May 23, 2024
This year, Dr. Stephen Page, Associate Professor of Saxophone at the Butler School of Music, received recognition as one of Yamaha's "40 Under 40" recipients. Yamaha launched the "40 Under 40" music education advocacy program in 2021 to celebrate outstanding young music educators. These remarkable mentors instill the joy and significance of music in students ranging from kindergarteners to college undergraduates. We sat down with Stephen to find out what makes him one of the top music educators in the country.
In addition to being a world-class performer and musician, he prioritizes his identity as a teacher above all else. “I perform a ton, but I’m very dedicated to teaching and that will always be the most important part of the work to me,” he shares. He started teaching at just 16 years old when his high school band director took him to teach the saxophone students, who were only a few years younger than himself. “I remember some of those lightbulb moments for the students that were also lightbulb moments for me.”
Stephen Page
This success at a young age translated to a lifetime of teaching that is focused on the success of the individual student. Beyond students becoming exceptional young artists, it also includes becoming successful in every area of their lives. Students from the saxophone studio go on to achieve at the highest levels upon graduation, finding artistic and creative homes in universities, public schools, performance venues, non-profits, and music industry settings.
Being part of a world-class school of music with such incredible faculty, within one of the world's finest universities, is a big draw for students. Stephen highlights further that being in Austin, in particular, makes the Butler School of Music exceptionally positioned as a premier destination. “What makes us unique is that we're in Austin. If you want a private army of bassoon students, you can do that. If you want to build your vocal studio, you can do that. If you want to work for one of the dozens of arts non-profits in the city, you can do that. The possibilities are endless, and you don’t find that in a lot of places," he says.