2015

Ric resumed teaching privately in Hampshire from January 2015 (after living & teaching in Derbyshire for the last five years) along the South Coast from Portsmouth and Southampton to the surrounding areas – ask to see if you’re covered for home lessons.

In hire, Ric is now starting to offer more instruments than ever and double reed woodwind instruments Oboe and Bassoon will be available from September 2015. Ric has also re-priced all repair services after his apprenticship and updated all info on woodwind repair to include the newer and massively popular synthetic pads and their pricing. A new cleaning service is available for a full instrumental strip down, clean and polish. Perfect to keep those instruments looking fresh each year.

This will be a good year. Many exciting prospects and projects happening. New things emerging all the time. Ric's dedication to his private students is second to none and is at the heart of everything he offers...

2014 has been exciting – Ric joined AOM Showband and started forming his Rolo Quartet, a setup built for functions at weddings, parties and events. Ric’s student jazz band (Lunar) has grown in size and moved onto Hal Leonard Big Band arranged music, which is pushing his students but making the sound of the band notch up to incredible for amateurs! Baritone saxes are now available to hire throughout the year with one additional new baritone bought this year for hire. Ric has pushed his hire business and finally (after 2 years of experimenting) found a hire system specific to baritone saxophone hires that gives an affordable price whilst protecting expensive instruments. The biggest thing was the big move from Derbyshire to Hampshire and teaching changing to the South Coast – Skype lessons continue around the UK for anyone, but physical lessons only available on the South Coast of Britain.

2013 After living back in London for 3 months playing gigs and concerts, Ric is back home in the North West. teaching and his Jazz Band (Lunar) have returned and are as strong as ever. Lunar has two gigs booked for the festivities. Neil is looking to continue playing with No Less Days and has gigged many times since coming up North again. Ric is aiming to set up a professional sax quartet run by himself, playing with other like minded musicians. Neil is also looking at starting a mobile music school and hiring a private tutor as teaching is getting busier and busier – thanks everyone! Watch this space! 2014 is going to be exciting!

2012 Ric intends to continue his excellent teaching and has now launched his national hire company and second website specially for this, promoting accessible instruments at affordable prices across the UK. Performance wise Ric intends on joining a large national jazz/swing band in Summer this year. Ric enjoys charity work and has often raised money for charities. Check Performance History page for list of upcoming gigs. Ric is looking to continue expanding his ever-growing Jazz Band – now called Lunar Jazz Band with a full brass section hopefully coming soon. Gigs are pouring in with the delightful Bankswoodberry festival looking like the highlight of the summer for Lunar Jazz Band. Ric now enjoys life as a freelance musician: teaching, session and band performances, repairing and composing. Ric teaches adults and children alike, runs a student saxophone quartet and jazz band for his students, organises masterclassess, visits primary schools, plans and runs workshops for youth learning music, hire and purchase of woodwind & brass instruments, runs an extensive blog for all his students, does peripatetic teaching and puts 110% passion into everything musical…

2011 brought a new local band for Ric in 'no-less-days' as they played locally and started to prepare for weddings and other functions around the North West. This year also saw Ric improve the Jazz band considerably, including the venue, addition of baritone sax player and congas.

2010 went full time self employed teaching and this year has brought more solo work for Ric than any other year – due to his unique use of the Akai Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) and mix of acoustic woodwind instruments.

Ric's dedication to music is priority in his life and thoroughly enjoys teaching, performing and repairing instruments to their maximum effect. He has played with the likes of the famous Carl Raven, Neil Crossley, Rob Buckland, Jim Fieldhouse and Sarah Markham to name a few. Neil’s last major concert was with the worldwide acknowledged BBC session player also currently in charge of the UK’s Saxophone Assault, Andy Scott at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.

Ric also performs in the local community playing for music festivals, carnivals and the annual switching on of the Christmas lights.

Ric studied a major in composition during his studies in the past and has produced full original film scores for films like Alien Versus Predator – this is working with picture and music to create a new score to the one in the film. Now Ric writes exercises, studies and pieces for jazz and classical playing to assist his tutoring. His fascination with contemporary music and progressive aspects of the arts makes him produce experimental and exciting pieces that, if desired, his students can also enjoy.

Ric studied a PGCE in Secondary Music Education at Manchester Metropolitan University in conjunction with The Royal Northern College of Music during which he realised that it was private tuition and not classroom that he wanted to go into. This was after much experience as a classroom teacher and working in various primary and secondary schools in the Greater Manchester and Tameside areas.

Ric has constantly been taught in the ways of jazz, funk and improvisation and has been in many lead/ team player/solo roles in the past 11 years in swing, jazz, funk, and wind bands, concert bands, run a successful quartet, a funk band called Dynamo in Manchester and even played on Songs of Praise. Ric has played with man other bands as a guest including Rapture and continues to look for new experiences.

Ric has taught as the Woodwind tutor for Wilmslow High School – 2010-2012 and for Tameside Music Services 2011-2012 until he became fully occupied in private teaching.

2010 has brought more solo work for Ric than any other year – due to his unique use of the Akai Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) and mix of acoustic woodwind instruments.