Musical Education

“I was Kurtis’ saxophone tutor for two years before he was accepted to Leeds Conservatoire. He was an enthusiastic and diligent student and showed great potential. I have no doubt he will go on to become an accomplished musician and teacher.”

“I have had the pleasure of teaching Kurtis for 3 years during his study at undergraduate level at Leeds Conservatoire UK. Kurtis has been an outstanding student from the outset and throughout his time here at LC and has been an integral part of his cohort for the duration of his study.
 
Kurtis is a very talented saxophonist, composer and arranger/writer of music. I have worked closely with him during his Specialist Study 1-1 Saxophone Lessons for years 2 and 3, during Specialist Group Study Ensembles and also in Performance In Context Saxophone group sessions, where he always displayed a very high level of focus and understanding to all the material we covered and worked on. He always plays to the best of his ability, pushing himself and the other musicians around him and is always punctual and well mannered.
 
His participation to the ensemble group sessions was always relaxed and calm and he brought a focused and determined energy that always helped drive the group to higher levels of performance and to push to perform ever more challenging material and improvisations. His knowledge of current and contemporary performers and artists is thorough, and he always seems to have his finger on the pulse with regard to material he is enthused and engaged with.
 
His improvisations and solos are always inventive, creative and at a very high level. He is always constantly working on his own technique and delivery and to this end it enables him to execute ideas and musical phrases to a very high standard. He has a very strong grasp of harmony and combined with his very natural rhythmic delivery makes his solos inventive, well-constructed and always very engaging. 
 
He has a very natural style overall and is able to deliver this with a calm intensity that enables other players in a group to react and support his ideas. His musicality is always very supportive and creative and most of all musical and for the moment. His dynamic balance always shows much consideration for the music being performed.
 
From the outset Kurtis has always been a keen and talented composer. He is always working on and refining his compositions and referencing other material in order to inform his own work. He will constantly have tunes and ideas to try in the group sessions and is always open to suggestions of how to improve and develop these ideas and always takes these on board and updates/adapts his ideas to work on next time round. This shows much maturity and openness and helps his compositions reach an excellent level. His compositions are always well written and well presented in a concise and clear manner, enabling any group to understand them quickly.
 
He is a well-liked and well-mannered musician who always gets on with his peers and staff alike and has been an integral part of the Conservatoire’s flagship ensembles including his regular participation in The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and other Big Bands run inside and outside of the conservatoire during his time of study. He is reliable, punctual, presentable and articulates himself clearly and precisely in all musical situations. All members of the Jazz Faculty can clearly hear his talent and always speak highly of his contribution to the conservatoire in every aspect of his study.

He has always showed interest in ways I teach and has expressed that he would also like to teach music, and I think he would be an inspirational tutor to whoever studies with him. “