I was so lucky to find Jonathon as my trumpet teacher. I'm a former intermediate player who has been off the instrument for years, and he immediately really tapped into what I needed to focus on, then began incorporating more concepts into my playing. The improvement in a short period of time has been dramatic, And he has motivated me to practice more to keep that improvement going. I'm excited to see what I can do with his help. He's also a really gifted player. read more

I've been taking lessons with Jonathan over the course of a few months now, and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. Right from the start, he was extremely receptive and enthusiastic towards my goals as a trumpet player and musician. With a few probing questions, he was able to discern my level of playing, and we were immediately able to get to work. Each lesson with Jonathan provides in-depth discussions on technique and theory, and their application in developing my own musical voice. As a teacher, Jonathan is incredibly supportive and patient. He's always taking time to ensure I'm feeling comfortable with the concepts we discuss and work on. As a result, I'm appropriately challenged and leave feeling I've become a better musician and player. As a musician, well, just listen to his works and you'll understand how high a level he's at. I feel I could throw anything at him, and he'd be able to play it. His level of mastery of course inspires me, but I also feel comfortable in coming to him with questions about the many aspects of playing and performing music. All in all, I can't share enough how impactful these lessons have been towards my growth as a musician. I highly recommend Jonathan to anyone wanting to further their skills. read more

Jon Saraga is not only an incredible player but an excellent teacher. His ability to diagnose areas in need of improvement as well as creating exercises to build these skills is unmatched. As a trumpet player Jon holds virtuosic technique and has the unique ability to explain the fine motor and muscle movements involved. As a jazz educator Jon encourages students to step away from licks and instead focus on the music they are hearing and they want create and demonstrates this with ease. Any trumpet player, beginner to advanced, has something they can learn from Jon. read more

I've been taking trumpet lessons in person with Jonathan for several months now. I have an orchestral background and was looking for a teacher who could get me started with improvisation, having next to zero experience with jazz playing and theory. Jonathan brings so many ideas to the table in each session that are perfectly oriented for my current level of playing and understanding of jazz vocabulary. We've also covered topics ranging from basic fundamentals to solo theory analysis and I always have a ton to takeaway from each lesson. I could not more highly recommend Jonathan as an instructor! read more

Jonathan is a very skilled and experienced trumpet instructor who is also very patient, present, and dedicated to his students' goals and growth as musicians. I started taking trumpet lessons with Jonathan early this year. From the get-go, he has been very interested in learning about my own goals, including the styles of music I'd like to play, and committed to tailoring our lessons to ensure I achieve them in the best way possible. He puts great care into observing my technique and offers invaluable guidance and suggestions for various exercises and challenges to work through, which have helped me immensely. We also touch upon music theory as we break down and discuss each piece, and along with Jonathan's openness and enthusiasm around answering any questions I have, I very often walk away from our lessons with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the instrument. I wholeheartedly recommend Jonathan. He is an excellent instructor, and a truly great person all-around. read more

Jonathan is an Amazing teacher! He is very patient and explains the reasons carefully of why you should approach a specific trumpet exercise. He also knows a wide variety if exercises for you to practice depending on your goals, which keeps things fresh and helps you improve faster. He has improved my tone and my range greatly which is much appreciated! Overall I HIGHLY recommend his classes! read more

Thank you Jonathan for completing a transcription on such short and doing it so superbly. Really appreciate your quick turnaround and professionalism. Will definitely be a long term client. read more

I was coordinator for a large event that involved a kids costume parade. Jonathan, along with a drummer colleague, was asked to lead off the parade with New Orleans Jazz Style music. The kids (and their parents) loved his playing and high energy performance. Jonathan was a pleasure to work with: professional, proactive, and flexible. I highly recommend him. read more

Jonathan has a wealth of knowledge and technique at his disposal to help convey what musical ideas we are working on during our lessons together. Some concepts we explored included Chord Analysis, Motivic Development, and Chord Dictation. What I look for in a teacher is someone who can read where I am and help elevate me from there, which he does without making me feel small or self conscious. I really enjoy our lessons and would recommend him to anyone looking to improve and realize their own potential! read more

