silverstar

Wow guys...great stuff! I guess I should jump on the bandwagon too, huh?

My name is Lara Marie Shema, I'm a senior in high school (17 years old) and I have been playing trumpet since the end of 4th grade. Since I was a little kid of about 3 or 4, I have loved music and dance and singing. I used to memorize Disney songs, dance to Lawerence Whelk, and bang on trashcans for drums. Ahh...the good old days...

My first encounter with a trumpet was in 4th grade, near the beginning of my school year. The general music teacher (who is my elementary school hero...) was really eccentric. She had an old trumpet in her room, and one day she said, "you know what's cool about trumpet? When you run water through the bell and let it come out the leadpipe, it sounds like an old fashioned toilet." She demonstrated it too! (There was a sink in the music room.)

Then, later in the year, a brass quartet...or was it a trumpet quartet? Ah, it's been a long time....anyway...these guys with big, loud, shiny instruments gave a preformance for the fourth and fifth graders. I remember thinking, "Hey! There aren't any girls in that group. That's not fair." It bothered me, but since I was in fourth grade and enamored with the then popular bubble gum pop group, 'Hansen', I wanted to be a drummer. (Just like what's his name....I can't believe I liked that group.)

At the end of the year, out of the blue really, my parents asked my brother and I if we wanted to play an instrument. I immediately blurted out, "Drums!" They said no...drums were too loud. I said...well, I don't want to play flute because that's a girly instrument...how about...and I listed off all sorts of things. We went to a music store and I saw it. It was shiny, brass, and looked like fun. It was my Conn 1050B.

I started taking lessons from one of the brass guys that worked there, but he moved to Virgina or something like that, and sent me to a trumpeter named Dennis Pedde. I took lessons from him for about a year, but because of schedule conflicts (I was now in middle school and preparing for Confirmation and stuff like that at church.), he recommended me to his friend who also played trumpet. I took lessons with him for about 5 years, and at the end of last year (my junior year in high school.) I switched to my current teacher.

The biggest negative influence on my playing was my 3 year battle with braces. It really set me back quite a bit.

The biggest positive influences though are huge. My fourth grade teacher really was who guided me to stick with music. She made a huge impression on me, and to her, I am forever grateful. (Mrs. Kibbe, if you're out there, Thank you!) Then, in fifth grade I got a ranking of 1 (superior) at city contest for my first solo, called, "The Young Virtuoso". That really made me want to keep playing. In high school, my directors placed me in the top wind ensemble as a freshman. I went to the IBA festival with the band, and I started to really get into playing trumpet. But...the biggest influence on me was...

The recent trip to Eclipse in England. Leigh McKinney (and family), Noel Langley, Trumpetmike, and all the staff at Eclipse really really really helped me find my calling. That whole week was like a huge slap in the face, "Hello! Lara! Wake up! Music has been your passion since you were little....what are you thinking when you say you aren't going to make it your life? It is your life!" Leigh McKinney gave me a treble clef pin, that I wear everyday, and told me to never give up playing. That is the coolest and biggest compliment anyone has ever given me, and everytime I see that little pin...it's like I'm on top of the world. *great big hugs for everyone*

Well, that's my playing 'career' up to now. I'm sure that I still have a lot to learn and do and play and see...so I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! (Maybe a high C that's full sounding? lol.)

Lara

__________________
email: Lara.Shema@gmail.com
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*insert witty comment here*

trumpetmike

OK, time to put a few words together for this thread.

I was born at a very early age, in fact, I think I was 3 when I was born, but I can't remember that far back - it was before my time.

