Rick Rossi Saxophone Lessons

$55/hour

Estimated price

Zip code

Interested musical styles

Ability to read music

Student age

It’s free, with no obligation to book

Thumbtack Guarantee

If you hire this pro, you’re covered by a money-back guarantee. Learn more

Introduction

Rick has 3 grammy nominations and has played as a saxophone and woodwind player all over the world and on the major late night TV shows. He not only has a lot of experience with the real world of music but he has taught music in several colleges and universities and has a real love of teaching. He developed a method for taking complete beginners on the saxophone or any instrument and has proven to train the majority of the students to become jazz improvisers in an average time of 4 months. Take a look at the videos that are posted of complete beginners. As you'll see, they aren't reading, they're improvising and this video shows the development you can expect. Check out the reviews from his students on video as well as the many written reviews. Nothing but praise for his method and his ability to move students through what usually takes many years, to improvise at a high level in just 4 months time. I love teaching my method of how to play and improvise because I love watching my students light up as they experience the fast progress they can make following my method. There's a lot of mental barriers that we all set up for ourselves when learning how to improvise. With my method I cut through all of that and turn what usually takes years in to a few months.

Overview

Hired 6 times

1 similar job done near you

Background checked

5 employees

11 years in business

Business hours

This pro hasn't listed their business hours.

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Cash, Credit card, PayPal, Square cash app, and Venmo.

Projects and media

10 photos

Projects and media

10 photos

Specialties

Interested musical styles

, ,

Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for responsiveness, work quality, and professionalism.

Exceptional 5.0

22 reviews

95%

Read reviews that mention:

Michael R.

Feb 20, 2017

I'm a senior citizen without a shred of innate musical talent. LOL The idea of being able to improvise the blues on a saxophone was a wild and unattainable fantasy….until I met Rick. I had already checked out lots of other jazz saxophone teachers online so I knew within the first few lessons that Rick was unique. He was able to simplify my problems and help me make great progress right away. With enthusiasm, this celebrated musician took me through all the baby steps - first to get a respectable sound, and then through his ingenious system of improvisation. I'm moving at what I would say is warp speed in learning to improvise, already reaching levels of soloing that were only in my dreams. But the real bonus on top of Rick's fantastic teaching method and system is Rick the man, and the relationship this star musician forms with a student. His humility amazes me at every lesson. Knowing how valuable his time must be, the fact that he encourages me to send recordings between lessons, and sends feedback on each one, is testament to how much he truly cares about a student's progress. It's a gift he generously gives. He is also a genius at how much criticism and how much encouragement a particular student needs. Could there possibly be a better teacher than Rick Rossi? I don't think so.

Steve Z.

Aug 16, 2016

Rick is an awesome teacher. He has helped me prepare for a number auditions for school bands and he was always amazing in how fast he would whip me into shape in just one lesson! He not only helped me with my tone a lot, but also taught me how to play jazz and he has a great system for learning how to improvise on the saxophone. I doubt if there’s anyone near as good as him in Los Angeles.

Kevin j.

Oct 3, 2016

I am saxophone player at an intermediate to advanced level and Rick’s lessons helped my sound and improvisation tremendously in a very short amount of time. What really sets Rick apart is that his method is unlike any other teacher I've studied with I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn how to improvise better. Let me start from the beginning. I’ve been playing music for the past 15 years. I’ve taken lessons in drums, clarinet, and piano, while self-teaching myself piano, guitar, and bass guitar. Through the years though, I always had a desire to learn the saxophone. Never truly playing a solo instrument with jazz improvisation at its core, I started my quest for a teacher who could teach me how to improvise. I bounced around several local music shops and music conservatories, looking for a teacher that could unlock the mystery of improvisation, but I was subjected to hours upon hours of method books without ever actually being given the chance to start improvising over jazz standards. Of course, the basics are essential when improvising, but I always found myself over thinking things. I took a break for a few months, but when I was approached by my family to play saxophone for my grandparent’s 50th anniversary celebration of over 200 people, I decided that I needed to find a teacher who actually adjusted his lessons based on his student and their interests, rather than a cookie cutter lesson progression. During the first few lessons with Rick, he said that instead of focusing on the specific fingerings on the sax or the specific scales and notes I had to be playing, to really listen to the beauty of the music and just play what I hear in my head. Once I got comfortable and stopped thinking about what the “right” notes were, I stopped thinking and just played. A wall that I’ve tried to overcome for the past 5 years, was finally behind me after only a few lessons. After I got past my own thinking, Rick gave me very simple but effective methods to incorporate into my playing to create a more cohesive solo with stylistic tricks and motifs to really impress the crowd and love what you’re playing. I can without reservation, having studied with some of the top saxophone teachers/players in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, say that Rick changed my saxophone playing life and truly has the secrets to improvising on the saxophone. On top of that, even though he is a Grammy award winning artist, is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. He is always so willing to impart knowledge from his immense amount of experience but never makes you feel like he is looking down on you or is frustrated with you. He teaches because he loves to do it, and to see his student’s eyes light up when they play their first improvised solo on saxophone, is the very reason he teaches so selflessly. That is what stood out the most to me.

George Y.

Apr 24, 2020

Hired on Thumbtack

Rick has sent me preliminary exercises and recording to work on for our first meeting face to face in a week from now. I'm very excited to have him teach me how improvise on jazz music.

Details: 65 years or older • 4+ yrs of formal training • Yes, the student can read music • Blues • Jazz • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has an instrument • 60 minutes • At the pro’s location

Saxophone Lessons

Jimmy H.

Jul 1, 2016

I am a guitarist and some of the most valuable lessons I ever had were from Rick, because he taught me how to practice, not just what to practice. If nothing else, he is dedicated to his students' learning and has an effecient way of teaching someone to progress on their own.

Credentials

Background Check

Richard Rossi

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Basically my pricing is $35 for a half an hour, $40 for 45 minutes and $55 dollars for 60 minutes. I do give deals for packages and if the student has financial problems I will work with them to help them make it work.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I start by finding out what level the student is and also what is the main objective for taking lessons and I base everything on the students needs.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a Bachelors Degree in Music and the Masters Degree in Woodwinds Performance. I also have a degree from Grove school of music in Los Angeles for composing and arranging. I studied all around the country with the best saxophone teachers including Joe Viola at Berklee College of music, Joe Allard at Manhattan school of music and Gary Keller at University of Miami. These and my many woodwinds teachers helped me to be able to put together very effective system of teaching. After 30 years of teaching I haven't come across any problem that I can't solve for my students. Every student learns a different way and it's my job to figure out how the student learns best and what inspires them to practice. Getting them to practice is my most important job. The rest is easy and fun. I love teaching because I've learned so many ways to tackle the same problems then suddenly it clicks for the student and they reach a new plateau.

Rick Rossi Saxophone Lessons

FAQs

Related cost information

You might also like

In other nearby areas