RESEARCH
Mia's interest in research began recently, when she was presented with a largescale research project as part of a required class. She wanted to find a topic that was relevant to her and other saxophonists. Mia began to ask herself why Japanese saxophonists today are winning so many saxophone competitions. Upon digging further, Mia found that there was a lack of information on how the saxophone travelled to Japan in the first place. Much of the information available is purely speculation, with no documented proof of the Japanese performing on the saxophone until post-World War II despite the fact that jazz was a highly popular genre of music.
With such a strange void of information, Mia is currently cross-referencing many Japanese and English documents in an attempt to find the lost information or to compile small pieces of information into a larger collection. Her research touches upon political and cultural issues, as the saxophone was prominent in the 20th century. Mia is attempting to create an accurate historical lineage of the saxophone throughout Japan, as well as recognizing early Japanese composers for the saxophone.
Please contact Mia with any comments or questions about her current research.