Young Trumpeter

Hi i'm in high school, studying to major in music, and i have a question i need answered. my band teacher (a trumpet player) says i need to put in hours and hours and hours of practice time. my private teacher says that what matters more is what i do with the time i practice, as opposed to how much time i spend practicing (of course a reasonable time is assumed, not 20 min a day or something). as much as i love trumpet, and as much as i want to be a freak, i would also like a social life. plus, i find that my lips can only go for X amount of time and i just don't have the endurance to practice for hours and hours a day. also, when i'm not literally practicing trumpet, i'm doing music-related things, such as listening to pros, reading on forums like this, ear training, etc.

so which is better?

Thanks,
Aaron

Bob Odneal

Quality is better than quanity, but don't fool yourself!!!

Brekelefuw

You will find that the more people you study with, the more the schools of thought change about a lot of things. I also believe that it is quality over quantity, but it is up to you to decide which works best for you.

Manny Laureano

I think all he means is that there are deficiencies in your playing (just as all of us have) and he wants you to correct them as quickly as you have the time to do.

ML

John Lamkin

At your age, I suggest that you establish a daily practice routine that will last only one an a half to two hours a day, and stick to it at least 6 or 7 days a week (its sometimes good to take a day off, and come back to the horn fresh the next day). The routine should include lip buzzing and mouth piece buzzing, scales and arpeggios, long tones, lip slurs, tonguing exercises, jazz studies and your classical repertoire. At each practice session you can decide what to focus on - the focus may change as you decide what your deficiencies are. The point is that you practice regularly, focus each practice session, have a plan, and don't over do it. Remember, the horn is a piece of metal that will NOT give out. Your lips will. Plus you want to have time to enjoy your high school life. You won’t ever experience being a high school student again. So don’t cut yourself out of the fun of being a kid.

dlewis

Well said John

FreshBrewed

I could not have put this any better so I won't. Well said John.

ozboy

I think it is a good idea to keep a diary record of your practice. Put a book on your stand and jot down what you've done as you do it. It builds in rest time, it helps you maintain a focus on what you are doing and it gives you a 'warm and fuzzy' when you look back each day/week/month and see what you have achieved. It can also isolate problems and build a balance into your practice.
This obviously endorses the 'quality' theory.

rowuk

If the issue of (not) paying your dues already comes up in high school, you should take a look at the amount of unemployed trumpet players and find another major. You could minor in trumpet with exactly the same results.
If you can't taste it, if you are not willing to give the dream everything that you have got, there is enough competition out there that will make life very tough. Every audition is there for you to PROVE that YOU are the BEST CHOICE. Dedication is a key asset here!

That being said - music can also be an incredible hobby!

I am not putting you down, but there is no substitute for qualified practice. How much is enough depends on how much natural talent that you have and how much is missing. The theoretical quantity is not definable on an internet forum. Sometimes you need more time to move forward and the better you get, the more you need to invest! Don't look for short cuts - this is not nintendo with downloadable cheats!

The fact that your private teacher did not directly "disagree" with the band teacher, but qualified the statement by mentioning "quality" should tell you something.

Nothing about playing the trumpet professionally is for free. When you are young and don't have to work to feed yourself, you can and must devote time to building the skills that you will need to draw on when you are on your own. This does not mean no social life, but it does mean getting your priorities focussed on your goals. That could change your availability for parties........

Eclipsehornplayer

You seeing two trains of thought.

Your band director wants you to work a lot on many things I'm assuming. Your private instructor wants you to focus on specific things.

Both approaches will work; but as Bob said Quality is better the quantitiy. Just develope a system with the help of both teachers and then zero in on what you need to work on.

My .02
John