Lessons for Sincere Musicians

conservatory-level work in a relaxed, respectful setting

Saxophonists, improvisers, composers, and all dedicated musicians welcome.

Ear training, phrasing, nuance, intentionality, and creativity are core focuses.

Pursue the beauty and wonder of music as a pillar of a vibrant and meaningful life!

Recent students are at Berklee College of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, Towson University, Baltimore School for the Arts, along with professional peformers and teachers on the Baltimore jazz scene and beyond.

Testimonials

“I credit Derrick for everything I know about improvising from a place of beauty and depth, as well as making a vibrating piece of grass not sound like a kazoo” — Tyler White

“I have to say I really love studying with you — this is helping me see the horn the way that I did as a kid when I first started playing, as something that’s a deep connnection…it’s made a huge difference.” — Matt Hooper

“Derrick is my favorite saxophone teacher I have ever had. I wish I had the time to study with him more regularly. He completely changed how I understood the instrument in just a few lessons. Can’t recommend him enough.” — Jacob Deaven

It is a great honor to nurture musicians along in their personal processes…

I’ve spent nearly 20 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?

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

Saxophonists

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A $1500 MOUTHPIECE TO SOUND BEAUTIFUL!!!

enrich your sound production (physical) and sound conception (imagination)

dial in desirable 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!”

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 sensitivity to any style or instrumentation

Develop the ability to sustain creative flow in a room alone with your instrument

explore the elements of form from an open and creative mindset

develop spontaneous ideas with clarity and intention

connect your ears with your instrument

embody your music

“PHRASE!”

"Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself."

—Miles Davis

Recent Teaching Positions (2023-present):

• Adjunct faculty at Towson as the Jazz Saxophone and Jazz Composition teacher (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 Jazz and Classical Saxophone at Baltimore School for the Arts

A Few of My Recent Students

Your Teacher:

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.”

(CLICK HERE TO READ PERFORMANCE BIO)

Rates:

Intensive sessions of 2+ hrs are $150 and have been the most popular option for 5+ years for good reason!

One-hour sessions are $100 and reserved for recurring students

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.”

— Wendell Berry “The Real Work”

“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

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.”

― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet