I took my first lesson on Wednesday. It was a great experience! I have not had a lesson in 19 years, so I wasn't sure how it would go. I did Étude studies 32-43 in H.L. Clarke, and some scales. I also did some stuff in Schlossberg and Arban's. The good news was that he felt my tone and embouchure were good.
After the assessment, we did some jazz duets. I heard myself playing stuff without knowing what I was reading! Sounds strange, I know, but it was sort of like an out-of-body experience. I would look ahead while we were sight reading, and I'd see rhythms and notes that looked like trouble, but then I would play them fine. I guess the ability is programed in the back of my brain somewhere, but not in the conscious. As long as I stayed relaxed and didn't think too much, the music just "came out".
The last jazz duet we did had me holding a "b" or something above the staff for the ending note. The teacher then capped it...with a "Double A". WOW! It was loud, clear, clean, and in good pitch. Ah, yes, maybe some day...
He gave me some things to work on in the books I brought, and I'm going to see him again in 2 weeks. Hopefully by then I would have built some more chops for him to work on.
Brad