Tartellog

What I Did Over Summer “Vacation”.

August 18, 2015

It’s that time again. My lovely hometown of Bloomington, Indiana is being overrun with moving trucks, nervous parents, and new students. Target looks like a warehouse of dorm supplies. A new school year is upon us.

That means it’s a good time to take a quick look back over the summer and see what, if anything, got done. When you live on an academic calendar, the year breaks into three distinct parts:

FIRST SEMESTER- where we can use the excuse, “but it’s just the beginning of the year” way too long…right up until “well, it’s almost Thanksgiving, so the semester is basically over.”

SECOND SEMESTER- where we can start with “but I just got back from Winter Break” until Spring Break is in view.

and

SUMMER- where “but I was in school all year…I’m just going to take a little time off” can leave you heading back to school wondering what happened.

So let’s take a look back at this Summer and see how we did.

Summer can be the time you can really focus on what you want to be doing. During the school year, your responsibilities also include what your teacher is giving you and what you’re playing in ensembles. Part of your regular practice should always include what you want to be doing as well. Summer can be a time where this gets more attention.

There were three projects I was really looking forward to this summer.

First was being part of Bert Truax’s Trumpet Camp. It’s a terrific camp in Dallas. Bert brings in a different guest artist, with a different performance emphasis, each day. The guest works with the students during the day, and puts on a recital that evening. Being brought in as a lead/commercial player makes programming the recital difficult, as I am working with only a pianist. I took this opportunity to program works I’d never performed before, but always wanted to play, that would highlight stylistic versatility. I included two movements of Toot Suite (the C trumpet and Flugelhorn movements), and the unaccompanied piece I Remember… by Dana Wilson. My experience at the camp was fantastic, and the recital was very well received.

Second was a Faculty Brass Quintet concert at with some of my colleagues at IU. We’ve talked about doing something like this in the past, but our schedules never line up exactly right. This summer it finally happened. We got together for several rehearsals over a three week period and put together quite a program. Having Jeff Nelsen as the hornist, we included some Canadian Brass pieces- the Little Fugue in G Minor and Beale St. Blues. With Dan Perantoni playing tuba, we played pieces written for the St. Louis Brass Quintet- Tony Plog’s Four Sketches and Joey Sellers’ arrangement of Sweet Georgia Brown. Carl Lenthe brought Enrique Crespo’s Suite Americana No. 1 to the group. It’s a very challenging piece that is well worth the effort. John Rommel and I do a fair amount of recording together in Indianapolis, but getting to play with him, Jeff, Carl, and Dan in this setting was truly a treat. I hope it’s something we’ll do again.

Third was a recording project with Tromba Mundi. This will be our third recording, and on it is a wide variety of music for trumpet ensemble. Several of the pieces on the recording are brand new and written especially for us. I always enjoy the time we get to spend together, and the week we had in August was no exception. Those of you who know me know I like playing a wide variety of horns on a daily basis. The bass trumpet has become a fixture in the group. On this recording I played six different trumpets: Bb, C, Eb, piccolo, alto, and bass (what…no flugel?). As much as I did not enjoy carrying all of these instruments around, I did enjoy the opportunity to record with each of them. I’ll let you know when the recording is out, but (shameless plug alert!) we are playing in Carnegie Hall on October 7. Come on out and hear us.

These three experiences would all be much more difficult to accomplish during the school year. And that’s not to say that the rest of the summer was spent with my feet up. I had a great time playing with the St. Louis and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, and teaching at Performing Arts Institute and Birch Creek Performing Arts Center. Getting the time to prepare and perform a full solo recital, a brass quintet concert, and a trumpet ensemble recording leaves me feeling that my summer was well spent.

I hope yours was as well.

Posted in Trumpet | 1 Comment »

The Power of Mental Focus

May 13, 2015

In the time I’ve been teaching trumpet lessons, I’ve worked with students of all ages, interest levels, and experience- beginners getting their horns for the first time, high school students, professionals, come back players, and of course college students. For the long term growth as a musician and trumpet player, one of the most important concepts (and sometimes the most difficult to teach) needed is mental focus.

When I first started teaching beginners, this is what I told them:

“If you practice everything I give you, the stuff you are responsible for in band is going to be pretty easy. You’re going to sound really good in band, and your director will be very happy with you. Your director and the other kids in band will think you’re very good. But we’ll know the truth.”

