Kids Today!

August 22, 2022

Today is the first day of my 20th year of teaching at Indiana University. IU is a great place to work. I have terrific colleagues and terrific students. Being here this long should make me feel really old, but this just occurred to me: of the 11 brass department members here 5 were hired before me, and 5 have been hired since I’ve been here. At the beginning of the school year it’s fairly common to hear teachers discussing how much students have changed, and students talking about how teachers don’t understand them. While part of that is certainly true, it’s important to remember what stays the same. So here are 3 ideas about what I’ve found to be constants in a world that teachers and students agree is changing faster and faster.

1. There Are No Shortcuts

The people that succeed are the people that do the work. I’m not saying that doing the work will guarantee you success. I am saying that doing the work is a vital part of having a chance at success. Doing the work can mean a lot of different things. Today we’re talking about school, so that means: going to class, doing your homework, practicing, meeting new people, and many other things.

It is way too easy to focus on other people and what you think they are, or aren’t, doing. Here’s a little secret: it doesn’t matter, and you’re probably wrong. While you should engage with other people- make friends, put together groups, build connections, etc.- what your perception of what those people are doing can only take away from you doing something productive. When it’s time to get to work: homework, practice, listening…whatever it is that you’re doing, your focus needs to be singularly directed on yourself. This is time in your life when being selfish is good.

2. The Teacher/Student Relationship is Important

It’s natural for students to complain. Students: guess what? Teachers complain too. And sometimes we complain about students. So while everyone should be able to blow off steam on a regular basis, it’s important to remember that teachers are there to help. And students are there to learn.

Students- it’s too easy to write off any teacher you haven’t connected with as “out of touch” or “not understanding you.” Remember this: every teacher was once in your position. I remember being a 17-year-old college freshman walking in to my first ear training class. The teacher walked in and said “good morning class, sing me an ‘A’.” While I started laughing at the prospect of anyone being able to sing a pitch randomly called, the rest of the class sang an ‘A’. At that moment I thought “oh holy crap, what have I done?” Your teachers have worked and struggled to get where they are. While everyone is different, it’s important to remember that teachers are real people, and not what is standing between you and happiness.

Teachers- it’s too easy to look at the next class of students as “different” and “not getting it.” While each generation of students grows up in some fundamentally different ways (I thought a walkie-talkie was amazing technology in middle school), students are looking for the same thing you were: great information and instruction. The best part of my job is that I get to teach one-on-one. This allows me to try and do what I believe all teachers should be doing: meet the student where they are and help them grow from there. Every student has a different set of strengths and weaknesses. It’s up to us as teachers to figure those out and help those students learn, grow, and know how to continue to learn and grow once they’re out of school. No matter how different you think your students are, it’s vital to form a connection with them so that the two of you can get to work.

3. College is Important

No one has to go to college. Maybe, as a college teacher, I’m not supposed to say that, but it’s true. So why is college important? I’m glad I asked. I’ll give you 3 reasons:

A. As a transition to professional life

Throughout high school, a student’s choices are fairly limited. Students are in their schools all day long, with much of their curriculum specified for them. Once a student graduates college, suddenly they are responsible for…well…everything they do. College can be a great way to make that transition. College students have more say with their time and with their coursework. And they, hopefully, are finding a major that will lead them to something they will want to do, whether directly related to their major or not, once they graduate.

B. As a time to focus your study

If a student knows what they want to do, college can be a great time to dive in and really get going on it. When I was in high school I played in my school’s marching band, concert band, jazz band, while also playing in the city’s youth orchestra. That’s all that was available to me, and I thought it was a lot, and I got a lot out of it. Once I got to college I was in concert band, orchestra, jazz band, brass quintet, brass choir, as well as playing in other students’ projects which included recordings, recitals, and new compositions. So while I was doing everything I could before, once I got to college I was able to really pursue what I wanted to do as a professional.

C. As a way to meet other people like you

Unless you’re at a performing arts high school, most of the people you’re sitting next to in band, orchestra, and choir aren’t thinking about majoring in music. You might be wondering why you seem to care more than others. It’s likely because you do! Where can you find a large group of people that cares as much as you do? In college, majoring in music. Not only can you find people like you, you can make friends and connections that will last a lifetime.

Happy 1st day back.

I hope you have a great school year.

Posted in General, Trumpet | 1 Comment »

Be Prepared

April 15, 2022

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’m no boy scout. Well, I was a cub scout for a short period of time, but much like my time in the Army, it didn’t take. Despite that, today I would like to share with you a story that illustrates the importance of being prepared.

One of the many great experiences our students get here at IU is the chance to have world-class orchestras visit campus. Usually their trips involve masterclasses, side-by-side rehearsals, and a concert. We’ve hosted the Cleveland Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra in the past few years. Selfishly, it’s always a pleasure to be able to spend some time with the musicians of these groups here in Bloomington. Just so you know- Manny Laureano is quite a chess player!