I hired Dr. Jonathan to perform in central park as part of a proposal to my girlfriend, and he did a fantastic job. Dr Jonathan was professional, and sounded great. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a skilled musician! read more

I recently started taking remote trumpet lessons from Jonathan after hearing his playing on social media. I was looking for a teacher with a modern conception in order to assimilate more modern jazz language. After around 10 lessons, I can confidently state that Jonathan is one of the best teachers I've had the pleasure of studying with. He is patient and kind; I instantly felt comfortable. His tremendous amount of knowledge regarding jazz theory allows him to thoroughly, yet succinctly explain advanced concepts easily. We mainly focus on improvisation concepts, but Jonathan is also a masterful technician on the horn, and I look forward to picking his brain about sometime. Can't recommend him enough! read more

Jonathan is a phenomenal player and teacher, and masterful technician. I started playing trumpet in the 7th grade and continued into college. But i have been off my horn for the last 25-30 years. and recently decided to pick it up again. At which time I discovered there was some things going on in my playing that i didn't know how to correct. In a short period of time Jonathan has been able to diagnose the problem and explain why I was having the issues i was. Jonathan also was able to via zoom make some technical and methodical corrections, resulting in improved execution. Jonathan is well qualified as instructor. The most gratifying and enjoyable part of my lessons is being able to witness as he demonstrates principles and techniques he incorporates in his lessons. Jonathan, dude thanks for everything. read more

I highly recommend Jonathan. He is an excellent trumpet teacher. He is prepared, patient, organized. He meets his student where they are in their trumpet learning journey and then teaches them in such a manner that growth happens quickly and soundly. My 13 year old son looks forward to his lessons each week. When this pandemic hit, we quickly shifted from in-person lessons to online lessons and there has been no change in progression, Jonathan did not miss a beat. read more

Jonathan Saraga is an elite trumpet teacher. His ability to provide his students with a focused, yet holistic approach to improving as a musician is impeccable. He finds creative ways to articulate concepts that you may have never perceived in a particular way, and that has really helped me as a trumpet player. I highly recommend anyone of any level consider taking lessons from him, no matter what your goals are. read more

Jonathan provided a jazz trio for my annual Summer party which was Mardi Gras theme! He and his band mates really captured the soul of New Orleans Jazz. My guests were quite impressed how they were able to keep up with the energy of the party. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM for any events. read more

My experience with Jonathan has been terrific and I highly recommend you consider him. When I was initially looking for a teacher I recognized that great players are not always effective teachers. I have had this experience and regretfully feel I wasted precious time. With that being said, Jonathan IS an amazing player and a wonderful teacher! He is very methodical in his approach and understands the players strengths and weaknesses. He has a great ear, exceptional depth of knowledge and is both honest and encouraging. I always look forward to my lessons and feel I get a lot out of them every time. read more

I came to the trumpet in adulthood and am not a professional musician. I love the instrument and jazz and just really want to play for enjoyment. I have had a number of different private lesson experiences over the past 10 years or so. I've gotten to a place where I want to learn improvisation and I feel very lucky to have found Dr Jonathan Saraga. Improvisation is no small task and can feel daunting to an amateur. Dr. Jonathan has a love of the music, the theory, structure and beauty of jazz that is immediately infectious. He also is able to explain the concepts of improvisation (which previously felt inaccessible to me) in very concise and accessible language and has been able to craft assignments for me to pursue outside our lessons which I know have resulted in real growth for me! On top of this, I have also been sparked with a renewed and new enthusiasm and zeal for the music and learning. That is a special gift for a teacher to have and can be quite rare so I feel very lucky to have crossed paths. In short, I would highly recommend Dr Jonathan Saraga to those young and old! read more

The best trumpet and theory instructor I have, very detailed and does not leave anything to question in your pursuit of musical education and/or musicianship. You don't need to be hardcore but you need to be dedicated to learning if you have the right mindset I cannot recommend him highly enough. The first time you meet him bring some samples of a music or musician your striving toward he will give you the right guidance. Like I said he is really cool, not overbearing or too hardcore just right. Good guy here alert! read more

