As the Moores School has historically been a hub of excellence in the realms of both musical teaching and performance, so the saxophone studio has enjoyed much success over the past years in various musical arenas.
In the field of chamber music, saxophone quartets from the University of Houston have won top prizes at the Coleman, Plowman, and Fischoff competitions, typically with groups comprised of undergraduate students majoring in music education. That these competitions are usually populated with Masters and Doctoral performance students emphasizes the precision and advanced nature of the studio.
Musical inventiveness has been a hallmark of the studio, especially in recent years. Many successful side projects have been connected directly with studio teachers and students, including the Houston Underground Saxophone Quartet Competition, regional saxophone camps, and the 2012 Lauba/Ducros seminar, an intensive conference with leading composer of saxophone music Christian Lauba. In addition, quartet tours, international appearances, and conference attendance have been a regular part of studio life.
As educators, saxophonists graduating from the Moores School are part of multiple rich traditions of teaching. Not only are students direct heir to the Eddie Green method of wind ensemble development and conducting, but in saxophone pedagogy they are part of the teaching tradition of both the American and French schools, with a lineage of instruction traceable to both Marcel Mule and Larry Teal.
Recent teachers of the studio have included Dr. Karen Wylie, Dr. Valerie Vidal, Dan Gelok, and Dr. Woody Witt. Current professors Gelok and Witt are both Yamaha Performing Artists. |
