We were lucky to catch up with Julian Sutherland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I found a love for music and the saxophone at the age of 12. My dad, who was a semi-professional musician with an extensive jazz and R&B album collection, enrolled me in lessons at an early age. I attribute those private lessons and musical environment as the biggest key to my success. Since then, I continued my music education through high school and at Idaho State University for two years. In 2009, I moved to Denton, TX, to finish my undergraduate degree and later a Master’s in Jazz Studies: Performance. During my education, I felt that setting weekly goals in order to accomplish long-term goals helped counter the obstacle of time management and productivity. I could then practice with more intention knowing what task I was trying to accomplish at that time, so to then continue to grow in my knowledge and performance over the long-term more efficiently.

Julian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am freelance saxophonist and music educator in the DFW metroplex. I’ve been playing and teaching in the DFW since 2009. I’m originally from Pocatello, Idaho and moved to Denton to study jazz saxophone at the University of North Texas. After graduating with my Master’s degree, I toured the US, Canada, and Japan with the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a year. I then moved back to the DFW and found a love for teaching and improvisation. I teach my students music in a way that they can continue teaching themselves. Setting a strong fundamental base and learning to listen to music with intention helps my students develop their own sound on the saxophone. What sets me apart from other teachers is being able to personally guide each student on making the most of each lesson, whether that be rhythm, sound, or musicality. I like to emphasize on the simplicity of music. A lot of people view music as an unattainable skill or something you’re naturally born with. I take pride in showing my students how we can break down songs, so that they can play along with some of these great artists.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I really enjoy the freedom associated with being a musician. I can set my own goals and accomplish them on my own terms. Being able to collaborate on creative projects, play gigs in different industries, and teach in the education system offers flexibility and spontaneity in my career.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Early in my career, I didn’t really enjoy teaching lessons. I found it difficult to convey what I wanted my students to understand about music and thought that maybe teaching was not for me. Over time and many more lessons, I gained insight on what my students needed to succeed and thrive in saxophone. There’s no greater feeling than seeing your students achieve their goals by applying technique and practices you’ve given them. I see the hard work they put in during their lessons, so when they finally accomplish a goal, I also feel a sense of accomplishment. This cycle of growth and learning in music education has helped me pivot into thoroughly enjoying my career as a music educator.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliansutherlandmusic.com/
• Instagram: jsowce
• Youtube: Julian Sutherland Music