JSU Professor - Offering Private Lessons in Saxophone, Flute, Composition, and Music Theory

Hello all,
Please see the email I received below from Dr. Paul Lessard at JSU:

Dear Mr. Weaver,
 
Hello! My name is Paul Lessard—I recently joined the faculty of Jax State’s music department. I am reaching out to you today because I am accepting new private middle- and high-school students in saxophone, flute, composition, and music theory. Before starting university teaching, I maintained a thriving private studio in Toronto, with several of my students going on to study music at major universities including the University of Toronto and McGill University. Now that I am settled in Alabama, I am thrilled to once again be offering private lessons, and I would kindly ask that you share my contact information with any of your students who have expressed an interest in saxophone, flute, or composition beyond what is available to them in school.
 
I have performed around the world (Croatia, Spain, France, Italy, Turkiye, Canada, and the U.S.A.) and have received commissions from several major organizations including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Some of my recent pieces involving percussion instruments have also been published by C. Alan Publications. If you are interested in learning a bit more about me and my artistic work, I would encourage you to visit my website, www.paulalexanderlessard.com, where you can find my biography, recordings, and additional information about my work. You can also find more recordings on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mostlyharmless314.
 
My approach to teaching students is based on building a wholistic understanding of music. We often think of the twin pillars of “technique” and “expression” when learning a given bit of music, but training students to think critically about artistic context as well helps them to translate their musical skills between different pieces and styles of playing. My goal when working with students is to get them to a point where they no longer need me, and are able to make their own effective artistic decisions.
 
In addition to lessons in saxophone, flute, and composition—and uniquely for our area—I offer lessons in music theory specifically for students wishing to study music in college. Having taught first-year theory for four years at several different universities, I have seen how challenging these courses can be, especially for students who do not have prior theory experience. By offering lessons in music theory, I give a leg up to students who intend to study music at the college level, and students who make enough progress might even be able to test out of first-semester theory, saving them money and/or opening opportunities to take more elective courses.
 
Interested students are welcome to a free 30-minute trial lesson at my home (located between Jacksonville and Alexandria), after which I charge $60 per 1-hour lesson and $35 per 30-minute lesson. I am willing to travel to students’ homes as well, but additional fees will apply depending on distance travelled.
 
If any of your students are interested in taking private lessons, I would appreciate it if you would pass along my email address (either the Jax State email address I am using here or [email protected]) or direct them to my website, where they can reach me using the “Contact” form.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this fairly lengthy email—I hope that you have a great start to the school year!
 
All the best,
 
Paul Lessard, DMA
Saxophonist, Composer, Educator
Music Theory Faculty, Jacksonville State University