This year we had the pleasure of hosting the St. Louis Symphony. The students had already attended masterclasses, a side-by-side rehearsal, and the concert was Friday night at 8:00 at the IU Auditorium. My phone rang at just after 4:00 on that Friday. It was the personnel manager of the St. Louis Symphony. Her first question almost made me laugh:

“Joey, are you in Bloomington?”

As it turned out, I was. I was walking into a conference room where the brass department was about to meet for two hours regarding the searches we’re conducting this semester. The personnel manager asked if I could play the concert that night. When I asked what they wanted (needed?) me to play, there were two pieces. The first was a piece I’ve never heard of- “Chupshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan”, by James Lee III. She told me I would be playing principal on that. Next on the program was Gershwin’s piano concerto, on which Tom Drake would be playing principal, but would like me to play assistant.

Yes, I was being asked to sight read a concert with the St. Louis Symphony.

Playing principal.

With no notice.

So what did I do? First, I said yes. Then I asked two questions:

What is the orchestra wearing?
Is there any way you could send me the part?

After being told the orchestra was wearing dark suit/tie, and that they would email the part, I went in to my meeting. Like most meetings, it went a little long, so by the time we were done, it was 6:45. I did receive the part, so I knew that I needed a C trumpet and a straight mute for the concert. I had just enough time to go home, change clothes, make a quick sandwich (turkey and swiss-it’s my go-to), and come back to my office. I got my stuff together and walked down the street to the IU Auditorium, arriving at about 7:30.

I walked on stage and found Austin Williams, who is an interim member of the section, sitting there. He very kindly talked me through the piece. Next, I went and found Tom Drake, and asked if there was anything I should know for the Gershwin. He told me the part was marked clearly, and it should be fairly straight-ahead.

So now it’s time for the concert. Many of the Jacobs School of Music faculty and students were there. We started by playing the Ukranian National Anthem, with the conductor saying a few words about the situation there. Then we played the concert. The first piece, written by James Lee III, went well. The conductor, as a thank you, gave me a solo bow. Tom came out and sounded just fantastic on the Gershwin. I know it’s a piano solo, but I had the best seat in the house, sitting on Tom’s left. I had a great time, and really enjoyed getting to play with such a great orchestra.

When I told some of my friends this story, a couple of questions kept coming up:

Were you nervous?

The short answer is: no. I came in, looked over and talked through the parts, and decided that I would give it my best shot.

Are you insane?

Again, I think the answer is: no. I have been saying for years that what I want is to be able to answer the phone and say “yes” and then do the gig, whatever that gig is. There have now been a few times that I’ve put that theory to the test.

This is why I practice the way I practice. I’m not practicing for the purpose of being able to play a certain piece or upcoming gig, or to maintain my chops. I’m practicing to get better, both technically and musically. Because of that, my practice prepares me for unexpected situations. If all I wanted to do was play lead, and that’s all I practiced, then that’s all I could expect to do. The same goes for any type of playing: orchestral, military band, classical solo, jazz solo, or anything else you might consider. Thinking broadly about what is possible as a musician and trumpet player leads me to a different conclusion: if you practice for technical growth and apply to that to all music, the possibilities are endless. I know it’s not literally possible to play everything, that’s why it’s a goal worth pursuing.

Posted in General, Trumpet | 6 Comments »

Make Yourself Uncomfortable

January 21, 2022

Like a lot of professionals I’ve been fortunate, being asked to do a lot of enjoyable projects. Most of the time I’m asked to do things that are in my “comfort zone.” While working in your comfort zone can be fun, productive, and musically rewarding, today I’d like to discuss how making yourself uncomfortable can be good for your musical growth.

A few months ago I was contacted by someone I knew who asked, what I thought, was a very funny question:

“Would you be interested in playing on a tune on John Mellencamp’s next album?”

I, of course, answered that, OF COURSE I would be interested. Shortly after that I had a phone call with Mike Wanchic, who works with Mr. Mellencamp. He told me that he’d send me some tracks and a chart, and that he’d be in touch when they were ready to record. The tracks were a demo of the tune- one just piano, the other piano and someone singing. The chart was a document with the lyrics and some of the chords written below the lyrics.

This is where my discomfort started. Nearly all of the work I do involves someone handing me sheet music, with a very specific idea of what I’m supposed to play. This was completely different. Not only was there no sheet music, I had no idea what I was supposed to play. I spent the next couple of days experimenting, learning the introduction in case I was supposed to play that; learning the piano solo in the middle in case they want that to be trumpet; learning the ending in case that’s something that should have trumpet as well; and generally just trying to get a feel for the song.

The phone call came just a few days after the chart and demo recordings. It was Mike: “I think we’re going to get this done today…can you make it out here later?” At that point I asked: “What exactly do you want me to play?” He told me that I should play where the piano solo is. I said okay. That afternoon the phone rang again, and it was time to go.

When I arrived, Mike took me into the engineer’s booth and introduced me to John Mellencamp. They played what they had recorded that day, and I asked what they wanted me to play, as I wanted to make sure I was doing what they wanted. They told me where to start, and Mr. Mellencamp said I should keep playing until he finished singing.

