Lessons for Sincere Musicians
internalization, personalization, embodiment
Efrain Ribeiro Photography
“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”
―Mary Oliver
Saxophonists
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A $1500 MOUTHPIECE TO SOUND BEAUTIFUL!!!
enrich your sound production (physical) and sound conception (imagination)
dial in appropriate resistance for a resonant, flexible, and supported tone
improve breath support / tongue position / embouchure / articulation
define and develop deeper “projection”, “presence”, and “power”
learn the role of our equipment in our search for beauty
explore colors, textures, and timbres
connect your ears to your horn
“SING!”
(Blood Moon Quintet) Efrain Ribeiro Photography
Improvisers
Whether STUDYING an established musical idiom or INNOVATING your own personal musical language, a visceral connection to musical resonance and creative flow is imperative.
Elevate your collaborative potential, bringing depth and heightened sensitivity to any style or instrumentation.
Develop the confidence and skillset to sustain this flow in a room alone with your instrument
explore the elements of form from an open, creative mindset
develop spontaneous ideas with clarity and intention
connect your ears with your instrument
embody your music
“PHRASE!”
Towson University Jazz Dept. Spring 2025
"Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself."
—Miles Davis
A Few of My Recent Students
Quinn Rehkemper BSA ‘24 (Berklee College of Music)
Tyler White (Berklee College of Music)
Abraham Wodjewodski (University of Southern Maine)
Gavin Long BSA ‘25 (San Francisco Conservatory)
It is a great honor to nuture musicians along their growing process
Recent teaching positions (2023-present) include:
Adjunct employment at Towson as the jazz saxophone and jazz composition instructor (Spring 2025),
Three consecutive semesters as a guest lecturer at Peabody Conservatory (subbing for Warren Wolf’s improvisation classes and advanced private students)
2023-present at Baltimore School for the Arts
As crucial as this institutional work has been in connecting me with a scene of serious young music students…
I’ve spent 15+ years helping musicians (beginners…advanced…professionals…artists…) plunge into the deep end of their creative and technical pursuits in my home teaching studio.
We have wonderful conversations on the creative process in motion:
what is swing? what is melody? what is phrasing? what is an idea?
The beautiful thing about ALL of these vast, eternal, formless and shapeless topics is that there's no singular method by which we can "figure it out" once and for all. There's no end in sight. No answer, no conclusion. It's alive and in perpetual flux.
You have to pick up your instrument and put sound in motion. Otherwise, what would be the point?
Peabody Jazz Rehearsal Room
Common Topics
Liminality
Resonance
Melodic Improvisation
Playing Alone / Playing Together
How to Compellingly Play by Ear
Sound CONCEPT and Sound PRODUCTION
The Myth of “Control” in Our Pursuit of Mastery
Lyrical Phrasing vs. Mechanical Phrasing
How to Play with Clarity and Conviction
What is a Musical Idea?
Form, Function, Flow
Embodiment
Baltimore School for the Arts
Your Teacher:
self portrait with my cat Fiona
Recent Credentials
Applied Jazz Saxophone & Jazz Composition @ Towson University // Spring ‘25
Saxophone instructor @ Baltimore School for the Arts // Jan 2023-present
Guest Lecturer @ Peabody Jazz // Sept 2023-Nov 2024
Short Biography
Baltimore-native Derrick Michaels is a tenor saxophonist and improviser with a deep sound and a bold, imaginative presence in the creative music community.
With roots in both the lyrical and exploratory branches of the creative saxophone tradition, his wide expressive palette brings a soulful, melodic sincerity to a wide range of musical environments.
He has been described by Jazz Weekly as a “thick-toned tenorist”, and by Downbeat magazine as wielding a “large sound and free flowing style”. The Baltimore Jazz Alliance says: “Derrick Michaels' saxophone playing comes right out of his soul; the instrument sounds like a human voice.”