Both my parents sang (they met singing in a jazz choir) in the local church choir, which I joined aged about 7 (I can't really remember details, it was a few years ago). As well as giving me a good sense of music, this definitely helped me get a good sense of pitch. Singing eventually became my second study at university - although the only singing I do now is within lessons - if a student goes wrong I sing the part at them - the better they play, the less I sing - they like it that way

Aged 8, a local peripatetic teacher came round to my school, in order to encourage brass playing. Apparently I went home and told my parents that I was going to learn the trumpet. My Dad had played horn in his youth (not to mention every other brass instrument and most of the woodwind) and was delighted. They managed to find me a very beat up B & M Champion trumpet (which I still have - it has a great tone, shame it can't play in tune - one of these days it will be going through Will Spencer - I wan't to see how this bell works when on a great trumpet) and so began my long journey. Mr Roy Falshaw was responsible and having the pleasure to often work with him nowadays is a great way of linking the past with the present - it is also a great way of making him feel VERY old

Due to the fact that Roy was an army bandsman (and often being posted elsewhere) I had a number of different teachers during my early trumpet life. Some were definitely better than others - they all kept me playing, but how much I gleaned from these lessons is debatable. Looking at what I thought I knew, there were many fundamentals that I now take for granted (in my playing and teaching) that I knew nothing about at the time.
During this time I played in a number of bands (brass bands, wind bands, orchestras, chamber groups, jazz bands - just about any playing I could get) and found one thing that I could do - I could play the higher notes. Nobody ever told me that it was supposed to be difficult, I just found that I could do it. Unfortunately, nobody ever told me that a trumpet could do this with any sort of tone. Nor that trumpets sometimes had to play in the low register. I went to university able to hit any note I wanted above the stave, yet the ones within it were hit & miss, whilst the ones below were non-existent.
Whilst I was growing up, I had the good fortune to sit next to some excellent players. I was never the top guy in the bands. There was always someone better than me - it definitely helped me develop a good attitude towards other players. The knowledge that there will always be someone better than you is not always a good realisation, but it does help keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Before university I also had my first experience of piccolo trumpet playing - whilst studying for A Level music (the exams before university - taken aged 18, after a two year course - for our US readership) the class I was in was not only small, but also comprised exactly the soloists needed to perform Brandenburg 2 (I said it was a small class). Knowing what my range was like, our teacher said that we should perform the work. The first problem I had was that, at the time, I wasn't having lessons from a trumpet player - my teacher was a bass trombonist (who knew very little about trumpet playing - something I didn't realise until later). I chatted about the piece with my orchestra tutor and he said that I would need a piccolo trumpet. I didn't have one, so arranged to borrow one of the other orchestral trumpets' piccolo. He was using it the week before the performance, so after that it was mine. For those that haven't worked it out - this meant that I did the rehearsals before this on my standard Bb - at pitch (nobody told me to do different).
Somehow, the concerts came together rather well (we did a run of 3 concerts including Brandenburg) and I discovered a love of the piccolo trumpet which still continues to this day. I still didn't have my own, but I knew that I wanted one.

I went to Huddersfield University (at the time it had the biggest music department in the country, not sure if this is still the case) and I class the time from my first lesson there as the time when I started to know what I was doing (I still won't claim to know exactly what I am doing - the day I stop learning is the day I die - I don't think anyone can fully understand everything about music - but it's great fun learning). My university tutor was a great trumpet player by the name of Richard Martin. He is not nearly as well known as he should be. That guy can play the heck out of the trumpet and is an inspiring, incredible teacher. I simply owe him EVERYTHING. In the first lesson he asked how high I could play, I showed him and he said "right, nothing wrong with your range then - let's get you sounding good then." Out came Arban and Schlossberg and, for the first time in my life, I was asked to listen to how I play. This was a revelation - I had never heard trumpet playing like his, I had never really listened to what I was doing. When any of my students complain about me asking them to start each lesson (and practice session) wth long notes, I refer them back to my first few months at university - long notes, listening carefully - nothing fast, nothing high - it did me more good than I can possibly put into words.