The recording engineer took me into the studio, set the microphone, handed me headphones, and walked back to the booth. He made sure he could hear me, and that I could hear the recording. Then he asked if I was ready. Normally when I answer “yes” to that question, I really mean it. Normally when I’m about to perform, I’m confident and have a fairly good idea of what is about to happen. Although I answered “yes” to his question, the very clear thought in my head was this:

I have no idea what is about to happen.

I’ve been playing trumpet for a long time, and think of myself as a versatile musician. I’ve played a wide variety of gigs. I’ve played in the Blue Note with Maynard Ferguson. I’ve also played the Georgia State Fair, where we had to wait until the pig races were over before starting (true story!). A couple of years ago I played the score of the movie “West Side Story” with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. A few years before that I played the Holland Tulip Festival (that’s Holland, Michigan) with Myron Floren and Jim Nabors. Like a lot of musicians, I’ve got a bunch of stories from the performances I’ve gotten to do. A lot of times the best stories come from the most…um…challenging…gigs.

It would be easy at this point in my life to keep doing things I’ve done before, and staying comfortable. Here’s the problem: Once you stop trying to move forward, you don’t stay in the same place…you start moving backwards. So even though I knew I had never done anything like this before, I said yes, putting myself in the position of being uncomfortable. It forced me to practice and think about music in a different way.

Now that I had taken a gig without knowing much about it, prepared in a way I had never tried before, and just found out what I was supposed to do, I was standing in a recording studio about to play with no idea if it’s what the people hired me wanted to hear. The recording engineer started the track a few measures before I’m supposed to start playing. I did my best to clear my head, and played. As the tune finished, he stopped the track, and there were a few seconds of silence (where I’m sure there was a short discussion in the booth) and I hear: “Cool…so, are you happy with that?” I laughed, and answered : “It’s your project. If you’re happy, I’m happy. Now that I know that’s okay, I’m happy to do another so you have choices.” He said okay, we did another, and he told me I was all done. I walked into the booth and he played back the track with my solo. John Mellencamp was very nice, and thanked me for coming in. I thanked everybody and went home. I was out of the building in under 20 minutes.

Here’s the tune, “Gone So Soon.” It’s on John Mellencamp’s new album “Strictly A One-Eyed Jack” which just came out today.

I’m very happy to have had this opportunity, as it pushed me in a direction I didn’t even know I had missed. Keep this in mind if someone asks you to do something when your first thought might be “…but that’s not what I do.” Take on the challenge. Put yourself out there.

Make yourself uncomfortable.

Posted in General, Trumpet | Tagged performance, practice, trumpet | 6 Comments »

Education

January 15, 2021

There is never a bad time to talk about education. So much of the trouble I’m worried about is because of a lack of, or just bad, education. With so much information available to us, we should be getting smarter and better. Unfortunately, in a lot of ways, we seem to be getting dumber and worse. Since my areas of expertise are trumpet and music, I’ll do my best to illustrate my points within those contexts. I’ll leave it to you to see if you find them applicable in any larger sense.

Education is really just two things:

Acquisition of skills and knowledge
Facilitating learning

This means that pointing someone in the right direction and telling them to “just figure it out” is not good enough. It also means that telling someone to learn a bunch of facts is also not good enough. We have to help students gain skills and provide them with good information. There are certain things that students need to know. If a student shows up to college hoping to major in music, and they don’t know their major scales, that’s a problem. That same student also needs to show a level of proficiency on their instrument. That’s the “skills and knowledge” part. To succeed in their career, that student also needs to know how to learn. Otherwise they will be stuck with only what is given to them, with no way for them to continue their growth on their own. They will be limited because, from their perspective, “no one ever taught me that.” At that point, there can be no more growth.

So what can we do? I’m glad you asked. Let’s take a look at the first part: skills and knowledge. There has been a shift in education away from memorization of facts. I agree that rote memorization isn’t all that helpful, but learning facts is.

Here’s a quick example of the difference between learning and rote memorization. Quickly answer this question: What is the 12th letter of the alphabet? A lot of you are now singing “a b c d e f g….” in your head to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” while counting on your fingers. So you think you know the alphabet, but you really just have it memorized in one way. That’s not the type of learning I’m going for. That’s rote memorization. Useful…but limited. Learning provides a depth of understanding that allows to use the information, not just recite it exactly the way you learned it. If I ask you to play the fifth note of the Db major scale, and you have to count up to Ab instead of just playing it, you have a lot more work to do on your major scales.

Education also needs to include learning to separate facts from fiction and opinions. I’ve written about this a bit before here: You’re Not Always Entitled to Your Opinion, and here: Expertise. Recognizing that facts are true whether or not anyone likes them is vital. I don’t like that about 1/4 of the bones in the human body are in the feet (yes, 26 bones per foot-so 52 in both feet- and 206 in the human body). It seems they should be more spread out. But I don’t get to disregard that, or choose not to believe it. Just as vital is recognizing that anyone that says “I get to believe whatever I want” is acting stupidly. Yes- stupidly.