I was looking for a trumpet teacher for my 11yo who was a total beginner (though he did already read music) and Jonathan came highly recommended by a friend. I am so happy and thankful that we found him. My son is never bored by his lessons, practices on his own without having to be told (a first!) and has already shown an incredible amount of improvement in just a few weeks time (literally went from having trouble getting breath into the instrument to being able to play basic songs). Aside from this, I find that Jonathan is incredibly organized, thoughtful and patient. I also appreciate that he keeps me informed about the lessons and is constantly encouraging my son by pointing out how well he is doing. Moreover, he seems to really "get" the kind of student my son is and is able to tailor the lessons in a way that keeps him motivated to continue learning the instrument. In sum, I highly recommend Jonathan and appreciate his overall awesomeness. read more

Jonathan has been a fantastic trumpet teacher for our 12 year old daughter. He is always extremely well prepared, organized and patient. His lessons are long enough to learn but not too long to get bored. He keeps things moving and fresh. Our daughter has progressed quickly since she started lessons with jonathan! read more

During Covid lockdown I wanted to do something unique for my wife's birthday. I contacted Jonathan to play from the street up to our balcony. He was amazing and really made the day specail read more

Jonathan has been a wonderful teacher for my 13-year old son. My son leaves every lesson filled with energy and excitement about what he has learned. In just a few short months, my son's skills have improved dramatically! When our schedule has become complicated due to other commitments, Jonathan has always worked with us to find another time so that my son doesn't have to miss a lesson. I would highly recommend Jonathan as a skilled trumpet instructor. read more

Jonathan Saraga kindly agreed to take me on as a student, and I am so grateful to him. Musicians who play at his level have a lot of choices and I am an absolute beginner to jazz and an 'older' adult learner and he worked with me anyway. His musicianship is at the highest level which makes him a great role model, but in addition, his teaching is superb. (I am a high school chemistry teacher, and I know good pedagogy when I experience it!) At each lesson he listens to my goals and customizes his teaching to my needs, which have ranged from basic transcribing notation to creating my own improvisation. He treats me with dignity in spite of my lack of experience and he supports me as he focuses on what I am doing well already while pushing me to grow at each lesson. I am a vocalist developing jazz expression with my voice while also learning to work with a band at a jam or a gig. Jonathan listens to all of my questions and calmly and methodically answers them. Because of his own discipline, organization, and professionalism, I want to rise to his level and be the best I can be. I look forward to every lesson meeting with him and feel that every single minute in his presence is a learning opportunity. read more

Our 12-year-old daughter is really into music and recently started composing her own songs. She was interested in finding someone to help her improve these skills and that's when we met with Jonathan. Jonathan was amazing with her. He listened, complimented and then showed her how she could, if she wanted, add different elements to each song to make them more interesting. These lessons were super helpful to her and her songs grew in wonderful ways. Thanks Jonathan for all your help and support. read more

I was planning a trip to NYC and was looking for a trumpet teacher for my daughter who plays in her school jazz band. Booking was very easy and Jonathan was very accommodating to our schedule. I was able to sit in during the lessons and was very impressed. Not only is Jonathan an amazing player he is very knowledgeable and patient. He quickly identified my daughter's weaknesses and challenged her to learn. My daughter had a great time and we booked another lesson for the next day. That night Jonathan invited us to watch him play at a club in SOHO. It was amazing and inspiring. We will continue lessons with Jonathan whenever we are in NY or even on Skype. I highly recommend! read more

I have been working with Jonathan for a few months now on improvisation, musicianship,ear training, theory and harmony and other things. I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to become a better musician. Jonathan is very knowledgeable, intelligent and patient. He is demanding and nice at the same time which are qualities of a great teacher. If you are serious about improving your trumpet playing, learning to play jazz, learning music theory, expanding your improvisation skills or improving your musicianship, Jonathan is a great teacher for you. read more