Then I would explain to them what I meant by “the truth.” The truth is that our playing is always changing. Done right, our playing is always growing. In the big picture we need to do two things:

Practice how to play the horn. In other words- fundamentals.
Practice what to play on the horn. In other words- music.

(There’s a lot of overlap here, as fundamentals should be played musically, and playing music can certainly inform our technique and spur fundamental growth…but that’s a discussion for another day.)

So “the truth” is that there is always work to be done on our playing. Always.

There are two reasons I told my beginners this. They are:

to give them confidence when playing in a group, whether in a performance or rehearsal, that they have the tools necessary to do a terrific job.
to stave off the stereotype of the “cocky trumpet player” by letting them know that there’s always more work to be done. When things go well, it’s a result of good practice, and not because they were anointed by magic fairies at birth with a special potion that made them the greatest players the world has ever heard.

This worked well. Since I started teaching college, it has surprised me how many students get this backwards. I hear how their thought process in rehearsals and performances focuses on what is lacking, and the thought process in the practice room focuses on how good everything is.

I found this troubling. So, like always, let’s start with the easy stuff:

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses

This seems like a simple enough statement. Here’s why I bring it up. When in a group, it can be easy to focus on someone else’s strengths, especially if they are your weaknesses. This is a quick road to Insecureville, which is right next to Underconfident City. Once you arrive there, it’s very difficult to play your best, as you will be telling yourself how much you can’t do. Similarly, there are those that like to focus on someone else’s weaknesses, especially if it matches their strengths. This is the express lane to Conceitedton, which borders Cockyberg. Once you arrive there, you are so sure of yourself you don’t play your best because, no matter what comes out of your horn, you’ve already convinced yourself you’re the greatest thing since the invention of nachos (mmmm….nachos).

These are bad places for your mind to dwell. Here’s how mental focus can help.

When practicing, focus on your weaknesses

Again, this may seem simple. For a lot of people, closing the door to the practice room and really admitting to and working on a weakness can be very difficult. Once you really commit to this kind of focus while practicing, you’ll see the benefits.

Which brings us to:

When performing, focus on your strengths

When it’s time to play with others, your mental focus needs to shift. Finding the mental place of being confident without being cocky can be a challenge. Your mental focus will be most beneficial if it is focused on what you bring to the performance. If you’ve been practicing well, this can help, as you’ve built a habit of playing the instrument well fundamentally and musically in the practice room.

The Circle of Growth

If you can take charge of your mental focus, you can build a circle of growth. At the top of the circle is practice. Since you’re focusing on your weaknesses in the practice room, you’re getting better and better at the instrument, building your confidence in what you’re able to do. At the bottom of the circle is performance. Since you’re focusing on your strengths in performance, your performances become better, building upon the good habits you’ve build in the practice room. After your performance, you take what didn’t go as well as you’d like in the performance into the practice room and treat it as a weakness to be worked on.

Keep doing this. Forever.

Posted in General, Trumpet | Tagged music, performance, practice, trumpet | 1 Comment »

The Case Against Buzzing

April 22, 2015

Buzzing seems to be a divisive topic in the brass world. Some consider it an absolute necessity. Others say it’s useless. Although the title of this article may lead you to believe I’m against buzzing, I’m not. I am against bad technique. And there are some dangers in buzzing to watch out for.

First let’s clarify what we mean by buzzing. There are 3 large categories:

Free buzzing- Making sounds with only the lips.
Rim buzzing- Using only the rim of a mouthpiece (or a mouthpiece visualizer) to make sound.
Mouthpiece buzzing- Using a mouthpiece to make sound.

Now let’s move on to the fun part. When buzzing in any of the ways mentioned above, you are not doing exactly the same thing as when you are playing the instrument. When free buzzing or buzzing on a rim, the sound is made at the lips. When on a mouthpiece, the sound comes out the end of the mouthpiece. As soon as you put the mouthpiece back into the horn, the sound comes out of the bell. This difference is significant. The instrument provides a certain amount of resistance that obviously does not exist when buzzing. This brings us to:

DANGER #1: Creating Resistance

When looking for the same exact feel as playing the instrument, some people will resort to creating their own resistance. Often, this is done in the neck. People will tighten up their necks when buzzing to get the same feel of resistance. Sometimes this can be easier to see than to feel. If you’re concerned, buzz while standing in front of a mirror, and look at the side of your neck. Once you start doing this while buzzing, it can be difficult to stop doing when you’re playing.

