Tim Crump

Hello, and thank you for checking out my profile. 

I am a saxophone and clarinet teacher with over 20 years of experience working with students of all ages and ability levels. My students routinely placed in District, All-State, and All-State Jazz Honor bands, with several making first chairs. I am most proud that a majority of my students began lessons with me in their first year of playing their instrument. I am passionate about teaching beginners and believe that accomplishing individual goals is the most important marker of success.

I have recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in saxophone performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. In graduate school, I served as the teaching assistant for the jazz studies department, coaching small jazz ensembles and directing the second big band. Before returning to graduate school, I taught private lessons in Northern metro-Atlanta for 12 years. For eight of these, I maintained a studio averaging 60 weekly students. I have taught over 20,000 private lessons. In addition to statewide competitive success in Georgia, student accomplishments include receiving first Prize at the American Protege Competition and advancing to the semi-final round of the Junior Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Former students have received scholarships to many institutions, including the University of Michigan, the Berklee School of Music, the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the University of Georgia, and the University of Tennessee.

As a performer, I have been active in a wide range of music. Orchestral performances include the Chattanooga, Meridian, and Mississippi Symphonies. As a classical saxophonist, I have premiered solo and chamber works by composers such as Logan Rutledge, Olivia Kieffer, Majid Araim, Nicole Chamberlain, and Nikitas Demos. I have been a pit orchestra musician for dozens of regional musicals in the metro-Atlanta and Mississippi Pine Belt, ranging from high school to professional productions. I have performed as a member of jazz, funk, and rock bands at venues across metro-Atlanta and at events such as the Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Creative and original music has been a focus of my performing career. I’ve contributed saxophone tracks to albums by Atlanta-area singer-songwriters such as Tim Kohler and Jake Merritt. I was a founding member of the Atlanta-Improvisers Orchestra, a large ensemble devoted to free improvisation which recorded the soundtrack for Adult Swim’s Tender Touches Season 2. I have performed original music and improvisations at music conferences including the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial conference and the Percussive Arts Society International Conference. My work as a performer in many musical genres helps me to assist a wide range of students, such as adults wishing to play music aside from classical and jazz. It also gives me a large selection of pedagogical tools to draw from for students needing new approaches.

In addition to teaching and performing, I remain active researching saxophone history, and I own a growing collection of historic saxophones which I utilize in addition to my modern instruments for performance, research, and education.

I am excited to see how I may use my diverse background as an educator, performer, and researcher to help you achieve your goals!

I am a firm believer in student-centered teaching. I recognize that every student comes to lessons with a unique personality and learning style. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to adapt my approach to each student. I begin by discussing the student’s goals and aspirations, and work to create a plan of study that is clear enough that the student can observe measurable progress. I aim to make high-quality instruction available to all students, regardless of their individual objectives. For younger students, this may mean earning a higher chair in their school’s band or placing in a competitive ensemble like an honor band. For adult learners, goals will be naturally different, perhaps playing in a community band or church orchestra, or even playing their favorite songs on their instrument.

For all students, I believe in a strong emphasis placed on fundamentals, both those for saxophone and musicianship. For the saxophone, these include tone, tuning, technique, and tonguing. Musicianship involves work on students’ senses of time and pitch. In my experience, these elements are universal to all music and saxophone playing and are beneficial to address with students of all levels.