I’m seeing WAY TOO MUCH of this kind of stupidity right now. In trying to figure out why, I’ve come to a conclusion. For a lot of people, it’s much more comfortable and convenient to believe what is easy, rather than what is true. Let’s take a really simple example: high notes. I’ve had a lot of success teaching trumpet players how to extend their range. There are lots of players around the world that have dedicated time and effort and had success extending their ranges. Despite all of that evidence, there are lots of people that still believe that “you’ve either got it…or you don’t.” That’s just stupid. But it is comfortable and convenient. Once someone believes that, despite it being demonstrably false, they have a built in excuse for themselves. They can easily think “see, it’s not my fault.” Comfortable…convenient…and stupid.

You might be asking: So what? If they don’t believe in facts they’ll just get left behind, and that’s okay with you. Well, it’s not quite that simple, and it’s not okay with me. As there are more and more people that don’t believe in facts, some of them start teaching. And what do they teach? They teach what they believe, which is not based in reality. Then they have students that have been taught information which is provably false. If you “know” that trumpet range is something one is born with, as you’ve been taught that since you began playing trumpet, how can we have a discussion about how you could gain range, as you’ve already decided you weren’t born with it? This leads to people only associating with others that share their beliefs. At this point, overall growth is stifled, as we have no place to even start a discussion.

This is why facts are so important. Facts give us a foundation, a reality, that we can agree on. This is what allows us to get to the second part. As students gain skills and knowledge, focus can shift to application and continued growth. In music, as in all areas, there is always more to learn. So as we gain skills and knowledge, we can learn more pieces of music. In learning how to apply the skills and knowledge, we also learn how to continue learning. As I’ve told my students many times, it’s really a simple process: we practice the fundamentals of the trumpet so that we can perform music. When you find music that you can’t perform because of technical limitations, there’s more to practice on the fundamental side. This process is never-ending.

If you do this correctly, you can keep growing for a very, very long time.

Posted in General, Trumpet | 2 Comments »

Expertise

April 29, 2020

I truly enjoy the amount of sharing that goes on in the trumpet community. Going to the National Trumpet Competition and the International Trumpet Guild convention are regularly highlights of my year. In those settings, I’m around so many trumpet players, trumpet teachers, trumpet makers, as well as composers, arrangers, and publishers. By far, most of the people seem to be doing the same thing I am: checking out what everyone else has to offer.

That being said, what everyone has to offer is not equal. With all of us trumpet players at home over the last couple of months, there’s been a lot more activity online, both performing and teaching. I’ve covered some of this ground before, but I think it’s worth revisiting. Today what I’d like to focus on is expertise.

If you follow me on any online format, you might notice that I don’t offer direction on religion or politics (on these two subjects, I don’t discuss them online at all). You also might notice I don’t tell people what to think about nuclear physics, architecture, botany, or combinatorics (although I do wonder what it would have been like if Pascal could have met Euler…that would have been cool). There’s a reason: I have no expertise in these areas.

Now, before you start telling me how everyone is allowed their own voice, and entitled to their own opinion (part of which I covered here: You’re Not Always Entitled to Your Opinion), how those opinions are communicated is important.

I certainly have opinions, strong ones, about many things. For example, I believe wearing socks with sandals is just NOT OKAY. My wife and daughters all disagree- and continue to wear the hideous combination. I believe that basketball is, by far, the best sport to watch and to play. I don’t understand why anyone watches car racing…or plays soccer. I believe toilet paper should ALWAYS be over the top, not under the bottom. These are serious, strong opinions that I have, and will happily argue with you about…for long periods of time.

What we do not have is our own facts. No matter what anyone says, the trumpet is not a string instrument. There are people out there that continue to confuse opinion and fact. Recently, on FaceBook, someone I went to high school with put up an article that was not true. So I put up a few articles showing her that what she put up was verifiably false. After a little back and forth, she wrote that we could agree to disagree. I wrote back that we could disagree on opinions, but not on facts. After that, she wrote that she didn’t care that what she put up was false. This is not okay.

What I’m concerned about now is people either:

Offering their opinion as fact, and/or
Don’t care about facts at all.

Here’s why I’m bringing this up. With everyone at home, there seems to be a flood…avalanche…tsunami…well, just a lot of people jumping online to tell you: 1) how great they are, and 2) what you should be doing. Here’s my overarching message for today (and yes, I realize that I am now telling you what to do):

BE DISCERNING!

When you’re online checking out what people are writing and playing, please take a second to ask if this is worth your time. There is a lot of good information out there. And there have been some really spectacular performances (if you haven’t seen Matthias Höfs video entitled “Trumpet Excerpts-Fantasy”- go to YouTube right now and check it out…I’ve never met Mr. Höfs, but I am a fan). There are also lots of other people sharing what they happen to be up to.

Let me make this very clear: I am not looking to dissuade anyone from sharing what they’re doing. What I want is for everyone to take a second to think about whether what you’re watching or reading is worth your time. Here are some guidelines that could help. First, let’s talk about teaching.

