Twenty Seven years ago my husband bought me a tenor saxophone to celebrate the birth of our son. This amazing gift brought me a step closer to a long-held ambition to play this beautiful instrument. However, as a new parent I decided that even if I could find the time to practice, the noise I would make wouldn’t necessarily be kind to tender baby ears. During the school years the sax came out of its case for a few lessons here and there, especially when I was trying to encourage my son to take up an instrument, so more for his benefit than mine. Then in 2022 I saw some publicity for Sax Bandits in the Round & About magazine; with limited ability and experience of dabbling with different instruments but no achievement beyond grade 4, I decided to give it a go.
I attended my trial band practice with Sax Bandits in June 2022. I arrived super early and feeling nervous but was readily welcomed and shown where to set up. By the end of the session I was walking on air, and my sense of imposter syndrome had gradually melted away, replaced by a confidence that this was going to be the place where I could learn and improve.
Membership provides access to monthly band sessions and a wealth of online resources such as playalong tracks, tuition, and a community forum for all things saxophone-related (and there is so much more). Set lists are updated regularly and song suggestions are encouraged. There is a real sense of community and peer support.
I’ve attended several of the regular jazz events at Sunnyside Jazz Club where I’ve had opportunities to hear professional musicians up close (it’s good to listen to each other). There are also opportunities to attend workshops and I was fortunate to attend the Snake Davis workshop earlier this year; I wasn’t sure whether my standard of playing would be ‘good-enough’ to get the best out of this but like everything else offered by Sax Bandits all abilities were catered for. As a newcomer, I played at Bunkfest last year with 90 or so others which felt absolutely incredible!
Joining Sax Bandits has re-ignited the fun and pleasure of learning an instrument – putting enthusiasm into practice at a time when I am free to choose different life priorities. Fourteen months on and I am so pleased with my progress. It’s never too late to learn, and for any budding saxophonists this is a fab place to do it!
What a lovely post and I totally agree that Sax Bandits is such a wonderful place especially for us later learners. The variety of playing opportunities and tunes and the work that Rob does for us is amazing. From being a nervous beginner I’ve now made some friends and improved my playing. Looking forward to Bunkfest this weekend.