Start with the music you already love.
Private lessons with Dan Magay - clarinet, saxophone, and flute, with foundations in bass and keys, and a lifelong practice of improvisation (and deep listening, appreciation).
What you can study
Every path starts where you are - sight-reading or not, day eight or eight hundred.
Dan’s first voice - classical and jazz foundations. Embouchure, tone, and breath support across the registers.
Soprano to baritone. Sound production, vocabulary, and how to say something with it.
Tone & technique. Classical repertoire, jazz standards, folk melodies, and improvisation from day one (if you wish, of course).
For any instrument. Ears first, no fear. From first solos to free playing.
Reading, rhythm, theory that serves the music you love - woven into every lesson, never a worksheet.
How lessons work
Online or in person. Zoom lessons anywhere; in-person around the San Francisco Bay Area. Lessons run on Pacific time (California).
30 minutes, an hour, or longer. Weekly and recurring times welcome - consistency matters … though intensity does too.
Every lesson customized, with deep care. Not just songs - the technical and musical elements critical for a life of appreciation and skill.
Some of Dan's music
Press play and listen.
Dan isn't only a teacher - he's a professional musician who performs on stages and records around the Bay Area and the world. Students and parents are always welcome to come hear him play.
Rates
Simple and honest. Sliding scale available for students and elders - just ask.
60 minutes, in person or online. Good for a tune-up before an audition, or to see how we work together.
The recommended path. Weekly lessons, practice recordings after each one, and priority scheduling.
Three hours, one afternoon. Repertoire triage, a recorded session to keep, and a practice plan for the next three months.
Larger groups, school and community workshops, masterclasses, and special projects - shaped around what the group needs.
Book a lesson
There’s just a few questions and your preferred times, dates. He confirms personally, usually the same day; payment follows once time and date are set. All times are Pacific (California).