There are many skills involved into becoming a good musician. Some things are physical, like endurance, dexterity or strength. Some are mental, like memory and technical understanding. There’s also something to say about emotions and sensibilities: your confidence, your personality, your style. This all develops with time, discipline, and the input of valuable people who guide you and lift you up in your music journey.

Today in my mentor series, I want to talk about Jonathan Johnson.

After I left secondary school, I got an alto saxophone from John Grey. I was still interested in studying music, and with an instrument at hand, all I needed was to get some lessons. Someone at the church mentioned that there was a trumpet tutor at another church, connected to ours, and ended up introducing me to Jonathan.

Now, you might be wondering how exactly a trumpet player can give lessons to a saxophone player. It’s a valid question! Both instruments are winds, sure, but their working principles are very different. To answer this, I’ll go back to the beginning of this article and remark: there are many skills involved into becoming a good musician. When I first talked with Jonathan, I told him that I had learned to play the clarinet at school and now had a saxophone. He replied saying that he could teach me music, despite the fact I played woodwinds and he played brass, and so he did. With him, I took my graded music exams in theory, piano, and saxophone. I should’ve taken voice too, but there were too many subjects, so I had to drop it.

Beyond the technical part, Jonathan helped me built something that supports me even to this day: resilience. The thing is that, when you’re just learning how to play an instrument, you’re bound to make some horrible sounds. And when your instrument happens to be capable of very loud and ugly sounds, like the saxophone is, you’re bound to face some backlash for the noise. During that time, trying to play at church of for my acquittances didn’t go well. I was asked to be quiet, or made to play with my microphone turned off, or sent to the back. It was discouraging, so much that I thought of quitting, but Jonathan remained supportive all the way through. He was understanding and explained everything in detail to me, as many times as necessary. With his guidance, I could focus on my process and my music, and I kept going despite the lack of external validation, until I reached a point in which my microphone wasn’t turned off, and I was asked to play instead of being asked to remain silent.

A teacher can make you or break you. I’m very glad I crossed paths with Jonathan, who only ever sought to lift me up and help me forward. If you’re facing some rejection at any step of your journey, learn from my experience with him. Find someone who believes in you—only one person is enough—and keep pushing. I promise that it’s worth it!

By the way, for the saxophone players out there who are looking for a teacher, I give lessons at all levels. You can enquire here.