A really good exercise that I’ve seen several people use in buzzing is making a siren sound. First, take a nice, easy breath. Next, buzz a comfortable low pitch and gliss up and down. The aim is to make both the feel and the sound very free. While playing the trumpet with this smooth, consistent blow, we build the coordination of seamlessly moving from the center of pitch on one note to the next. Since the lips, rim, and/or mouthpiece provide no help in finding the center of pitch, we are now at:

DANGER #2: Placing Notes

The siren exercise shows how buzzing does not help finding the middle of any one pitch. But when people move to playing simple melodies or exercises that require specific pitches, often they will look for the same feel of certainty as they get when playing the trumpet. This can lead to a slight hitch just before the initial attack, and/or, tonguing too hard (to put that note in place). When working with specific pitches, sit at a piano and play the note first. If you don’t have a piano, most smartphones have tunings apps that will also play any specified pitch. Get it in your ear, then take your best shot. Should you miss, gliss to the center of the pitch before moving on. When moving between notes, start by thinking of each interval as a gliss. If you want to have beautiful intervals in the music you play, start by blowing from one note to the next, making each interval a mini-siren. As you get better, you’ll be able to make the transitions quicker without placing them. Then, when you make the transition to playing the instrument, the trumpet will actually make it easier when you are blowing from note-to-note.

The last big problem to tackle today is one of my favorites: range. There are those who say that to be able to play the note on a trumpet, you need to be able to buzz it. I have not found this to be true. To be able to do so brings us to:

DANGER #3: Physical Manipulation

When it comes to range, trumpet players will do all kinds of crazy things to try and play higher. I’ll be happy to revisit how I believe range to just another aspect of playing that can be improved with dedicated practice and good technique, just like sound, articulation, flexibility, and finger dexterity, another time. But for now, I want to warn you about the dangers of wacky physical manipulations to make higher notes come out while buzzing. The first one is covered above in DANGER #1. Part of trumpet playing, and this includes playing in the upper register, is blowing against the resistance of the trumpet. Without that resistance, especially in the upper register, people will lock up their necks to get it. There are several examples on the internet. Another physical manipulation to watch out for is stopping your air. Ideally, when playing the trumpet, you take a nice easy breath and, coordinated with the tongue, blow right back out. The air does not stop. But some will demonstrate upper range, especially while buzzing, by taking a breath, holding it, then using the tongue to release the air and put that note in its place (see DANGER #2 above). This technique might get the note to speak, but the sound will be thinner and trumpet playing has now gotten harder by adding two steps: 1) stopping the air, and 2) restarting the air. The last physical manipulation I want to warn you about today is mouthpiece pressure. Generally speaking, I don’t see a lot a problems with too much pressure while playing the trumpet. The problem certainly exists, but I don’t think it to be as big of a problem as others. Mouthpiece buzzing, especially into the upper register, is a different story. Trumpet players will mash that mouthpiece as hard as they can to get higher notes to speak. One way to combat this is to hold the mouthpiece with your thumb and index finger at the spot where it meets the trumpet. If you’ve been playing any length of time, there’s already a line there. Use it.

As you can see, I don’t hate buzzing, or think it’s inherently evil. It can be valuable if practiced well. Dedicated is good. Smart and dedicated is better.

Posted in Trumpet | Tagged Buzzing, practice, trumpet | 17 Comments »

How To Pick a College

April 8, 2015

While at the National Trumpet Competition a few weeks ago, a young woman asked me:

“Does it matter where you go to college?”

My answer was:

“It depends.”

Here’s what I meant by that: Going to a school with a great reputation doesn’t guarantee success. That’s one of the reasons choosing a college can be so hard. Since there are so many factors that go into choosing a college, and every person is different, let’s get the easy stuff out of the way:

There is no best school
There is no one school that is right for everyone
Great players come from all over the place

Knowing this, choosing a college becomes a very complicated and personal decision. Even the variables that go into the decision making process are not the same for each person. With all of that being said, here are a few helpful hints on how to go about choosing a college.

It’s a Two-Way Street

The process of applying to college can be overwhelming. As an applicant it’s important to remember that although schools are certainly looking for what they perceive to be the best students, you are also looking for the best school for you.

It’s Not Just the Teacher

For years people have been saying that you should choose a school solely based on the private teacher that you believe to be the best for you. As a private teacher, I appreciate the importance of the one-on-one relationship that should develop between student and teacher, and believe it to be very valuable. Although I agree choosing a teacher that you believe in is important, it shouldn’t be the only part of the decision making process. Finding a teacher, program, and environment that are going to provide you with the opportunities to get you where you want to go is vital.

