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Date Available

5-8-2026

Year of Publication

2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)

College

Fine Arts

Department/School/Program

Music Performance

Faculty

Miles Osland

Faculty

Martina Vasil

Abstract

Instrumentalists who enter their undergraduate degrees in music performance often spend most of their degree focusing on their primary instrument with the hope of finding a career in their chosen discipline. However, a review of current job vacancies (university positions, military bands, and pit orchestras) show that saxophonists are often expected to have ample experience in not only jazz and classical saxophone performance, but also a working knowledge of multiple woodwinds (flute, clarinet, and occasionally double reeds) to be competitive for work. This reality can be daunting for students who enter their undergraduate program with only a basic knowledge of one or two of these areas. This document will discuss organizational disciplines and practice strategies with the goal of better preparing undergraduate saxophonists for this trend towards versatility in the modern job market. This will be accomplished using a series of interviews conducted with professional saxophonists who specialize in multiple areas of saxophone playing (jazz, classical, and multiple woodwinds), a review of current etudes and technical studies for each area, and a course map designed to address all these areas within the confines of an undergraduate saxophone performance degree.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.240

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