Ryan Walker
"As a repair technician, I’m always weary of gadgets and gizmos with overblown hype and false claims. Key Leaves is the real deal! Made for saxophone players by a saxophone player to deal with a very real problem; sticky pads."
- Ryan Walker (MusicMedic Sax ProShop Saxophone Specialist)
Way back in 2001, saxophonist Ryan Walker was attending the Navy Saxophone Symposium and stumbled upon the MusicMedic.com booth. Ryan was starting a career as a player, teacher, and technician and was interested in sax repair as well. Ryan had a lot of repair questions and we answered them. Pretty soon nearly 5 hours had passed and Ryan was still asking questions. His thirst for knowledge was outstanding. Every year we talked to Ryan at the Symposium and soon asked him how he would approach problems.
When the time came to add a new member to the shop, the choice was clear. Ryan’s amazing abilities as a saxophonist, technician, and teacher are matched only by his love for vintage Saxophones. With a collection of saxophones (no one knows exactly how many saxophones he has) and mouthpieces great enough to start a museum, Ryan is truly a vintage saxophone guru.
When he’s not dreaming about vintage saxophones, teaching the next generation, or playing a gig, Ryan’s hands perform their magic at the dry-fitting bench, making great saxophones even greater. Ryan is lightning fast with pinpoint accuracy.
With his great knowledge and respect for all things saxophone, Ryan can also be found in the buffing and lacquer booths. Not only can Ryan make a saxophone feel good, he can make it look impeccable. You need only look at the pictures of the saxophones that Ryan has finished on this site to see his flawless work.
When you pick up your saxophone and you notice that it feels smoother and more even than you ever thought possible, you’ll know that Ryan was here. When you look at your Uberhauled saxophone and wonder how we matched the lacquer or the satin finish, or just note how good your saxophone looks, you’ll be glad that Ryan was on your side.
Credentials: Ryan received his double Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from Virginia Tech in 2002. Ryan has worked as a band director at Montross Middle School, a store manager, a freelance musician, and a woodwind instructor at various venues. Ryan has studied with: Larry Burke and Dr. David Jacobsen and attended masterclasses by Gary Louie, Eugene Rousseau, Claude Delangle, Kenneth Tse, Philippe Geiss, Eddie Daniels, Chris Potter, Jerry Bergonzi, Branford Marsalis. Ryan received the Louis Armstrong Jazz award in high school, the Four Year Mug for participating in marching band for four continuous years, and the Director’s Cup in college for being part of the marching band and concert band throughout his studies. He was both a rank captain and section leader while a member of Virginia Tech’s Marching Virginians.
He has marched many collegiate and professional stadiums, including Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville Memorial Stadium, Clemson EverBank Field, Jacksonville Heinz Field, Pittsburgh The Superdome, and New Orleans for the 2000 NCAA national championship. Ryan has performed with the “Marching Virginians” Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Saxophone Quartet, Clarinet Ensemble, New River Valley Symphony Orchestra/Opera Roanoke, the Baltimore-based funk band “Grilled”, the blues/bluegrass/rock band “Swinging Dick Egmond”, and the experimental Jazz Trio “Frozen Rodents.”
Ryan has taught band music at Montross Middle School and gave private lessons since 2002.