Find the Right Fit

Armed with the knowledge that college isn’t picking you- you are picking a college, and that it’s not just a single variable that should make your choice, how do you choose? I’m glad you asked.

Finding the right school is like finding the right pair of shoes. If you choose your shoes based on what everyone else is wearing, you might end up with sore feet. If you’re a runner, wearing a pair of wing tips probably isn’t the best way to go. When looking at colleges, look for the right fit for you. Look for a school that can help you get where you want to go. It will have the major(s), teachers, ensembles, classes, and opportunities that match your goals.

To get the best information will require some work on your part. Please ask questions. Ask questions of faculty. Ask questions of current students. Ask questions of former students. The students will be the people best equipped to tell you what going to school is really like. The faculty should be your best source of information about what will be expected of you once you’re on campus. When you’ve made the right decision, going off to college can feel like going (to a different) home.

Commit

Now that you’ve done your research and decided on a college, make a commitment to being a vibrant member of your new community. Your best chance of getting all you can out of your time is to invest fully in the experience. Take full advantage of all that is available to you.

Done right, you’ll be amazed at what can happen in just a few years.

Posted in General, Trumpet | Tagged College | Leave a Comment »

Community

March 27, 2015

Last week I attended the National Trumpet Competition. In addition to judging the Jazz Finals and performing with Tromba Mundi, I spent plenty of time connecting and reconnecting with trumpet players from all over the place (and, of course, trying out new stuff…that was fun, too). It was striking how good the trumpet community can be. And how important community is.

Whether we like it or not, we are all part of at least a few different communities. Professionally, I’m a member of the Brass Department at Indiana University, the free lance music scene in Indianapolis, and the trumpet world- just to name a few. It’s up to the individual to decide what kind of community member to be, and how involved to become. This can say quite a bit about the individual, and will result in vastly different kinds of communities.

What I witnessed, and was pleased to a part of, last week was the best kind of community. For those of you that don’t know, the National Trumpet Competition is an event built around the student experience. There are several levels of competition, including solo and trumpet ensemble. The judges are trumpet players and teachers from all over the country. In addition to the actual competition, there are daily warm-up classes and masterclasses given by professionals. Each night there are concerts by outstanding groups with top-notch soloists. There are also exhibits with plenty of horns, mouthpieces, and trumpet accessories. Although centered around competition, which can often create negative feelings, NTC has created a supportive environment for students and professionals.

How did this happen? It happens by getting individuals to come together for something bigger than themselves.

Now that we’re all back home, we rejoin all kinds of communities. So here’s the question:

What kind of community member do you want to be?

My hope is to be a positive and involved community member (those who know me also know I have not always succeeded in this deceptively simple statement). This is not to say that once you try and be a positive and involved community member everything will be rainbows and sunshine. If you find yourself in a community that, despite your best efforts, remains negative, perhaps it’s time to rethink your involvement. It is also important to remember that everyone else might not agree with you on how to make things better, and that there is no right way to be involved. Some people will organize events…some will run organizations…some will volunteer their time…Depending on the person and the community, there will be a variety of ways of being involved available.

These concepts apply to an organization as small as a student brass quintet, and as large as a major symphony orchestra. How you choose to involve yourself will, at some level, play a part in the success of that community.

Please choose wisely.

Posted in General | 1 Comment »

Coordination

March 12, 2015

Last week I wrote:

It’s not all about strength.

It’s about coordination.

I keep reading what “the secret” to playing is. So far the highlights are:

Air!- Whatever the question is, the answer is MORE AIR!
Tongue- The amount of physical manipulation of the tongue discussed on a regular basis is staggering.
Lips- 50/50, 2/3 up 1/3 down, 1/3 up 2/3 down, roll in/roll out….

Let’s take a quick look at each:

AIR

Air is certainly needed to play trumpet. But how much? Ah, that’s the question. If you’re a regular visitor here, you know I consider myself a Radical Moderate. Too often people seem to think every trumpet problem is a nail, and air is the hammer. Here’s how much air to use- enough air to meet the resistance of the trumpet, but not more. When you hear a trumpet sound that rings a room, that fullness is, in part, because of the air meeting the resistance. Here’s a picture to give you an idea of what I’m talking about if what I’ve written so far is too vague, Goldilocks style:

Stand facing a wall. Reach out your hand so that your fingers barely touch it. That’s not enough air.
Stand facing a wall. Punch the wall. That’s too much air.
Stand facing a wall. Put your hand against the wall and lean forward. That’s just right.

