Jason is very much in demand as a
teacher both privately and in schools. With a wealth of playing experience
to draw on he knows what it takes to become an accomplished instrumentalist
and specialises in teaching jazz improvisation and ensemble tutoring.
In his private lessons he assists students in their development by recording
them in his digital studio thus giving them the rare opportunity of listening
back to their own playing whether its playing a duet or improvising on
some backing tracks it’s a unique approach which is of enormous benefit
to the student.
Jason has taught in a number of schools both instrumental teaching (Saxophone,
clarinet and flute) and also ensemble tutoring and curriculum based classroom
teaching. He was head of music at Hawksmoor
High School ( Borehamwood) between 1995 and 2000 where he also taught
woodwinds and set up a jazz band. He has been teaching saxophone and taking
small and large ensembles at YMM
( Young Music Makers in Highgate) for 10 years where he set up the
jazz department and was also Head of Music there for 2 years. He also
teaches woodwinds at the Jewish
free School in Kingsbury.
references
Mr. Anthony Cleary
Retired Deputy Head (Curriculum)
Hawksmoor School
Borehamwood
Herts.
Mr Bruer was employed at Hawksmoor School from
September 1995 to August 2000 to take responsibility for Key Stage Three
Music and to give tuition in woodwind instruments. Hawksmoor School was
part of a consortium: GCSE and A Level Music were provided by Hillside
School, Borehamwood, while Hawksmoor School continued to provide instrumental
tuition through years 10 to 13.
Mr. Bruer proved to be an inspired and charismatic teacher in the classroom
and in his instrumental tuition. Furthermore he set up and directed a
jazz ensemble which made truly astonishing progress: when it performed
in public it played with a superb level of precision, syncopation and
musicality. Demographic change and downsizing had thrown music at Hawksmoor
School into something of a crisis before Mr Bruer’s appointment and I
was fortunate that my being a Trustee of YMM (Young Music Makers) enabled
me to obtain his services for the school. He transformed the situation,
helping to extend individual tuition to percussion and singing, and taking
the lead in organizing a number of concerts in the school and impressive
Hawksmoor contributions to several multi-school concerts.
Young Music
Makers
Registered charity No:264274
1, Elmhurst Avenue,
London N2 0LT
Tel: 0208 815 0057
Jason Bruer joined YMM (Young Music Makers), a Saturday music school in
north London, more than a decade ago. As word went round of his teaching
abilities and energetic personality, a waiting list soon grew for his
one-to-one sax lessons. And numbers in the Big Band, which he took on
board, increased week by week. Within a term, the Band had become our
showpiece. Ten years on, it still is, always the first choice to play
at local festivals in Highgate and West Hampstead.
But Jason’s major success at YMM must be our Jazz Ensemble. He believes
it is possible to teach even young teenagers that most difficult of jazz
skills – improvisation. And with a great deal of encouragement to get
over the scary part, his boys and girls develop into jazz musicians, able
to express their own ideas and discover a jazz language of their own.
For a while, Jason became our Music Director and transformed our ensembles
in particular so that there was a clear path of progression for our students.
The job done, he then, to popular acclaim, returned to a full programme
of teaching.
Some of his students have gone on to study music at university or conservatoire.
Others, once they leave us, just continue to play for fun and their own
satisfaction. My own daughter, who started learning sax with Jason at
the age of 12, is about to graduate from university and launch herself
(she hopes) into the jazz world outside. None of her teachers, she says,
can match Jason in terms of teaching ability and encouragement to believe
in herself. “He changed my life”, she adds.
Alix Coole
Chair of Trustees.
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