Lesson Special - Up to 20% OFF! Get Started Now with a Risk-Free Trial!
2023 - Manhattan School of Music Presidential Scholarship
I am Alex K., a trumpet performer and teacher born and raised in Orlando, FL. I have been playing the trumpet for 10 years, performing all around the United States and in several cities in East Asia. My love for music and the trumpet began with a strong passion for jazz and classical literature in middle school. This passion led to countless hours of practice and curiosity, eventually culminating in winning the concerto competition for the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras at 18 years old. This marked my debut as a soloist in front of a full orchestra with the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto, featuring my own cadenza. During my time at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN, I studied under several professors, including Douglas Lindsay, Kevin Cobb, and Jason Bergman. I was a part of numerous large ensembles, such as the symphonic band, wind ensemble, university orchestra, symphony orchestra, brass choir, and brass band. In between these large ensembles, I participated in frequent performances with my brass quartet and brass quintet, including a recital that featured the premiere of new works. I also spent two semesters learning the baroque trumpet with Dr. Kris Kwapis during this time, deepening my admiration and appreciation for the music written during this period. After graduating with a B.M. in Trumpet Performance from the Jacobs School of Music in 2023, I have recently begun studying under the tutelage of Professor Billy Hunter at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City to pursue my Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance. While in New York, I am also participating as a freelancing teacher musician. During the summer months, I have been seen performing at the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Windermere, FL. Here, I have played in a variety of settings, including frequent performances in traditional worship, a Summer pops orchestra series, and three musicals. When not performing on the trumpet, I enjoy teaching young students and enlightening them with the joys of performing and learning the intricacies of music and the trumpet. I found and developed this passion when I spent 3 years teaching trumpet lessons to several high school and middle school students in Nashville, IN. Now, I continue to teach while in New York City and am always happy to take in new students, both locally and virtually.
I began teaching starting in my undergrad, where I would teach weekly one-on-one, or group lessons to trumpet players in rural Indiana. Here, I found that I had a deep passion for teaching music, and that I would want to pursue it more. Now, as I'm pursuing my Master's Degree at the Manhattan School of Music, I am teaching young students privately, as well as in group lessons. While teaching my students, I've always made sure to understand them personally, so that I could cater their lessons to how they want to improve and express themselves.
Depending on how experienced the student is, I make sure to gauge where they are at regarding music theory and music history. Although the main goal of learning an instrument is to learn how to express yourself through music, it is important to understand how we can do that by having a solid understanding of theory and history. I've found that teaching students on a week-by-week basis through exercises that I create for them has been very successful, especially since a lot of method books are very limiting, and they expect every student to be starting out with the same baseline.
As I've developed my trumpet playing and musicianship over the years, I've found that working with students has been one of the most fulfilling things I've been able to do. I aim to guide students through their musical education in the most natural and relaxed way possible, all while giving them a solid foundation so that they're able to properly express themselves through their instrument whilst learning basic-to-advanced level musical concepts. Each student will be treated with a high level of respect and understanding. I will do the absolute best that I can to help them develop as a musician, and teach them how to love performing on their instrument while working towards personal musical goals!