Whilst at university I played in the Lindley Brass Band (playing front row and sometimes soprano (we had an incredible soprano player (ex-Black Dyke) who would get bored easily and just hand his instrument to me!)) and depped (subbed) for a number of other bands in the area (to give the US readership some idea of which bands are near Huddersfield - Black Dyke, Brighouse, YBS, Sellers - all within very easy reach of Huddersfield, and that's just the very top ones!!). The brass band world has many aspects that are frustrating (contests), but it does do wonders for your playing - especially when it is assumed that you can just about sight-read ANYTHING. Within the university I played (at varying times) with the wind orchestra, big band, chamber orchestra, opera orchestra and symphony orchestra, ending my time there as principal trumpet of the symphony orchestra. I was also involved in the founding of the university brass ensemble, in which I played piccolo/principal.

Unfortunately, university ended and I had to face up to the real world. I had the chance to play in a brass ensemble back down South (where I originally came from) and so moved back down the country. The brass group lasted the grand total of two gigs! So much for the joys of that style of a job!
I started teaching a few local students and found that I enjoyed it (something I was very surprised about), so kept doing it and started teaching more, as they came along.
After a couple of years of this (during which time I was also working as a courier for a local photographer - I could choose the hours I worked and it basically just involved driving photos and films around the country) I started working for the local music service. This involves going round the local schools and teaching brass during the school day. I am still doing this, along with now teaching in a couple of private schools as well.
My teaching colleagues regard my teaching very highly, as do my students (apparently). I have heard reports back about how much students enjoy the lessons and I can see how much they progress - a great feeling. I have had a few students go on to study music at university - whether they go into music is not an issue for me, if they enjoy the lessons and the playing and can progress to the best of their ability, I am happy.

I consider myself very lucky to work with such a great bunch. Not the other teachers (although they are an alright bunch), but the students I have got at the moment - a great bunch. The younger ones are all enthusiastic and some are frighteningly good - a couple of stars in the making. A couple of the older ones I now include on my deps list - not just great players in the making, but also ones that I would trust in a group.

Playing wise, I play in a symphonic brass ensemble (Surrey Brass - www.surreybrass.co.uk) as well as a number of smaller orchestras. I am the regular principal trumpet of the Sinfonia di Chiesa - not a big orchestra, we specialise in accompanying choral concerts. With this orchestra I have been featured as a soloist a number of times, playing pieces primarily from the baroque repertoire, including a number of Telemann performances in the UK, France and Italy.
Locally I find myself in demand as a solo recital performer and aim to do a number of these each year, the proceeds usually going to charity.

For my more advanced students, I run a trumpet ensemble that is run on the idea that we don't have a principal player - everyone is treated equal (from professional player down to 13 year old student) and everyone takes turns on the more difficult parts. The younger students always enjoy working in this group. The chance to play alongside local pro players is always good fun and the fact that they could be playing a higher part is always an incentive to play at a higher level.

More recently I have been involved in the R&D for Denis Wick. This basically involves him giving me a bag of mutes and asking me "which one works?" There is, of course, more than just this to it, but to give away too many secrets would be very unprofessional


Well, that's me (in a rather big nutshell) - I am currently known as a piccolo trumpet player and for having pink hair
I also spend too much time on the assorted brass forums (as those who visit more than one venue can attest to!!) - I often waffle and have been told that sometimes my posts can even be worth reading

Now, back to reading what everyone else has done

MahlerBrass

Ooooh this is a great thread! Well here goes...

Name is Edgar Jaime, I was born in Salinas, California in 1983 to two very Mexican parents (don't worry, we came totally legit). My parents ended up in the US because my dad had joined the US Navy through some program in the 60s and went to Vietnam, afterwhich he became a citizen and brought the family up to Cali. I was about three months when we moved and was raised in a small suburb of Houston called Channelview (for those that have no clue where this is, it's the town that HBO did the Pom-pom mom movie about), and have been there my entire life until these past few years since I've been in college.

There was absolutely not musical interest in my family until my older brother (second youngest of five, I'm the youngen') decided to join band in the 6th grade, but at the time, that really wasn't a big impact. What inspired me was the old Tito Puente recordings that my mom used to always listen to, those were great. I actually still have a lot of the original tapes she listened to. Well needless to say, I chose the trumpet and started band in the 6th grade. The band program was pretty bad in my district, but I lucked out that the guy that taught the beginner trumpets that year, was my high school band director, and a very good trumpet teacher and showed us well.