Does it sound too good to be true?

Trumpet pedagogy is more art than science, so watch out for people offering miracles. If someone tells you they can solve any and/or all of your trumpet problems without hearing or seeing you play, please keep scrolling.

Is this someone I should trust?

It’s not hard to do a little bit of homework to find out about the person posting. If there’s no teaching experience, no track record of pedagogy, no record of success…there’s no reason to keep going.

Is it about you…or them?

Teaching is much more about giving than taking. If you run across people telling you what you need to do for them, those aren’t teachers.

The playing side might be more difficult. It’s possible to find anyone on a bad day, and think you’re really cool by posting Player X sounding bad. That’s not okay. That’s just mean. I will admit, there are videos people have posted of themselves that I have found quite amusing (even though that was not their intent) that I have watched and shared with my friends. And that’s okay. My general rule on this is simple: if you post a video of your playing, it’s fair game.

There are people doing innovative, creative, high level performances for us online. I am not surprised that the music community continues to find a way to share art under difficult circumstances. Enjoy it! But, again, just because it’s online, even in a pretty package, doesn’t mean it’s worth your time. As you listen to more and more people, ask yourselves:

Would I Pay to See This?

I use this with my students. After a performance of an etude, I will ask: if you were looking for a performance of that etude, would you buy what you just played? If the answer is no…then you still have work to do.

The amount of free content available means that there is no quality control. This is where you come in. There are people out there that have gotten good at technology and marketing…but maybe not so much at the trumpet or music. But with their skills, they get a lot of people to watch, and with a lot of views, they become tacitly accepted as “good.” Then you see more and more of their stuff.

There are experts out there. But they’re getting harder and harder to find. Because of that, more and more bad information is not just getting “out there” but is not being challenged because of its prevalence. I’m not willing to accept this.

Continue to seek out experts. These are the people that are devoting large parts of their lives for the betterment of what we do. This is why when I see something I like, I subscribe. I’m trying, in my own small way, to raise the bar. Please join me.

Posted in General | 4 Comments »

Do Something New

January 31, 2020

January has been a lot of fun. After ringing in the new year with the Cincinnati Pops, I flew down to Houston to play a Pops weekend with the Houston Symphony. These are two great orchestras that I always enjoy playing with. I’ll be back with both of them in February, which means at least two very important things:

Skyline Chili
Real Mexican food

Some of you might think that there is good Mexican food where you live. There’s really no argument here. I’ve been all over the country. I’ve been to Mexico. I’ve tried. Really tried. And I’m sure being born and raised in Texas doesn’t make me extremely biased. The best Mexican food is in Texas. End of story.

Where to eat when you travel is an important topic. Perhaps we can discuss this further in a future post.

What I want to discuss today is what I did the week after playing in Houston. It started in October with a text from Andy Baker, a trombonist in Chicago, that asked:

“Do you happen to play slide trumpet?”

Now I’ll be honest with you. The real answer was: No. This is not how I answered Andy. I told Andy that I do own a slide trumpet and have messed around with it a bit. It turns out that Andy was putting together a group to record two pieces written by Leo Sowerby for the Paul Whiteman Orchestra that have not previously been recorded. The lead trumpet book includes a slide trumpet double. So of course I said yes.

After receiving the music, I noticed that some of the slide trumpet parts are solos, and way outside of my extremely limited skill on the instrument. This brings me to the title of this post. I decided that I needed to do something new: get better at slide trumpet. Leading up to the recording, I added slide trumpet practice to my day. Please note that I wrote “added” not “put it in and took something else out”. I’ve covered this topic here: “In addition to,” not “Instead of.”

Here’s a video from the first rehearsal (thanks to my trumpet section mate Brent Turney for taking this):

Now it’s your turn.

What have you done lately that pushed you outside of your comfort zone?

What are you doing that is truly new to you?

What do you want to be doing that you’re not currently doing?

It’s time to answer these questions. If you think about where true growth comes from, it’s from, at least in part, doing something you’ve never done before. This can be a frightening proposition for some. There are people that have come to me asking how to get better at playing in the upper register. I ask them what they currently practice to get better at playing in the upper register, and most of the time the answer is: nothing. This makes my job really easy.

If you can’t do something, and you don’t work towards doing it, it’s likely that you’ll continue to be unable to do it.

If there’s something you want to do that you can’t yet do, it’s time to make a plan. You might surprise yourself with how much you can achieve with a little bit of work every day.

At this point you might be thinking “but…why?” Because growth for growth’s sake is important. Too many people get stuck in school only doing what’s required of them. Then they get jobs…and only do what’s required of them. Then they wonder why they’re not happy.

What you choose to do is what makes you an individual. And interesting. And smart.

Don’t do it because it’s easy….it’s not.

Don’t do it because it’s convenient…it’s not.

Do it because it’s worth it.

