SOME THINGS I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT.
ALONE & OUT FRONT
Woody Shaw’s Advancement of Trumpet Dominance in Jazz
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Here I've taken a very close look at trumpeter Woody Shaw, some of his his influences, and through detailed analyses of some of his improvisations, I show how he broke the expectation that the saxophone would forever remain the dominant voice of Jazz.
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A BROKEN PERSPECTIVE
Performance Issues In Matthias Pintscher’s Shining Forth (2008) & A Nudge Into The Pool Of Contemporary Trumpet Literature
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This document takes a look at some of the performance issues musicians face in classical works from the past half-century, more specifically those as they relate to the trumpet player and the inherent technical and physical limitations of their instrument.
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The Role of the Teacher
The teacher serves as the ultimate guide for the student, treating them as an individual learner, rather than assuming any group as a whole will benefit from one rigid set of rules and methods. From our first day, I try to meet each student at their current ability level and proceed from that point, searching for appropriate methods, examples, descriptions, and metaphors that resonate best for them. That said, I have found that the quickest, most effective way to help a student is through imitation. Therefore, I try play as much as possible in each lesson.
I strive to instill in my students a non-competitive, objective, and positive attitude towards their peers, their creativity and imagination, their chosen profession, and ultimately, the mastery of their instrument. Most importantly, the student’s scholarly journey will include many life lessons that they will carry with them throughout their career, and they will hopefully realize that there is no substitute for hard work and dedication.
Versatility & University Ensembles
The world of music is constantly evolving and I believe university teaching should remain relevant and reflect change. Therefore, I feel it is essential for me to guide my students to become versatile musicians, those who are comfortable performing in as many styles and settings as possible. While our lessons will contain a good deal of trumpet literature, solid foundations will be achieved through a focus on technical fundamentals. It is these fundamentals that will provide them with the ability and confidence to approach music both inside and outside of the trumpet studio. The benefit for the music program is that their ensembles will contain strong, well-rounded trumpet sections capable of performing the most sophisticated and exciting literature.
Peers, Motivation, & Professionalism
I strongly believe in creating community within the studio. We learn from each other in both our journey as musicians and as humans in life. In my studio, there is no sense of competition and we all learn from one another, and at our own pace. That said, I also suggest that students warm up together, resting while the other plays every other exercise, for example. We learn from the abilities and struggles of our peers and share in our experiences along the way. This provides a great deal of daily motivation for the individual as well as the group as a whole. I also teach the importance of professionalism both in school ensembles and elsewhere. A certain level of playing is always expected of the professional performer. However, a larger part of being a professional is also being a good person, one who is humble, reads and reacts appropriately to social cues, does not take themselves too seriously, and works well with others. These are extremely important traits to possess and are fundamental to the community I strive to create within the trumpet studio.
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