John Seaton

"I was skeptical at first but these things really do make a difference and I now recommend Key Leaves care products to students. The GapCap keeps my sax more secure in the case and the Key Leaves totally eliminate any G# and C# pad hesitation."  - John Seaton (Director of Bands at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, Soloist)

John Seaton serves as the Director of Bands at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, an arts magnet school in the Clark County (Las Vegas) School District servicing students from one of the largest school districts in the country. Students who attend the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts must first be accepted through a competitive performance audition. His responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble (V3) and Symphonic Band (V1), Co-Conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra (O4) and teaching Woodwind Techniques, Chamber Music, and Music Theory. Ensembles under Seaton’s direction have consistently garnered superior ratings in adjudication, and maintain an active schedule of travel and conference performances. Recent performances outside of Nevada include the Las Vegas Academy Wind Ensemble performing as an invited guest at the Pacific Basin Music Festival (2016), Western International Band Clinic (2017), and a gala performance at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria (2019). The Wind Symphony has recently traveled to perform as an invited ensemble at the UCLA Wind Ensemble Invitational in Royce Hall, as well as a guest performance with the UNLV Symphonic Band (2019). In 2018, Seaton was recognized as a “Teacher of Influence” at a reception hosted at UNLV, in which a recent LVA graduate submitted an essay highlighting his influence on their path to college.

As a saxophonist, he has performed multiple times with both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Las Vegas Philharmonic, and has performed concerti as a soloist with both the Wright State University Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra, and The Desert Winds. Additionally, he has given recitals across the United States and on the international stage, including performances at multiple North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conferences, the U.S. Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) State Conference, the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, and both a solo and quartet recital of world premieres at the 2012 World Saxophone Congress XVI in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Consistently in demand as a guest clinician and private instructor, Seaton has previously taught applied saxophone lessons for the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, district-wide clinics for the Clark County School District, and high schools across the United States. Students under his instruction have been accepted into the saxophone studios at the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Youngstown State University, Wright State University, the Interlochen Saxophone Institute, and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. An avid writer, he has been published multiple times by The Instrumentalist magazine with articles including “Adjusting Saxophone Fingerings” and “The Art of Teaching Saxophone: An Interview with Timothy McAllister.”

Outside of the classroom, Seaton serves as the Associate Conductor and Principal Saxophonist of The Desert Winds: A Contemporary Wind Ensemble, which recently traveled to perform at The Midwest Clinic in 2016. The organization features a roster of performers that include many local music educators, students and freelance musicians. Since its debut, the Desert Winds has reached thousands of people through both inspiring performances and educational programs. Seaton also conducts a youth wind ensemble component of The Desert Winds, The Honor Winds, which meets weekly for three concert cycles a year. He also serves as the wind section coach for the Las Vegas Young Artists Orchestra, a high school/collegiate extracurricular youth orchestra.

Seaton holds an M.M. in Saxophone Performance with Program Honors from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and a B.M. in Music Education, summa cum laude, from the Wright State University School of Music. His primary teachers include Timothy McAllister and Shelley Jagow.