Posted in General, Trumpet | 4 Comments »

Play Something Fun

December 23, 2019

If you, like me, live on an academic calendar, you might have some time off right around now. During the school year, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with how much you have to get done. This applies especially to music. With the responsibilities of lessons, ensembles, chamber groups, and any performing you might be doing outside of school, there’s just never enough time for everything.

Now that school is out, there are no lessons, no ensembles, and no chamber groups. Sure, there are still outside performances, but now you have time to focus on something different. So…what should you do? Here’s my idea:

Pick something fun you’ve always wanted to do, and do it. There are no firm rules here. The idea here is to choose something that you think will be fun, and then go to it. A break from the day-to-day of school is a good idea. That doesn’t mean you should stop practicing or being creative. I’ll give you an example.

Those of you that know me know that I play in Tromba Mundi, which is a professional trumpet ensemble made up of six university professors from all over the country. We have existed as a group for about 12 years. During that time, we’ve recorded four CDs (the fourth isn’t out just yet…I’ll let you know when it is as I’m sure you’re going to want to hear it). In our time together, the six of us have become very good friends.

A few years ago, JC Dobrzelewski suggested the idea of a Christmas CD. At the time, the rest of us mocked him mercilessly for suggesting something so ridiculous. After all, what are friends for? Since then, the idea has come back around more than a few times…by friends, other colleagues, even among ourselves. At this point it has become a running joke within the group. More recently, Bill Stowman wrote alternate lyrics for “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” which detail some of the inner workings of Tromba Mundi. No, I will not be including Bill’s lyrics here.

I’ve liked the idea of a trumpet ensemble for a long time. But that doesn’t mean just playing all of the standard repertoire. Trumpet ensemble should be musically diverse enough to perform all kinds of music. With that, I give you my Christmas break project (although since I finished early, I may have to start on something else now). It’s a jazz waltz, with a half-time swing ending (complete with high notes!) written for 4 Bb trumpets, flugelhorn, and bass trumpet. This is “The Most Mundiest Time of the Year,” dedicated to my Tromba Mundi colleagues: Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, Scott Belck, JC Dobrzelewski, John Marchiando, and Bill Stowman.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Let me know what you’re doing.

Have a great break.

Posted in General, Trumpet | Tagged music, performance, trumpet, trumpet ensemble | 2 Comments »

One Thing at a Time

November 21, 2019

It’s a busy time of year. In addition to the normal school schedule, I spent last week with Tromba Mundi, performing and presenting masterclasses in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This week I’m performing with Boston Brass. I know I’m not the only one that’s busy. If you’ve looked at your daily calendar* and been overwhelmed, so you switch to look at the whole week thinking that will help, only to switch to view the whole month, then abruptly ran away screaming, I’m here for you.

*(I am assuming that all of you are using digital calendars at this point. If you’re still writing your schedule on paper, I’m not sure what to do with you. It’s time. If you’re reading this, you have access to a digital calendar that will likely be available to you anywhere you have any kind of connection. It will also sync across devices so that if you change something on your phone, when you next look on your computer, the change will be there. It’s like magic. Join us in the 21st century.)

If you believe you’re really good at multitasking, I’ve got some news for you. You’re not. If you’re engaging in something important, it deserves your full attention.

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, which is not a subtle reference to the underrated sitcom from the 70s, my advice is quite simple. Do one thing at a time. Looking at a seemingly endless list of things to do can sometimes drive people to get nothing done at all. With so much to do, your brain tells you that you can’t possibly get it all done, so you don’t do any of it. Or, with so much to do, it’s possible to spend time frantically going back and forth between things deemed important, without fully committing to any one of them. The formal term for this kind of approach is “half-assed.”

Remember this:

You can’t do everything every day.

If you’re trying to squeeze 25 hours into a day, I’m betting that you’re tired and frustrated. Here’s what you can do:

Make a list of everything you want to do.

Put it in order of importance.

Set the amount of time you have to give today.

Start at the top of the list.

When you’re out of time, stop.

Start where you left off the next day.

This works for both long-term planning, so that you don’t wait until the night before the paper is due to start working on it, as well as short-term planning, so that your practice time covers everything over the course of a week. Too often lists are made, and every day starts at the top of the same list, ensuring that you can never make it to the bottom, thus giving yourself the feeling that you never get anything done.

Invest in the work and enjoy the results.

If you find yourself overworked and stressed, remember to take the time to enjoy what you’ve done. Musicians can be really bad at this. After a lot of rehearsal time, the concert comes, and instead of enjoying the result of all of the work put into it, we stress about our perception of what others may have thought, then pick it apart ourselves. Then we go right back into rehearsal the next day. If you’ve truly done the work, you deserve to enjoy the results. There is no perfect concert. That doesn’t mean you can’t take some time to enjoy the results of your efforts. When I talk to my students after recitals I will usually end with “Take the rest of the night off.” It may be a cheesy, really teacher-y thing to say, but I’m not kidding.

