The big announcement...

I feel like it is ok to finally make this official on here...

This last year has really been a struggle for me musically. Not so much with my actual playing, but with the emotional parts of it, and if you are a musician or understand the ideas behind it then you understand emotions are a huge part of it.

I won't get into all of the nitty gritty details of the struggle, but it did get me thinking about what I would do when I graduated next December. I decided in March that there was no way I would be part of a touring group, or even a symphony that played every day. The Wind Ensemble tour really did me in and showed me that I am not the type of person that can handle something like that. So then I thought, well, I could still go to grad school and teach at the University level. However, I have struggled so long and hard in undergrad and I have really just been torn down a whole lot. It is not that I am giving up, but that is just a fight that I don't want to fight anymore... so that is a no. Then came what I thought was the final option- teaching. I am getting a music education degree, however I wasn't really feeling called to that either.

Hm...

So after much prayer and talking to a few people, I have decided to change my path. When I graduate in December 2010, I will graduate with a BM in Instrumental Performance and Music Education. In either February 2001 or July 2011, I will begin graduate school to receive a M. Div. so that I can do Youth and Young Adult Ministry, focusing on mission and hopefully adding in music.

This is in no way me giving up on my music. But lately I have felt it quickly becoming my job and that is the last thing I want music to be. All of my life, music has been my passion and the absolute love of my life. I didn't need anything else as long as I had my music. When I lost that feeling, I got very scared and knew that something had to happen. I am not saying that I know that this new plan is exactly right, but I definitely feel called in that direction right now.

So there you have it... the whispers are true :)

I find it unreal how much I have grown as a musician over the last year. Last November I thought I had reached my peak when I nailed my recital. I was sure I couldn't play any better and that was where I would be for the rest of my time. Why I thought this I have no idea because I watch people improve every single day when I am in the school of music.

Today, I played Ave Maria for the district recital for Mu Phi Epsilon. This is my "safety" piece that I pull out when I need something that is unaccompanied and not long. This is very humorous to me because 1) I used it in my audition for the school of music back in 2006 and 2) my Grandfather would have a heart attack if he knew it (he has always had it in his mind that it is too technically difficult to just pull out the way I do). I find it all too interesting that not only do I tend to pull this out at the very last minute, but alot of the time I end up doing it without warm-up (I have actually begun practicing this way because of soemthing Vince DiMartino said about gigs... you don't always get to play a note after a sermon, you just play). This is incredibly risky because it is technically difficult and full of leaps. Yes, there were a few hitches, mainly because of a lack of breathing, but overall I could not be happier.

The scary thing is comparing it to my recital recordings from last November. The tone from November sounds forced and pinchy, my tone today was almost completely pure with no effort. I never thought I would reach this point. I love it.

If I can continue this, I know that I can be happy.

First Baptist Church, Greensboro- 150th Homecoming

So tonight I played for probably the biggest job I have ever had. Back in May, I emailed churches around the area to try to get my name out there so I could make some money (I have learned that you can't sit around and expect for people to know your name... and most churches are willing to take a chance and hire "young" musicians) and I heard back from a handful, but was hired right away by First Baptist Church, Greensboro. I played for one service in May, and was contacted that night about playing for their 150th homecoming.

I originally thought I would be doing basically the same thing I did in May- playing with the orchestra, consisting mainly of middle and high schoolers, and I would play 3rd trumpet to add some support to the middle and high schoolers so they could get some experience playing lead (really a great thing for them, and a great warm-up for me so I can practice afterward). When I walked into rehearsal yesterday, I was VERY surprised to see that 1) it was not the orchestra I played with in May and 2) I was probably the only one with anything less than a masters in music. I saw my main professors wife, a few of my other professors, and musicians that play in Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (the other two trumpets both got a DMA under Dr. Bach right before I got here). Needless to say, I kinda freaked out.

Thankfully, I was able to hold my own with all of these professionals and received many compliments. Of course, I made my share of mistakes, but thankfully nothing too bad. To top it off, I will be playing there again at the end of the month, and maybe a few more times before the end of the year.

So it really does pay off to just jump in and contact people and let them know you are here. Some people may frown on it, that you shouldn't "beg" for jobs. My feeling is this- people need musicians and they will inevitably call my professor when they need a trumpet. If they do call him, I am 99.9% sure that the job will go to someone other than me. If they have my name and number, and even what I typically charge (much lower than some would pay originally because I do not feel that I have the experience yet to warrant the paychecks that some places hand out) then they will call me first. This is not a bad thing, it is just the music business, and you have to work it however you can.

So, first job of the school year- complete and a success! And there is nothing like a nice check to help pay for a trip to Scotland!

Brass Pedagogy

This is going to be the start of a “Trumpet Blog” that I am going to try my best to keep up over the next year while I complete a Trumpet Performance and Music Education degree. It will consist of assignments (like this blog) for various classes, discuss things I am finding in my own playing and in my student’s playing, and things that I do in lessons. So here goes…

Recently, I had to complete a “research” assignment for a Brass Pedagogy class that I am taking. To clear the air, pedagogy is “intended to provide knowledge, experiences, and insights that result in learning”. The initial assignment was to come up with five main things (tenants) that we think are critical to brass playing. My original five were posture, breathing, wind pattern, buzzing, and co-ordination (I will expand on each of these with my thoughts, and the thoughts of many other professional musicians, at a later time). We were then given “the world” of brass pedagogy books to do our research with. That is what I am going to talk about today, because from here on out I will most likely be referring to them quite a bit.

The first book, and probably most valuable to me at this time, is Trumpet Pedagogy by David Hickman. This is what I like to call “the Bible” of trumpet pedagogy books. The book discusses almost every element (if not all elements) of trumpet technique and performance. Some things go into more detail than I currently understand, however it does give a very thorough explanation for everything. One thing that I really like about this book is that it seems to go hand in hand with what my different private lesson instructors have taught.

The second book is not as thorough, but still has a lot of good things to say. Trumpet Technique by Frank Gabriel Campos addresses a lot of technique elements but does not give as much detail as Hickman’s book. It seems like a good read if you are interested in learning more about technique, but doesn’t help as much if you are looking for ways of applying this technique.

The final book is another good one, but again not as thorough as “the bible”. Brass Technique and Pedagogy by Keith Johnson has a more general approach because it is not only covering trumpet, but all of the brass instruments. This book is another one that I will likely refer to because the thoughts seem to be in line with those that I have been taught, and am teaching.

Hopefully these books will help me over this next year as I try to finish these two degrees. I know that I have already picked up a few things and used them in my own playing and teaching, so I am sure that they will prove to be beneficial.