Many texts and pedagogical works address the production of the saxophone’s altissimo register. The focus of these resources, however, is predominantly directed towards initial altissimo production for intermediate players, as well as fingering choices, scales, and brief exercises for advanced performers. There is a current dearth of longer studies and etudes designed to bridge the gap between short exercises and the demands of solo repertoire. In an attempt to remedy the relative lack of advanced instructional material, I have composed a collection of 14 etudes based on altissimo passages from the alto saxophone solo repertoire. The purpose of this project is twofold: to give players an opportunity to increase their technical proficiency in the altissimo register, and to demystify prominent solo passages by employing them in various forms. Chapter One illustrates the near absence of altissimo etude collections by surveying existing altissimo resources including books, magazine and journal articles, dissertations, and video and audio instructional materials. The chapter concludes with my views regarding successful altissimo production. Chapter Two discusses my original etudes, which draw upon numerous compositional methods (applied separately and in combination) of transforming and integrating musical material from the original solo excerpts. The 14 etudes are provided in their entirety in the Appendix. In general, they have a technical focus and are appropriate for performance during private lessons or master classes. Each one is relatively compact at one or two pages in length, with performance durations ranging from one to four minutes. / text

Magistro darbe tyrinėjamos skirtingos mokymo groti saksofonu mokyklos, jų metodų įvairovė ir efektyvumas pedagoginėje praktikoje. Informacijos apie saksofoną, jo specifiką ir mokymą groti lietuvių kalba nepakanka. Tyrimu siekiama atskleisti šiuo metu pedagogų naudojamas metodikas, nustatyti esančių mokyklų skirtumus, įvertinti vienų metodų pranašumą prieš kitus, siekiant ugdymo rezultatų. Tyrimas vykdomas remiantis iškelta hipotetine prielaida, kad dauguma Lietuvos pedagogų, mokydami jaunuosius saksofonininkus, iki šiol vadovaujasi senomis sovietinės mokyklos žiniomis. Tyrimo objektas – skirtingų saksofono mokyklų taikymas pedagoginiame darbe. Tyrimo tikslas yra nustatyti tarp Lietuvos pučiamųjų instrumentų bei saksofono specialybės pedagogų dominuojančią mokymo groti saksofonu metodiką, ištirti saksofono mokyklų svarbą ir metodų efektyvumą, jų įtaką mokinio muzikavimo kokybei. / The master thesis concerns different schools of saxophone training, a variety of their methodologies and effectiveness in educational practice. There is a lack of information on saxophone, its specificity and training in Lithuanian language, therefore, this research aims to expose current educational methodologies, indicate differences between several schools, and reveal the advantages of certain methods over the others in educational work. The research is based on the hypothetical assumption that a majority of Lithuanian teachers apply old-fashioned Soviet methodology in educating young saxophonists. The object of the research is the application of various saxophone training schools in educational practice. The aim of the research is to determine a dominant saxophone training methodology in Lithuanian music schools, explore the importance and method effectiveness of saxophone schools in regard to student‘s performance quality. Furthermore, the objectives of the research should reveal whether the saxophone teachers apply advanced methods as a means to foster quality music performance.

The ability to sight-read well is held as a highly regarded and important skill in music performance and education. Over the past 90 years, researchers have investigated several aspects of music sight-reading, especially those attributes possessed by skilled sight-readers. A significant and recurrent finding from this body of research is the relationship between sight-reading and rhythm recognition. Though these studies have found positive effects and correlations between rhythm recognition and sight-reading, they have been limited and indirect. The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the effects of (a) practicing rhythms on a single pitch and (b) practicing rhythms with full-range scales and their direct effects on sight-reading ability in saxophonists at the college level. The primary objective in this research was to determine if one method was more effective than another in developing sight-reading skills. The participants (N = 74) consisted of college students who were enrolled in saxophone lessons at a university in the southwestern United States. Participants were administered a sight-reading pre-test at the beginning of an 8-week treatment period. After pre-testing, students were blocked into two groups. The first treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms on a single pitch and the second treatment group was assigned to practice rhythms combined with full-range major scales. After the treatment period, participants were administered a sight-reading post-test. A 2-way mixed ANOVA was used to determine if there were differences between treatment groups, differences from pre-test to post-test, and if there was a significant interaction between treatment and time. There was no significant difference between treatment groups, F (1, 72) = .035, p = .852, partial η2 = .000028. There was a significant effect for time, indicating that both treatment groups improved from pre-to post test, F (1, 72) = 83.499, p < .001, partial η2 = .537. There was no significant interaction between treatment and time, F (1, 72) = .322, p = .572, partial η2 = .004.

Multiple articulation is a technique that is becoming commonplace in the saxophone literature. This study provides a detailed explanation of how produce the technique. Its application to saxophone literature is explored with musical examples and commentary by the author. A compilation of pedagogical viewpoints regarding multiple articulation from educators spanning the last century is provided.