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Robert1 · 08-31-2005, 11:18 PM

I very clearly remember my first lesson with Armando Ghitalla. I had written and sent him a tape to him, in my effort to persuade him to accept me as a part-time student.

I was somewhat of a non-traditional student, since I had received my BM in Trumpet Performance ten years prior to that, and I wanted to drive out to Ann Arbor, MI once a month to have a lesson with him (a 12 hour drive!). Had I pursued it, I might have had the opportunity to study with one of the symphony players only a couple hours from where I lived, but I wanted to expand my horizons farther from home, and see what Mr. Ghitalla had to offer. At that time, I just played trumpet in a community orchestra 5 or 6 concerts a season, and also had a brass quintet. I had no intention of going back to school, or even making trumpet my full-time career.

I brought 5 different trumpets to the lesson. Bb, C, Eb/D, G, and picc. He asked me to play something, and immediately got on my case BIG TIME about my sound. I couldn't believe that he was saying this. I asked him what was wrong with it. He said something like it was harsh, angry, and like a sack of nasty rats. I was flabbergasted by this. I thought I had a very good sound, and that perhaps it was the best attribute of my playing. I asked him if he thought that way about something on the tape that I had sent him. It was a flawless performance of "The Trumpet Shall Sound" I had given with the orchestra. He didn't like it. He was VERY hard on me the entire lesson, and I only got to play Bb trumpet. At the end of the lesson, he told me, "Next time, leave all that hardware at home. Just bring your Bb."

I thought about everything, and it really bothered me. But the next time I went, I displayed as much humility as possible, and things gradually got better. After a couple of years of doing this, I really got the desire to make trumpet my life. I asked him if I could come to Michigan to do my MM, and he said that I could. I graduated in 1992. From that point, I have gone on to a moderately successful professional trumpet career, and remained close to Armando until he died. Meaning no disrespect whatsoever, I feel badly that Paul did not have the same experience with Armando as I.

08-31-2005, 11:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
Robert1 New Friend Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 7	I very clearly remember my first lesson with Armando Ghitalla. I had written and sent him a tape to him, in my effort to persuade him to accept me as a part-time student. I was somewhat of a non-traditional student, since I had received my BM in Trumpet Performance ten years prior to that, and I wanted to drive out to Ann Arbor, MI once a month to have a lesson with him (a 12 hour drive!). Had I pursued it, I might have had the opportunity to study with one of the symphony players only a couple hours from where I lived, but I wanted to expand my horizons farther from home, and see what Mr. Ghitalla had to offer. At that time, I just played trumpet in a community orchestra 5 or 6 concerts a season, and also had a brass quintet. I had no intention of going back to school, or even making trumpet my full-time career. I brought 5 different trumpets to the lesson. Bb, C, Eb/D, G, and picc. He asked me to play something, and immediately got on my case BIG TIME about my sound. I couldn't believe that he was saying this. I asked him what was wrong with it. He said something like it was harsh, angry, and like a sack of nasty rats. I was flabbergasted by this. I thought I had a very good sound, and that perhaps it was the best attribute of my playing. I asked him if he thought that way about something on the tape that I had sent him. It was a flawless performance of "The Trumpet Shall Sound" I had given with the orchestra. He didn't like it. He was VERY hard on me the entire lesson, and I only got to play Bb trumpet. At the end of the lesson, he told me, "Next time, leave all that hardware at home. Just bring your Bb." I thought about everything, and it really bothered me. But the next time I went, I displayed as much humility as possible, and things gradually got better. After a couple of years of doing this, I really got the desire to make trumpet my life. I asked him if I could come to Michigan to do my MM, and he said that I could. I graduated in 1992. From that point, I have gone on to a moderately successful professional trumpet career, and remained close to Armando until he died. Meaning no disrespect whatsoever, I feel badly that Paul did not have the same experience with Armando as I.