Glen Sargent, M.M.


Teaching Areas

  • Applied Saxophone
  • Woodwind Pedagogy

Glen Sargent began repairing his own instruments while a student at MDI High School, learning the basics from music store representatives. He continued his musical studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, doing repair work at night to help pay the bills. His overnight repair service became so popular that his mentor, woodwind master teacher Joe Viola, set up an apprenticeship with repair “guru” Emilio Lyons of Rayburn Music for 2 years. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.M. in Applied Performance.

Glen returned to Maine in 1980 after a brief stint on the road with a “ghost” band, then taught elementary/jr. high band in the Camden and Waldoboro schools while freelancing repairs for several Maine music stores and teaching private woodwind lessons.

In 1986 Glen joined Northern Kingdom Music to inaugurate the school music division, which has grown to service most Maine schools from 4 locations. Glen is a known authority on repair and restoration of woodwind instruments, with clients throughout the US (including other repair shops) and as far away as Hong Kong and Thailand. He is well known for his knowledge of woodwind mouthpieces and reeds and is consulted by students and teachers statewide. Glen has also delved into design and modification of woodwind and brass instruments, including leading the design of a “house” brand of musical instruments for NK Music; and has consulted for Diplomat, Conn-Selmer and Jupiter Band Instruments on product evaluation and quality control.

Glen shares his knowledge of musical instrument design, repair, and construction with music teachers statewide as an instructor at UMaine Orono in the summer graduate degree program in music education; through clinics at Maine All-State Music Conference and at school in-service workshops. He will be teaching saxophone and woodwind methods for the fall semester 2013.

Glen continues to perform in both jazz and classical venues when not at the repair bench.  A member of the clarinet section in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra for 29 years, Glen also has performed with the Maine Grand Opera Orchestra, Maine Pro Musica, Lincoln Arts Festival Orchestra, Arcady Festival Orchestra, the Longfellow Chorus, the Maine Saxophone Quartet, and numerous ensembles large and small.  His jazz credits include the Al Corey Big Band, Pat Michaud Big Band, Fire N’Ice Big Band, Jump City Jazz; has also performed with the Temptations, Manhattan Transfer, Northeast Swing, Wayne Bergeron, touring groups such as “Jekyll and Hyde, The Musical”, and leads his own groups for special functions. He also enjoys working with students in private lessons; school music festivals as a guest conductor and clinician; and even joins in the “pit” orchestra for local school productions as needed.  He has been appointed adjunct instructor of saxophone at UMaine in Orono beginning  spring 2011 semester, and will be taking on students at Main St. Music Studios in downtown Bangor and the Bay Chamber Music School in Rockport beginning in  2011.