TONGUE

Your tongue is certainly necessary to playing the trumpet. So- what is the tongue’s job in trumpet playing? I ask this question in clinics and get all kinds of crazy answers. As I like to make things simple, here’s the tongue’s job description:

When wanted, give notes a clear beginning.

That’s it. For those of you wanting to tell me how much more the tongue does, please keep reading.

LIPS

Lips are certainly an integral part of trumpet playing. Before we get to the job description for the lips, let’s address some common concerns about placement. Because there are so many different shapes and sizes, there are no absolutes here. These are general guidelines:

Put both lips inside the mouthpiece
Put the mouthpiece centered on the lips (not necessarily exactly center, as everyone’s face is different)

So what do the lips do?

Vibrate.

That’s it. The reason to put both lips inside the mouthpiece and center the mouthpiece on your lips is to allow the vibration to happen.

COORDINATION

As you can see, we can’t play trumpet without Air, Tongue, or Lips. So the secret can’t be just one of them. The secret is getting them all to work together.

Let’s start with Air. Trumpet players can be so crazy as to make breathing difficult. Breathing is so easy that babies can do it. Breathing is so easy that you can do it in your sleep. Let’s not make it complicated. You take air in; you blow air out. That’s it.

Let’s add the tongue. Take a nice easy breath, and coordinate the tongue as you blow out so that it gives a clear beginning to the outward blow without stopping the airstream. If you’re worried about tongue placement, generally speaking, the tongue will work the same way as when you’re speaking. If it helps, you can say “Ta” or “Too” to get started.

Now let’s get the lips vibrating. I like to use the trumpet, but others like to start on just the mouthpiece or leadpipe. There’s no wrong answer here. With the corners of your lips firm, take a nice easy breath, tongue the beginning of the outward blow as the middle of your lips start vibrating.

Anyone can do this is no time at all.

The hard part is taking the time to keep it this simple when difficulties arise. Often problem-solving involves focusing on one of the above subjects. And this is where it gets difficult. Sometimes the problem can be solved with more air. But when students here “more air,” they often overcompensate by overblowing. Teachers have telling students to arch their tongues since the dawn of time. At times, that can be (at least) part of the solution. But everyone’s mouth, tongue, and teeth are different sizes and shapes. So students overdo it. If a student’s tongue is arched as high as possible with no air, there’s more frustration on the horizon. There are teachers that want to make sure everyone’s embouchure is exactly right. And there are students who need help in this way. But there is no “exactly right.” That’s why it’s important to work with the student in front of you, from wherever that student is.

It all comes back to coordination. We need to keep practicing these simple concepts to get everything working together for the best possible result.

Posted in Trumpet | Tagged trumpet | 3 Comments »

Musicians Are Not Athletes

March 5, 2015

It’s time that we stop saying “Musicians are Athletes.” It’s one of those phrases that has been repeated so many times that it is now accepted as fact. There’s only one problem. It’s just not true.

I’m a sports fan. Those of you who know me also know that’s a bit of an understatement. I have respect for the amount of work it takes to become a world class athlete. Although there are comparisons that can be made in how athletes and musicians practice, saying “Musicians are Athletes” is just as silly as saying “Athletes are Musicians.” I understand the correlation: Both musicians and athletes spend years honing the skills, both physical and mental, which are needed for their respective careers.

Now let’s look at the execution of these careers. Athletes are preparing for competition. The job is to, either as an individual or team, win by doing their job in a quantifiable way better than someone else (score more points, faster, etc.). Musicians are preparing for concerts. The job is to perform music for an audience. (I’m intentionally ignoring music competitions the same way I’m ignoring sports showcases…they exist, but music isn’t quantifiable the same way as sports, and sports showcases take away the competition, one of the key components, from professional sports.)

The reason for bringing this up is not to take away from either group. It is important that musicians think of themselves accurately. Although we may share many superficial qualities with athletes, we do not belong under that heading. We are artists, and should think of ourselves as such. All of our training, practice, and rehearsals are so that we can step out on stage and create art.

