Retired West Point Band Sergeant Major teaches clarinet lessons with 34+ years of experience for students of all levels

Rachel - mother of student
“Best decision ever—our son went from beginner to perfect NYSSMA scores and 1st chair in just two years.”

The band director at our son Jim’s school recognized his potential on clarinet after his first year studying in 6th grade band, and highly recommended Chris Jones specifically as a private clarinet teacher.

Best decision ever! In the first two years of lessons with Chris, Jim achieved a nearly perfect score on a level 4 NYSSMA solo in 7th grade, and a perfect 100 on his level 5 solo as an 8th grader. The improvement in his musicianship has given Jim SO many opportunities – he has been performing with the HS band as 2nd chair clarinet since 7th grade, and now as a freshman he is 1st chair.

He has been on 1st clarinet at bi-county festivals and Jr. area all state. He was invited to play clarinet in a local theater production, and as a 9th grader achieved a 100 on a level 6 solo. The proficiency level that Chris has helped Jim reach has had an immeasurable positive impact on his life.

Recently, when it was apparent that Jim needed a better instrument than the one on loan from the school, Chris spent hours walking us through the selection process, and meticulously “test driving” clarinets with Jim using a rigorous evaluation system to make sure that such a big purchase was the right one. We are so fortunate that we have such an amazing resource in our area.