Piano Lessons in Shawnee, KS

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Make sure to warm up low, slow, and soft first so that you don't get tired before practicing. Then make sure that you sing the melody and clap the rhythms before you pick of the trumpet because you'll be able to save your lips to play it properly. When I was young I would always wear myself out before I could play the things I needed to practice correctly. Always rest as much as you play to give your lips a break. High notes and fast fingers come with patience. Everything must be played low and slow first.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Good tone throughout the entire range of the instrument and endurance are the hardest skills to achieve. Playing the trumpet is like trying to force all the air in your lungs into a tiny little straw and to get a beautiful tone and play like that for an entire concert takes years and years of training. Brass instruments are traditionally thought of as loud and brash probably because it is very easy to play that way. To play beautifully in every register for more than fifteen minutes is something to be very proud

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
I always start playing low, soft, and slow. I start with long tones starting at the bottom of my range and then slowly go all the way to the top. Then I do some air flow exercises, Clark exercises, and scales. Then I take 10 minute break after that 20 minute warm up. After the break, I sight read some lyrical etudes and try to make a beautiful tone as possible and play as musically as possible. Then I practice some orchestral excerpts and solo pieces. Then another 20 minute break. Lastly I practice ensemble or gig music and then I take at least 20 minutes to listen to professional trumpet players to strive for a better sound. In all, I play for about an hour and a half.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I am actually a science educator during the day and a musician by night. My college degree is in ecology and evolutionary biology where I was an undergraduate researcher in California estuaries and kelp forests but at night I gigged and played in music ensembles 4 nights a week. I currently teach science at various institutions around the San Francisco Bay Area and I am an avid SCUBA diver with five SCUBA certifications. I love science, nature, and the ocean so if I did not play music I would probably be a full time scientist/educator.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
I played trumpet first but then I started to play other brass instruments because they seemed fun. My friends also played other brass instruments so I would try them out just for fun. Then in high school, during my service learning project, the middle school band teacher I worked for ask me to coach full brass sectionals. So I had to learn euphonium, trombone, tuba, and french horn in about a week to be able to coach these middle school students. I learned trombone and euphonium so well that I actually subbed for others in concerts in high school and college.

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