Another significant problem I have in considering musicians athletes is the separation athletics employ. Most sports are divided along gender lines, and size and shape play an important part. I’ve witnessed some ridiculous discussions regarding perceived advantages of gender and size, especially as it pertains to trumpet playing. These discussions have typically relied upon the worst kind of evidence: anecdotal. Please don’t tell me that you believe a gap in your teeth is the secret to playing high because you saw Jon Faddis. Or that a beard is necessary to play jazz because you saw Bobby Shew. Or that military service is the secret to a great orchestral career because Mr. Herseth was in the Navy and Mr. Smith was in the Salvation Army.

As trumpet players, we work together regardless of gender, shape, and size because those things don’t matter when creating music.

The last point of discussion is a doozy. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard some variation of, “playing trumpet is an athletic event.” Please stop saying this. Let’s start with air. Take a look at the throat of your mouthpiece. No matter what anyone tells you, there is only so much air that will go through there at one time (and it’s not as much as you might think). Yes, you do have to hold the trumpet up while you play. But if that’s a measure of athleticism, then playing bass trombone is a lot more of an athletic event than trumpet (you have to hold it up and move one arm back and forth!). Then there’s the strength involved. Usually this is referred to as chops, which generally means the ability to play for a long time, very loud, very high, or some combination of those three. The root of this might be the corners of your lips, which do need to be able to stay in place while blowing air through the mouthpiece and holding the horn against your face. But here’s a big secret:

It’s not all about strength.

It’s about coordination.

I’ll certainly discuss more about coordination, in detail, in the future. But for now, please realize that the overlap in the way musicians and athletes prepare doesn’t make musicians athletes any more than it makes athletes musicians.

Now that we are thinking of ourselves as artists (and our chances of a concussion have decreased significantly), practice and rehearse with the idea of creating art each time you step in front of an audience.

Posted in Sports, Trumpet | Tagged music | 10 Comments »

Sharing

February 27, 2015

One of the founding principles of the internet was sharing. I’m not sure that anyone could have foreseen the amount, and kinds of sharing that are now so commonplace that we hardly even think about them anymore. I don’t know how I lived without so many cat pictures and videos (why is that cat so grumpy?) , quizzes to see which Disney princess I am (I’m Mulan, by the way), or pictures of what everyone is eating (which I know I did last week, but that was for a specific purpose…I’m not Instagramming my every meal).

But sometimes the sharing is fantastic. Last week Clark Terry died. Although I didn’t know him, like everyone who ever heard Clark Terry play, I have immense respect for him. For the past few months, people close to Mr. Terry kept us up to date with his deteriorating condition, and finally, his passing. As the news spread, the sharing that happened included pictures, stories, videos, and recordings. And all of it was positive. It was amazing to watch a community come together to share their memories of how Clark Terry touched their lives.

This got me thinking about what, and how much, we share online regularly. I’m not here to tell you what, or how much to share online. What I’d like to do is get you to think about it.

What you post can dictate how people think of you.

Posting can sometimes serve as a method for venting about negative experiences. Done too often, you can become that person that no one pays attention to, because all you do is complain. There’s an old joke that goes like this:

How do you get a musician to complain?

Easy- give him a gig.

If a lot of your online activity is spent complaining, you’re creating a reputation of being difficult. Soon you’ll have plenty of time to post about how no one hires you. There’s definitely a time for complaining. It’s usually behind closed doors with people you trust.

Having seen how good the online interaction can be makes me want it to be more like that all the time. You get to choose what you share online. Whether you like it or not, what you choose will say a lot about you. Too much of our online activity has become thoughtless. Take the time to do more of what I saw in response to our loss of Clark Terry- be thoughtful.

Posted in General, Technology | 1 Comment »

Pizza

February 20, 2015

Although I spend most of my time writing about trumpet/music related matters, there will be times when other topics are worthy of discussion. This is one of those times.

A few weeks ago, Giordano’s opened a store in Indianapolis. For those of you that don’t know what Giordano’s is, first of all- shame on you- it’s a Chicago based stuffed pizza restaurant. If you haven’t been to Chicago and tried the stuffed pizza, my advice to you is simple: Go! (you’re welcome). There are several terrific places around town, but if you’re looking for a recommendation, try Lou Malnati’s. One of the specials is The Malnati Chicago Classic. It’s a sausage pizza with extra cheese on their special Buttercrust. In a city full of great pizza, this is my favorite.