I was very lucky to have a very supportive mother through all this, because my 7th grade year when she was I was very serious about the trumpet (and baseball), she was offered season tickets to the HSO by her boss, who is a huge patron for the symphony. So I've been going to see HSO ever since and owe a lot of my knowledge to the guys of that orchestra, whether they know it or not. I surpassed my trumpet playing colleagues, and I'm pretty convinced it wasn't due to practice time or lessons (none of us took lessons), but because I had a constant reminder of what a trumpet is supposed to sound like. That year, my mom bought my first trumpet (which I still play and love to this day, and find to be the best playing Bach I've yet to play), which was purchased used from Dick Schaffer from the HSO, who retired a year later.

I went onto high school after a grueling junior high experience where I almost quit band because the director was so horrible, but the HS director encouraged me to stay. In high school I was all about trumpet and baseball, then came a point where I dislocated my shoulder in a bike accident, and that quickly put an end to baseball. I started getting real serious about trumpet playing when I hit this plateau in my playing about my sophomore year where I wouldn't progress at all, which was impressive that I had gotten that far without a lesson teacher and just help from my band director and brother (who by this point had become a very prominent bassoon player and became an inspiration to me). My junior year, our pianist for solo and ensemble heard me and said that I should give her husband a call, and it was the best decision I ever made, it was my first trumpet teacher, who helped sky-rocket my playing.

I now attend Sam Houston State University where I'm a senior music education major and love every minute of it. I'm in a place where I'm taught by one of the most influencial figures in the band world, and teach privately at a great district and can see some really great band programs work their magic. I'm located between Houston and Dallas so I can check out a lot of the trumpet activity going on (when my funds let me anyway), and I plan to pursue playing trumpet for a living, though I really wouldn't mind having a junior high or high school band of my own someday.

Oh yeah, BTW, my parents, although supportive, hate the idea of me going into music, but they don't pay the bill so they can't say much about it

__________________
Music isn't a career, it's a way of life.

froman

Hey, what's up Edgar! This is Jeff Brown from Ledbetter's band. You need to come sit in with us some Wednesday night. So you're a Senior now? They grow up so fast <sniff, sniff>.

Who is this "most influential" band person at SHSU? I graduated a long time ago. :lol:

MahlerBrass

Hey Jeff!! The band person I'm referring to is Matthew McInturf of course, conductor of our wind ensemble and current president of TBA. I haven't heard from you guys in forever! Last time I got a call from Bill, I was in Europe and didn't get the message till about three weeks later Hope he's not too mad, see ya around!

__________________
Music isn't a career, it's a way of life.

TrentAustin

Howdy Everyone!

Great post, Manny... as always.

My name's Trent Austin (as indicated in my username) and I'm a "trump-aholic"!

I'm from a little town in Central Maine called Corinna, population 1500. I guess what got me started in music was when I was 3 years old I went over to the family piano and proceeded to play the Christopher Cross tune "If" out of thin air with no music. I've always been lucky due the fact I have incredibly good relative (probably perfect even though I don't believe I do) pitch. My mom instantly thought I was the next Mozart and rushed me into piano lessons.

I HATED THEM! In fact I still to this day do not like playing piano that much, although I'm finding it's a good practice break to shed piano to accompany my students. The pain from those early lessons has worn off !

Even though my hometown is very small our district has always had very good music programs. One of my first memories is watching my middle-school band director play a solo on his shiny Silver trumpet! I still hear his joyous sound every day when I play. I owe everything to him, Bruce Brown. His dedication to teaching has inspired me to become a private instructor... more on that later.

I guess I REALLY got the bug in 1987 (yeah yeah, some of you weren't born yet... just wait a few years. I always used to be the youngest guy in the band... oh the good ole days he he) when I got to see Maynard play and actually PLAY with him. I played 5th (or 6th) trumpet on Rocky and from that moment on I knew I wanted to be a trumpeter!

