John S
Instruments: Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, R&B, Latin, Funk, Salsa, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Marching Band
John S
Instruments: Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, R&B, Latin, Funk, Salsa, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Marching Band
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 10-80
MM, University of Central Oklahoma, Jazz Studies (Performance Emphasis) MM, Emporia State University, Performance BME, Friends University, Music Education
I enjoy teaching students in both the classroom and private setting. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see a student master new ideas and advance as a musician. I believe in helping students gain a firm grounding in the fundamentals of playing their instruments, which will, in turn, help them to advance more quickly. I have been playing and teaching for over 20 years.
I have been teaching in the private setting since the mid-90s, which I began as an undergrad in Music Education. I taught for about a decade in public schools in Kansas, teaching both band and vocal music to students of all ages at various times. I chose to return to school in 2009 and completed two Masters degrees in performance in classical and jazz trumpet over the next four years. Currently, I teach trumpet and jazz improvisation at Southern Nazarene University, Southwestern Christian University, and Rose State College. I also teach jazz band at SNU. As I mentioned above, I focus a great deal on fundamentals, which, once mastered, helps the student master new materials more easily.
Students of all ages will work out of a technique/method book. Younger students will use Walter Beeler's Method for Cornet/Trumpet, more advanced students will play from Arban's. I emphasize a "classical" approach, especially with younger students to solidify their skills, encouraging intersted students to begin including jazz improvisation into their studies as their skills advance. We work on tone production, helping the student improve in this area through attention to breathing, embouchure, articulation, long tones, lip flexibilities, scales, etc. I like to have students of all ages working on appropriate solo literature as early as is sensible, and try to encourage all students to perform at any opportunity that is suitable. I also encourage students to broaden their experience by participation in honor bands such as CODA, District and State Bands, and band camps, etc.
I tailor my teaching to each student's current ability and level of interest. Every student is different in personality, interest and motivation, and I do my level best to approach each student individually with this in mind. I try to encourage each student to practice regularly to achieve the weekly goals I set at each lesson for the student. I believe helping the student achieve success each week is vital to his development as a musician, for I believe this success will often serve to motivate the student to put in the work necessary to advance his skills, which will ultimately become lead the student to become more self-motivated.
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