Since you’re here, there’s one more thing I’d like to discuss. It is absolutely related to my topic today. I think we can now agree that taking one thing at a time is a good idea. I believe this concept can be applied to our culture at large, especially in one particular area. With that in mind, here’s my proposal:

ONE HOLIDAY AT A TIME!

We all know this is a problem. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, it’s clearly part of the American landscape. I’ve already proven beyond any doubt that Thanksgiving is the best holiday (The Case for Thanksgiving), so why can’t we wait until one holiday is over before starting the next? It’s the same as above. When you start investing in Christmas before Thanksgiving…or Halloween…or Labor Day, you’re cheating yourself of the full enjoyment of each holiday. By the way, this applies to music (no Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving), movies (just avoid the Hallmark channel, they’ve been running “holiday movies” since October), clothing (your ugly sweater will be more effective in December…trust me), and decorations (your lights can stay tangles a little bit longer).

Okay, now that we’re in agreement, I’m going to play a Christmas concert wearing a bright red shirt…in November. Crap- I’m part of the problem.

Posted in General | Comments Off on One Thing at a Time

How to be a Good Student

October 28, 2019

Last month I wrote about Pedagogy, which hopefully provided some good information on what to look out for from teachers. Following up on that, today we’ll discuss what makes a good student. With so much information available, there are ideas that might be contradictory, or at least appear so. It can be difficult to separate people that are saying the same thing differently from those voicing contradictory ideas. Here are a few important things to keep in mind.

Be Open-minded

This is, by far, the most important aspect of being a good student. Although we may all be looking for the same result, there is usually more than one way to get there. It’s possible that someone could offer you a path you had never considered before. Letting go of what “you know works” could be the key to getting past what you previously thought was unachievable, or even impossible. If you think you already have all of the answers, you are not a student.

Be Willing to Admit When You’re Wrong

It seems, especially online, people have a hard time admitting when they’re wrong. Notice I didn’t write “if.” I wrote “when.” Yes- you will be wrong at some point (even you trumpet players out there). When someone can show you that you are wrong, say thank you. It’s okay to be wrong. It’s not okay, once shown clearly that you are, to deny it. Would you like to walk around “knowing” 2+2=5? I hope not. If you’re not able to admit when you’re wrong, you can’t be a good student.

Seek Good Sources

Please note that I wrote “sources,” not just a good source. In whatever you are studying, there are multiple experts. I have had the good fortune to study with several terrific trumpet teachers, including Barbara Butler, Gil Johnson, Mel Broiles, and Vince DiMartino. Although very different players and teachers, each played an important part in my development.

Good sources are more difficult to discern than they used to be. There are lots of people who have gotten really good at marketing that are spending their time trying to convince the world how good they are instead of actually being good. You can learn marketing from them. When looking for a good source, look for someone with quantifiable credentials that is going to invest in you at least as much as you invest in them.

I’ve written this before, and I’ll probably write it again: there is no 1-to-1 regarding playing and teaching. There are great players that are great teachers. Listen to them play, and follow their teaching. There are great players that are not great teachers. Listen to them play, and learn from what they did to get where they are. There are great teachers that are not great players. Follow their teaching. There are people that are not great teachers or great players. You do not need to seek out these people.

Invest in the Process

Once you’ve opened your mind to new ideas, realized you could be wrong in your preconceptions, and sought out expert help, it’s time to get to work. There is no substitute for good work. If you understand how to do something, but don’t spend any time actually doing it, you’ll be severely limited. It’s the combination of taking in new information and putting it to use that leads to true growth. When you’re working on new ideas, you might get frustrated. That’s okay. If you never get frustrated while working, you might not be working hard enough.

Keep Being a Student

Your education shouldn’t stop when you leave school. School is an excellent place to be a student. Once you leave, it can be harder to stay in that growth mindset. In school, there are a lot of people holding you accountable. Once you leave school, that goes away. You might have a job that holds you accountable in certain ways, but it’s not the same. Being able to do your job well, although important, may not have a lot to do with your continued growth. Should you want to keep growing and getting better, and you should want that, keep working with these same concepts: Stay Open-minded, Remember that You Could be Wrong, Keep Seeking Good Sources, and Invest the Time.

Next month I’m hitting the road with Tromba Mundi. The time we spend together is always truly enjoyable. Yes- we rehearse and perform, but the time we spend talking about music, trumpet, and pedagogy is at least as valuable to me as the time we spend playing. In our group of six trumpet players, there are a lot of strongly held opinions and ideas. Because we have built such good relationships, we can have very open discussions. As a professional, it can be easy to get too comfortable with how you think and operate. It’s important to be able to communicate with people that have different ideas than yours. If you can’t, you’ve limited your potential growth.

Here’s the good and the bad news: there is no end to this process. If you think there’s a finish line to learning, you’re doing it wrong. Done correctly, you can continue to grow forever.

Posted in General, Trumpet | 2 Comments »

Pedagogy

September 10, 2019

Since it’s the beginning of a new school year, it seems like a good idea to talk about pedagogy. With so many resources available today, it can be difficult to separate what may help you from what is just garbage from what could actually harm you. To aid you in your search for good pedagogy, I’ve put together a list of five warning signs. If you encounter any of these, think hard before proceeding.