Okay, back to Giordano’s. With a store opening in Indianapolis, I was curious to see if it was a real Giordano’s, or a franchised version that would only serve to remind me what I’m really missing. My hesitancy is based on experience. There is ONE other Chicago based pizza place that opened up franchises around the country that didn’t quite hit the mark. This ONE place has great pizza in Chicago, but the franchises just don’t live up to the original. I certainly won’t mention the name here, or give even ONE clue.

Last Friday I was playing two concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra; one at 11:00 a.m. and the second at 8:00 p.m. This left me plenty of time to get some pizza. The place was packed, but after a few minutes I was able to get a seat at the bar. I ordered my favorite- a sausage pizza, and waited. Deep dish pizzas take a while to cook, so I had my iPad out reading Jim Gaffigan’s new book, which is very funny. About 50 minutes later, my pizza came out. Here it is:

It was fantastic. It’s good to know that it’s a real Giordano’s.

This got me thinking about one of the best parts of traveling- eating the local food. I’ve been lucky enough to play trumpet on six continents, so I have plenty of experience. Too many times people default to what they know, in large part because it feels safe. I know there are times when convenience can dictate choice, but I have found that the extra work for something special is usually worth it. When away from home, ask for a recommendation. If you ask someone for their favorite pizza place, and the answer you get is the name of a national chain, ask someone else. If that someone else gives you the name of a national chain, get a new town.

Pizza is one of those foods that seems to be everywhere. I live in Bloomington, Indiana. It’s a small college town. But when you come visit, here are three pizza places to check out:

Mother Bear’s– A student favorite that is right across the street from the School of Music. Try the Dante’s Inferno.
Lennie’s– Along with really good pizza, a terrific menu, it’s also a microbrewery. Try the Love Supreme (although I do it without mushrooms).
Aver’s-There are three locations around town that all deliver. They also have some interesting specialty pies. Although I was initially hesitant, I do like the Cream and Crimson.

Between now and August, I’ll be in:

Naples, Florida
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Boise, Idaho
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Phoenix, Arizona
Dallas, Texas
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Egg Harbor, Wisconsin

If you’ve got any suggestions on good pizza in the any of these areas, please let me know.

Posted in General | 2 Comments »

Time Management

February 13, 2015

I have this discussion at least a couple of times a year:
Student: “I’m sorry…I just didn’t have enough time to practice this week.”

Me: “Hmmm….why not?”

Student: “Well, I had a lot of homework, and this project due, and a test.”

Me: “Okay, that does sound like a lot. How many credits is a class?”

Student: “3.”

Me: “And how many credits are your lessons?”

Student: “Oh…I see where you’re going.”
(the answer varies, from 2-6, depending upon major)

Me: “Yes, if you want to major in music, practicing is no longer extra curricular. It’s a class, and one of your most important, as you are a music major. I’m not saying your other classes aren’t important…I am saying that practicing is at least as important as any other classwork.”

I know that adjusting to college can be difficult. Learning how to manage time is something professionals struggle with regularly. With that being said, here are some pointers that you may find helpful.

You Can’t Cram Music

30 minutes a day is better than 3 hours on Sunday. Short, regular practice sessions will consistently give you better results in the long run. You don’t need to learn whatever you’re practicing just for your lesson…you need to learn it to keep improving. If you spend one extremely long practice session trying to get it under your fingers, and skip the rest of the week, you may get through your lesson, but you haven’t really gotten any better.

If You Really Want It, There’s Time

There are plenty of people in the world that live with the thought of “what if…” Don’t be one of those people. If you really want to be a musician, that means prioritizing practice as a part of your day. Not just when it’s convenient. Not when it feels good. Always.

Play the Long Game

It’s very easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of practicing and playing. Remember the big picture. For example, there’s not a lot of music I practice that is written for the flugelhorn, but I want the flugelhorn to feel and sound as comfortable as any other horn I play (and for those of you that know me, you know that’s a lot of horns). So every morning I practice a technical exercise on the flugelhorn. Today it’s Clarke #7. It takes about 10 minutes. It might be the only time I play flugel today. So you might think “Is the 10 minutes worth it?” Well, let’s think big. In any non-leap year let’s say I miss those 10 minutes 5 times (because I’m so lazy). That means I’ve practiced flugelhorn 10 minutes x 360 days. That’s 3600 minutes, which is 60 hours of flugelhorn practice a year.

That’s all for this week. I’ll be up in Indianapolis today playing two concerts. Giordano’s has just opened a store in Indianapolis, and I feel duty bound to check it out. Expect a full report soon.

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »