Learn from Jody Espina of JodyJazz at Schmitt Music on November 1, 2023!
Join us at Schmitt Music Bloomington for a unique opportunity to learn from one of the best in the sax mouthpiece game. Jody Espina, president and Founder of JodyJazz will present a masterclass at 6:30 PM titled Finding Your Ultimate Saxophone Sound.
Jody will share saxophone sounds techniques covering topics like breathing, embouchure, harmonics, and the impact of reeds and mouthpieces. You won’t want to miss it! If you would like to participate in this class as a performer, please let us know via email at saxshop@schmittmusic.com
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Jody Espina is the founder, president, owner, and designer of JodyJazz Saxophone & Clarinet Mouthpieces. In 2018 JodyJazz acquired Chedeville and Espina redesigned the entire line of Clarinet and Saxophone Mouthpieces while using all of the best elements of Chedeville’s glorious past mouthpieces. In 2020 JodyJazz Acquired the famous Rousseau Music Products.
Jody Espina is a highly regarded jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist with a unique and personal sound and is also a respected jazz educator.
Up until the year 2005, Mr. Espina was the Director of the Jazz Department at the prestigious Hoff Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York, where he taught Jazz Theory, Improvisation, ensembles and private lessons. He was also adjunct professor of Saxophone and Clarinet at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. Because of the exponential growth of JodyJazz, which Espina founded in 2000, he made the difficult choice to stop teaching and devote all his time to JodyJazz.
In Barcelona, Spain, Espina was Professor of saxophone, clarinet and flute, and the Director of the Big Band at the Aula de Musica i Moderna Jazz. While in Barcelona, Espina also taught at Taller de Musics and at The Lutier School of Fine Arts. Jody is a conductor in the musical sign language system called Sound Painting and has given seminars and workshops in Europe and the United States teaching it. (Sound Painting is a conducting/composing system created by New York composer Walter Thompson)
Mr. Espina has been involved with the Grammys In The Schools Program, bringing performing artists to inner city schools and has written and performed “What Is Jazz?”, an entertaining educational concert for children.
Mr. Espina currently gives Master Classes and clinics around the world on subjects ranging from sound production, improvising, practice techniques and mouthpiece technology. He occasionally gives private lessons. Jody’s greatest goal in teaching, aside from sharing his musical knowledge and inspiring his students to be creative, is to carry on the tradition he learned from his teachers: kindness, warmth, patience and a love for his students.
Jody has studied with the most revered masters of the saxophone, teachers that have shaped the course of Jazz itself, having taught almost all of the major saxophonists of our time. Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Sonny Stitt, Harry Carney, Michael Brecker, Joe Lavano and Jerry Coker are only a few of the influential players that have been taught by Jody’s teachers: Joe Allard, Junie Ferrell, David Gross, Dave Liebman, Santy Runyon, Joe Viola , George Garzone, and the great pianist/composer Joanne Brackeen.
After majoring in classical clarinet for two years at the University of South Florida, Espina transferred to Berklee College of Music where he won a Phil Woods Performance Scholarship. While at Berklee, he had classes with master teachers: Herb Pomeroy, John LaPorta, Gary Burton, Mike Metheny, Phil Wilson, and Joe Viola. Espina graduated magne cum laude with a degree in Performance; his senior recital was broadcast on National Public Radio.
Interested in attending? RSVP today!
