A very short blurb about trumpet technique. One problem I think I hear a lot from young players is a timing issue between air, pulse, and fingers. All three. And it is an easy fix: be patient. Be patient on the note changes. Wait until the very last moment to move your air, your buttons,…
Why You Might Be Practicing Wrong (Part One)
Here’s a question. Do you think that anyone purposefully plays out of time? What about out of tune? This question has been bothering me a lot lately. When two sets of intervals are played, one in tune and one out of tune, we know which one is which. We know what intonation sounds like. Similarly,…
Cheese
I love cheese. (A little too often,) I can sit down and finish an entire block without realizing it. I’ve been thinking a lot about cheese lately. As cheese is to a mouse, what is our cheese as musicians? I had the great pleasure of working with Mireia Farrés over the course of a week…
Two New Trumpet Pieces, and One Surprise
Trumpetverse! I’ve got two exciting bits of news for you. Whitney George Consortium First, I am honored and excited to spearhead a consortium to bring to life a new piece by the amazing Whitney George. We ran a consortium from June through July, and it was a runaway success (thank you to all who participated).…
Summer 2022
I am proud to offer three ways to connect with me this summer that fit a variety of needs, schedules, and budgets. I will offer lessons as usual, a free brass dojo program, and a short summer workshop geared for families with brass students. Please have a look and do not hesitate to contact me…
This Might Get Me Fired…
This is a risky post, but it is a subject that has come up repeatedly over the last couple of months. Let’s imagine that a professor of a student who applied to this person’s studio reached out, a person I do not know, and that I am not associated with in any way (surprisingly, as…
Teaching Listening
One problem I see increasingly prevalent in higher education is a decline in teaching musical literacy. I began to realize this problem back in my time as a graduate student, one day in a cold February, sitting in a wind ensemble dress rehearsal as we hacked through Michael Colgrass’s Winds of Nagual. It’s an amazing…
The Other Work/Life Balance Article
I have seen an increasing number of musician Instagram accounts that espouse a “holistic” approach to musicianship. The party line is related to practices like yoga, meditation, and how work/life balance will benefit a career or are ingredients for some form of musical growth. Today, I would like to break this argument apart a bit…
Dave’s Dojo
Finally ready to go public with this. I am helping administer a wonderful new program with David Bilger, Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra.. Dave’s Dojo! This will run January through June. Designed to be a minimal investment, to fit a wide variety of time constraints, and to provide committed professional and preprofessional trumpeters a…
Trumpet Wizard
I’ve been thinking a lot about Gandalf. What, exactly, is a wizard? What does it take to become a wizard in Middle Earth? Read Tolkien’s books and get back to me (watch the movies and arrive at a very different interpretation). I have some theories based on what Tolkien wrote about wizards in Middle Earth.…