Kathleen Maxwell received her Bachelor of Music Performance and Education degrees from Wichita State University (Kansas) in 1981 where she studied saxophone with Fumiyoshi Maezawa and Jean Lansing, both former Eugene Rouseau students. She also earned her K-12 teaching certificate that same year. Ms. Maxwell taught 5th-8th grade instrumental and vocal music in the Andover School System and also did substitute teaching in the Wichita area. Kathleen developed and taught several music classes for Butler County Community College (campus on McConnell Air Force Base) before moving to the Los Angeles area.
Kathleen taught private and group lessons at 2 large music centers in Wichita and also trained as a musical instrument technician after she decided not to return to the classroom. After she and her husband moved to the Los Angeles area, she developed her technical skills further and built up a sizable repair following. These skills are quite valuable to the more than 25 private students currently studying with her and for those who find her at her home-based business, "Mostly Saxes". Kathleen's teaching and arranging talents have been put to use most recently at her son's elementary school where she conducts an after-school orchestra program.
Best known, in the Santa Clarita area, as “the saxophone lady”, Kathleen’s students consistently receive top ratings at area festivals and State Honor groups. Also, many of her current and former students participate in “Saxtravaganza”, a week-long mentoring and performance workshop that Kathleen developed for large saxophone ensemble performance. Now in its seventh year, Saxtravaganza will again attract more than 30 area saxophonists who will prepare for a public performance, near the end of July.
Besides teaching, Kathleen completed course work at UCLA for her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Music Performance. Her mentors at UCLA were Gary Gray (clarinet and saxophone) and Doug Masek (saxophone). While at UCLA, Kathleen performed in a variety of groups and premiered many student and faculty compositions, some of which were written for her and her saxophone quartet. She performed at the North American Saxophone Alliance and SCREAM festivals where she premiered Roger Bourland’s “Glamour and Eros” for saxophone and computer generated music and she received UCLA’s “John Lennon” award for a performance research project on the electronic wind instrument (EWI). Kathleen spent one summer at the prestigious Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, where she served as the music librarian for all 4 orchestras as well as performing on alto saxophone with the Festival Orchestra. She has performed with the Valley Orchestra on several occasions and, most recently, Kathleen performed as guest soloist with the Hart High School Wind Ensemble, where she played music from “Catch Me If You Can” from the movie score of John Williams. Ms. Maxwell also performed with the Valencia United Methodist Church choir for the Association. of Church Choir Festival and was a guest soloist with the choir of the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles