Young Trumpeter

Mr. Hooton,

I am currently a sophmore in high school and constantly (although i probably don't need to just yet) thinking about my future, college, careers, etc. One of my major options is a career in music. How did you decide that you wanted to go into music, and even more importantly, music performance as opposed to education or something else? And also, why classical as opposed to jazz?

Thanks in advance,
Aaron

thomashooten

Hi Aaron,

I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in music.
I started with trumpet in 7th grade and piano in 8th grade, and I immediately enjoyed everything about it. Although that is a late start for a student, I knew right away that music was something that I would do for the rest of my life.

If you decide to become a music performance major, whether it be classical or jazz, be prepared to dedicate many hours a day of practice time and study throughout your career. The field of music is very competitive.

I don't feel that you're thinking of this too early. You would begin to audition for college in January-March of your senior year, so it's never too early to start preparing.

Follow your heart and ask yourself what it is about music that you love. Good luck to you and sorry for the delay.

Tom

rowuk

Aaron,
I couldn't agree with Tom more!
You need to get your piano chops together and for me that was harder than trumpet!
If there are any city, county or state competitions, do them to get audition experience!
What does your trumpet teacher say?

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