I did get the occasional lesson from my middle school instructor but most of my lessons were learned on my own. Summers were spent hanging with the Findley Brothers (alright, not REALLY hanging with them, I was only 13-14!) at the great Maine Jazz Camp. I learned the Caruso method from them and that really pushed my range!

I hope y'all aren't asleep by now....

I then proceeded off to College at UNH (New Hampshire) due to the fact that they gave me a scholarship and it was close to home. I also had offers from Berklee, a school in Miami, and Manhattan School but I felt this local boy needed to stay home. I also really wanted to learn classical music because my only real classical listening was Al Hirt's Haydn (JUST KIDDING... my art teacher hipped me to Maurice Andre when I was 15)!

I also went to UNH because of the fact Dr. Clark Terry (the man I share my avatar with!!!) was involved closely in the UNH music department at the time I went. Clark is by far my musical "daddy" and biggest role model. He's the warmest, kindest, most humble man I've met. He also happens to have the BEST set of chops I've ever seen. The many times we've hung at his hotel room and played all night will be treasured forever!

So... what do I do currently?

Well as most of you know I bash people on TH... oooops, wait.... temporary brain cramp.

I currently live in Salem, MA. It's about 15 miles north of Boston and yes, it's that Salem. This month in particular is CRAZY. Halloween is a wild-time. I play often in Boston, and the islands. Most of my work is private function stuff that pays the mortgage, but since I've been working on my new CD that's really inspired me to push my creative side.

I currently have a college studio up in Maine at the University of Southern Maine. It's outside of Portland and I have a few scary students there that I'm very lucky to teach. My faculty page can be found here:

http://www.usm.maine.edu/music/faculty/austint.htm

I have a private studio here at my house in Salem as well. These two venues allow me to really do what I enjoy most and that is teach! Yeah, you heard it... nothing makes me happier than to see the "light" turn on in a student's mind. To hear the progress of my students warms my heart! I think it's due to the fact I've had so many wonderful teachers in the past (most notably my middle school instructor, CT, Hal Crook, Charlie Banacos and our own Ed Carroll... I need a lesson!) who've shown me the importance of "passing on the language".

More general info about me is on my website www.trentaustin.com and info on my new CD project can be found here on TM!

Best to you all and I'm really enjoying reading all of your information. Since it's 12:30 I better get to bed since my routine starts at 7AM!

Trumpetblazingly yours,

TA

__________________
Trent Austin
lurking around. If you want to chat PM me.
http://www.trentaustin.com
http://www.onlinejazzimprovisation.com

john daniel

John Daniel here, born 1957. My mother played piano and my father was a band and choral director. He had the family singing 4 and 5 part harmony when I was 5 years old. That is also when I started playing piano. My mother got us up before school to take turns on the piano. As the 4 kids got into band, there wasn't such a bottle neck at the piano. My brother and I played trumpet and the family did perform several Herb Alpert Hits at various community events in addition to singing. Dad was a great tenor, and played guitar, piano, tuba, bass clarinet, french horn well enough to perform on them. My folks are still alive and love to sing at family gatherings.

David Greenhoe was the great teacher in my life from 8th grade on. We still talk shop and get together when we can. We played thousands of orchestra gigs together when I was his student, and I still feel lucky about that. Ghitalla came later but was a great influence. I have always played jazz, and Faddis was a pivotal influence in that area, although Al Kiger was the guy who taught me the nuts and bolts.

My mom got me out of bed at 6 AM from the age of 5-18 to practice, so I probably owe her as much as anyone.

I teach at Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI these days. I've been a college trumpet teacher since 1982, and would guess that I've taught between 20,000-30,000 trumpet lessons.

My most meaningful professional playing opportunity has been with the Brass Band of Battle Creek for the last 12 years. Google me if you want a professional resume.

MrLT

Hi everyone
My names Dave Boam aka MrLT. I'm also (now) a trumpaholic and I'd like to share.

