Dr Matt Styles
Dr Matt Styles.
There aren't too many universities in Australia that can say one of their employees has worked with the likes of Ben Folds, Diana Ross, Dave Weckl, Paul Grabowsky, Tim Minchin, Olivia Newton John and many more.
That is just the beginning of the introduction to Dr Matt Styles, who is the Coordinator of Bachelor of Music Honours, Head of cross-genre saxophone studies and Post Graduate Supervisor at The WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University.
Matt has built a local and international career as a classical, jazz and 'cross-over' saxophonist, performing and teaching in the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. He is also one of Australia's truly versatile saxophonists, seamlessly crossing genres such as jazz, classical and funk.
To add to his performing career, Matt also holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours and a Doctor of Musical Arts and undertakes research in cross-genre saxophone pedagogy, performance and interpretation techniques as well as Third Stream Music categorisation and saxophone injury rehabilitation and prevention.
Matt's career has been full of personal and professional achievements that was recognised when he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2003.
The fellowship enabled him to travel to the U.S. to study with the legendary Dr Otis Murphy and Dr. Eugene Rousseau amongst other prestigious saxophonists.
"I went to Indiana University in Bloomington where I spent a period of very intense study with Otis Murphy," Matt said.
"That completely changed the way I think about playing and teaching the saxophone. It opened my eyes up to so many ideas that I didn't know existed or didn't know how to do."
"Those experiences still inspire me and to this day I am still incredibly grateful for it."
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A dedicated teacher
Because Matt was awarded the fellowship, he was able to return to Perth to establish a tertiary saxophone program for classical saxophonists. This course had never existed before in Perth and Matt is now sharing his expertise and experience with an ever-increasing number of young musicians at WAAPA.
Matt is a very dedicated educator who has a unique philosophy. He emphasises not just teaching students what to learn but how to learn. His approach is to equip them with the tools to become self-sufficient learners.
"I'm a big believer in teaching students to teach themselves," he said.
"Teaching them about process, teaching them about how to learn rather than just what to learn.
"So that when they leave WAAPA they are going to have enough knowledge about how to learn and how to go to the next step, to keep them going and for them to want to know more."
If you would like a career like Matt's, start your journey and check out ECU's WAAPA courses today.
