop your own unique, authentic style
• understand Harmonic Substitutions, Alterations, and Extensions and when and how to use them in your playing and composition
MORE BACKGROUND...
Early Career (2000-2006)
I grew up in Tulsa, OK where I played saxes and clarinet throughout middle and high school. I won multiple auditions for Tulsa All-Metro Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra as well as the Oklahoma OMEA High School All-State Jazz Band.
College Career (2006-2012)
I studied Jazz Saxophone Performance at The University of North Texas. While in college, I rehearsed and performed regularly throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in a range of settings including big bands, jazz combos, rock bands, and contemporary and classical ensembles.
My big band experience includes playing in multiple groups at UNT as well as playing in The Pecos River Brass, The Basically Basie Big Band, The Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and the Lone Star Jazz Orchestra.
I cultivated experience as a Composer, Arranger, and Bandleader, forming and directing my own independent projects in and out of school, resulting in a breath of leadership experience and a number of diverse studio and live recordings.
After College (2012-2015)
I stayed in the north Texas area and continued to work in a variety of roles in education, jazz, rock, studio recording, performance, music direction, and composition.
I auditioned and became a Denton Independent School District Certified Music Tutor, giving saxophone lessons to 5th-9th grade students.
I worked remotely as a Staff Transcriber for smoothjazzbackingtracks.com, transcribing and notating smooth jazz saxophone solos for their online sheet music store.
I also directed and managed my own groups, ranging in scale from two to 13 musicians performing private and public events throughout the Dallas area.
Back In Tulsa (2015)
I moved back to Tulsa for a brief period and played with Tulsa's top jazz musicians, performed at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, taught one-on-one lessons, worked a variety of gigs, sat in with local groups, and spent my downtime transcribing and studying Charlie Parker solos and producing music.
From Tulsa to Chicago (2015-2016)
I spent about a year in Chicago teaching lessons, street performing, transcribing and arranging, and sitting in and collaborating with a variety of Chicago's finest musicians and groups including S'pocket, Rosetta, and JWeihaas.
New York City (2016-present)
After Chicago, I moved to Brooklyn to pursue new opportunities. I formed a duo with guitarist/vocalist Sydney McNulty and performed throughout the NYC area for a variety of public and private events.
I became an enthusiastic street performer, playing jazz and pop covers in the streets and subways.
I have led a variety of different bands and projects, performing and recording original music and covers. I also play around town at various jam sessions and cyphers.
I teach private lessons in person and online, and regularly study and transcribe extensively and occasionally create YouTube content around it.
I offer In-Home Lessons, Online Coaching and Remote Lessons.
Please email [email protected] to get started!