There are so many great teachers out there, I wish I didn’t feel the need for this post. What I have noticed is that, in the online community, the people that post the most can gain some credibility. This is not okay. Just because someone has enough time to keep posting does not mean they know anything at all. In the trumpet community, several of the most well-known pedagogues have virtually no online presence. Unfortunately, in the absence of those people, others with far less knowledge and expertise are attempting to fill the online void.

With that in mind, here are five warning signs.

1. Shortcuts

If you find a teacher that is telling you they’ve got a shortcut to getting better, be wary. Regardless of teaching styles, there is no substitute for practice. When I started thinking really long-term about playing the trumpet, I started asking older trumpet players I respected what and how they practiced. Without exception, they all talked about the importance of practicing fundamentals.

There are “teachers” out there that advertise shortcuts to big improvement. Unfortunately, what they’re selling doesn’t exist. Although there are certainly smart ways to practice, there is no substitute for good practice.

There are no shortcuts.

2. Guarantees

If someone guarantees that you’ll be able to do something you can’t do now in a specific time period, especially if the time period is short, run away. Individual progress isn’t something that is easy to measure or predict. There are people that will have a lot of growth right away, while others working just as hard will take longer to get to the same place. There are times when people will feel like they’ve hit a plateau and just can’t get past it, despite really productive growth up until that point. Learning is not a straight line, and every person is different.

I have seen young players ask questions online like:

I need to be able to play a high C in 3 weeks. How do I do that?

Invariably, people answer. This makes me cringe. No one answering has met, heard, or seen the player.

When someone is offering you a guarantee, especially if they’ve never heard you play, they’re lying to you.

3. Secrets

This is my favorite. I have been very fortunate to study with great teachers. None of them ever pretended that what they knew was any kind of proprietary knowledge that only they had. I often talk to my students about the “Trumpet World”. Often it is to show them just how small it can be, and how interconnected we are as trumpet players. Tromba Mundi, a professional trumpet ensemble of which I am a member, is made up of six college professors. We are in a perpetual discussion about all things, including pedagogy.

Good teachers talk openly about their teaching. They happily exchange theories and practices. They want what they teach to continue and grow.

If someone tells you that they have the secret, and they’re the only one that can give it to you, the secret they have is that they’re a bad teacher. Let’s make sure that doesn’t stay a secret.

4. Gadgets and Equipment

If someone tells you that using a specific gadget or buying specific equipment will magically enhance your trumpet playing, hold on to your money. This is somewhat related to #1- Shortcuts. A few years ago I did a presentation entitled “The Emperor’s New Clothes- Gadgets in the Trumpet World” at the International Trumpet Guild conference. I caught some flak afterwards from some that, I believe, missed the point I was trying to make. So I’ll try again here. Too often, the people using gadgets will say things like:

” If you don’t have time to practice, just use….”

“I was running late, so I just used…..”

“I didn’t want to take my horn with me on vacation, so I used….”

Here’s the truth:

Using gadgets is not a substitute for practice.

If you’ve found something that you think can help in addition to your practice, go for it. If you think that you can use something instead of practicing, you’re making a mistake.

Equipment poses a more complex problem. As you grow and evolve as a musician, it can be difficult to know how and when to address whether or not to make a change in equipment. For today’s discussion, let’s keep it simple:

There is no magic equipment.

If someone tells you that all that stands between you and immortality is a specific mouthpiece or trumpet, they’re trying to steal your money.

5. “Schools”

When I write “schools”, I do not mean actual schools, like the one at which I teach. Schools can be wonderful places to learn. What I mean by “schools” is the rigidity of basing all pedagogy from the mouth of one person. It is somewhat related to #3-Secrets. This is the most complicated part of this post. Please stick with me.

In a lot of cases “schools” start with one person doing a lot of really great teaching. I not only have no problem with these people, I have tremendous respect for the work they did. My problem comes from thinking that any one of them was the only person who could teach. This leads to thinking that your “school” holds the secret, and no one else really understands.

The history of the “Trumpet World” is filled with great teachers. Lots of great players have come from these great teachers. Lots of great players have also come from other places, studying with people that aren’t nearly as well-known. We all know this. But there are segments of the “Trumpet World” that act as if only “Teacher X” really knew how to teach. This is simply fiction.

If you studied with one of these teachers and are thinking:

“Hey, wait a minute, my teacher was great. Why is Joey attacking my teacher?”‘

I’m not. It is likely that I really like your teacher. The point I’m trying to make is that just because your teacher was great doesn’t mean others weren’t.

If you think that only one person could teach, and that person is now dead, that means that your pedagogy is now dead too. This is unacceptable.

Pedagogy should be an ever-evolving process, growing as needed with each generation. We take what our teachers gave to us and, combined with our experiences, pass on what we know to our students.

Posted in General, Trumpet, Uncategorized | Tagged music, pedagogy | 6 Comments »

Tartellog