Chapter 1 – I was born in 1960…..in a harmless backwater town called Exeter in the southwest of the UK on Earth which is a small blue planet orbiting an insignificant star in the outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. I had no musical particular influence from my parents although my mother enjoyed listening to classical music. My mother took me at age 11 to an orchestral concert conducted by a colleague of hers. I watched, listened and decided there and then (cue: beam of divine light shining in through the church window, gospel choir whipped into a frenzy, doing somersaults etc) I wanted to play trumpet. Another factor: I also discovered a Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass album in my parents LP collection – the sound of his horn mesmerised me ( an aside – in all of the posts I have read on brass forums, I have never seen Alperts name mentioned!). My parents bought my first trumpet from my cousin and I joined a local children’s orchestra which had just started up. Problem: the trumpet was Electric blue and I felt like a dork playing this, so I stripped it using nitromors. I took lessons at school and joined a local 2nd section brass band, working my way up from 3rd cornet to repiano and flugel horn. I was also playing in school and county youth orchestras. Eventually I joined a local big band and the county youth jazz orchestra – my first taste of jazz and the revelation that you could play above top C. During this time I was also experimenting with improvisation and trying to learn some music theory ( although I never got formal lessons in this).

I ended up playing in soul/funk bands and anything else that came my way until I left to go to university, when I mostly gave up (too much science, beer and women) and never really started playing seriously again until I moved to Birmingham to start a PhD. Before that I had started to listen much more widely to jazz and knew this was what I really loved. In Birmingham I joined a jazz workshop, eventually started playing in small and large groups and regularly gigging again. I was also writing and arranging. I then left Birmingham for Strasbourg, again giving up except for a small amount of “subsistence practice”, in order to pursue my scientific career. I then moved to Manchester and after a few years took up the trumpet again, joined a jazz workshop and big band and eventually a ….yes you got it… soul/RnB band with a 6 piece horn section called “Zoot Serious and the Bellyful of Bop”. I’ve been working with this band for 9 years (yes that’s right - 9 years!!) and its been good and bad. The good is – well the general joy of doing something like this, having a good time with friends, and getting paid to boot. The bad unfortunately hit me about 3 years ago when I found that all the hard blowing had done “something” to my chops – I was gradually losing my range, sound and intonation. I decided to start taking lessons nearly 2 years ago (for the first time in nearly 30 years) and discovered that probably as long as I’ve been playing I never really had good technique – I was back to basics. My teacher (a world famous pedagogue who has a reputation for sorting out chops – even for fellow pros) has set this right and my technique is beyond anything I ever had, except I still need to rebuild range. I can now concentrate on the music. I have no doubt that had I met this person or someone with similar skills and insight, trumpet would be the day job by now. Over the past few years I have also received guidance from some outstanding jazz trumpeters – Ian Carr, Henry Lowther, Richard Iles, Steve Waterman. It was Henry who introduced me to the Caruso Method. I’ve just bought a new horn - an Eclipse LR to replace my 27 year old Bach Strad and am now looking forward to years of making beautiful music.

__________________
"I was minding my own business when something says to me, "you ought to blow trumpet." I have just been trying ever since." - Miles Davis

Eclipse LR/Warburton 3MD
Olds Custom/Warburton 3M
Eclipse Red Flugel/Bach 1 1/2C
B&H "78" cornet/ DW2B

Manny Laureano

Then you didn't read my first post!

ML

Alex Yates

MrLT and ML - I grew up with HA and TB. My dad played them in his 8-track all of the time. To this day, if I could make up a side dream job, it would be to play in a TB revival band of some kind. The stuff is too much fun. It is so much a part of my growing up, I can mimic it to a tee.

(Yes, I realize that I have not yet contributed to this thread, but I just couldn't resist spreading a little TB love around. I really like that music.)

I also have an original 45 record of Herb's "Rise" hanging on my wall.....I am looking at it right now.

O.K. You can have your thread back now ML. I have no intention of hijacking it.