Heavens2kadonka

Okay, here is the idea (In case you havent read the posts on the Lounge).

Me, Michael, and Lara (We think) in a Suburban, touring the United States, testing other people's trumpets!

Sounds CRAZY...

I know! I LOVE IT!! *Cackle*

Now, the first step to get the cogs rolling, is to get the money to fuel this venture.

I am unsure what I can do, I (may or may not) be bid on by Kappa Sigma this semester, so the amount of money I can save up in a few months may or may not be limited. This is where I could be forced to tap out of the journey for the year. I'm still not decided if I wanna have to deal with being a pledge for two-three months, and its still uncertain if I'll even be bid on to join. I missed their big party last night, so I may have pissed some people off. Big loss, oh well..

I will see what I can do. After doing the math, I realize I can put back about $50 a week (I can eat sack lunches between practicing at the Arts Academy). So its very possible to save up over $750 by the time its needed. I also have a birthday on June 8th, so I could get an advance on the money I get. So my side of the deal is possible. Michael, can you swing $750 by the summer?

The trip should start on June 1st, and end July 30th.

Lara, we can have you join in on the trip, but it would have to be a more limited role. We could definitely have you along for the Mid-West/West Coast leg of the journey. Of course, its still up in the air if your family would be open to the idea of letting you travel alone in the company of two college guys you "know over the internet." At the *VERY* least, we can stop by, meet and mooch off of your family, and play on your trumpets!

Now comes the biggest part: Finding people on TM who would be happy to have us visit!

Now, the biggest reason we're getting this journey started is to test trumpets, but there are other things that can be done.

1: See orchestras/concerts!
2: Meet trumpet makers!
3: Get some lessons from you big guys (You know who you are, MANNY, WILMER, DAVE, POPS, ETC..)!
4: See the sites of the US (I have been outside of Tennessee about 10 times, and not very far, mind you..)!
5: Meet trumpet players!

Now, I must know: Who is available between June 1st and July 30th?

Van

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

fatpauly

Hey, if you throw in some light yardwork and babysitting duties, I think we can work something out here!

- Paul Artola
Ellicott City, Maryland

Manny Laureano

Between June 1 and 7, I'll be in recording sessions continuing our beethoven cycle project. After that, I'm on vacation for three weeks which means I'll be in town practicing watching my kids play ball (well, may daughter plays soccer which doesn't really count as a sport .

So, it would be great fun to meet you all if you come through town. I'll have horns and mouthpieces ready!

ML

silverstar

I'm would love to go, now, if only I could convince my parents this is a good idea....

I'm pretty sure that you could stop by and say hi. Cedar Rapids isn't the biggest city in the world, but we have Coe College here. I have a Xeno too.

Anyway, yeah, I have to go and finish reading "The Battle Cry of Freedom" for a book report due on Monday...

Lara

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

Skip

Paul,

I'm with you. I think that some yardwork and helping with remodeling, etc. would be a great exchange for a visit to Hawaii and testing out my Schilke B1 and Eclipse, don't you?

dizforprez

you guys are welcome to come try out my old Yamaha Malone C and crash at my place f you make it down to GA.

good luck and go for it!

Heavens2kadonka

Paul, we could definitely make a stop, and I wouldn't mind doing yardwork, and would most definitely "babysit" one your Three Stars!

Manny, oh yes, you are definitely one of our stops! (And I raise my glass of coke to the soccer statement!)

Lara, I cant see why we cant stop by for a visit/jam session! Is there anyone else in your area who has a trumpet that we may/may not have tried? Also, is your trumpet instructor available during the time? Does Coe college have a band program?

I am really warming up to the idea of getting some lessons/tips/pointers/threats () from you older and more grizzled/experienced trumpet players! Not only will it help me as a player, but as a teacher myself...

I have been thinking how this trip will start. I am thinking either I come to Michael, in which case we go on an extensive tour of Texas, and the ZeuS scene first, OR Michael comes to me, in which case we make a "big" stop by Blackburns trumpets first. If it turns out we have a couple of good stops on the Eastern coast, I may demand Michael come to me for the beginning. We can trek through to New York, maybe even go through some of Canada, and then start west, where we go through California, and then go back to the start!

These are the "BIG" trumpet testing stops:

Kanstul
Callichio
Monette (I wonder if Dave would be cool with that, I'd also wonder if I would be too intimidated to go, lol)
Blackburn
Scodwell
Schilke

I know I'm probably missing some other makers I would love to visit...

I'm also curious as to how many people from TM would welcome us into their homes for some testing/mooching...

Man, I plan on bringing a LOT of cameras...

Oh, and I plan on not shaving for the entire trip. I wanna see how much of a beard I can grow (I've never grown it longer than three days, lol).

Im also going to start a counter of how much money I have put back for the trip.

Van (50.00)

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

Heavens2kadonka

Diz,

Yes, I wanna try a Yamalone C. Heck, I wanna try out a C trumpet, PERIOD!

Van (50.01, found a penny!)

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

dizforprez

depending on if you want to meet all the makers or not you could get a lot of trumpet test done at a place like WWBW.

bigaggietrumpet

I like how Van just stated that I was going without asking me if everything had been checked up on over here. FYI, it hasn't. A few obstacles I have to overcome....

1) Parental approval- I have very overprotective parents. They haven't met you, nor do they really trust the internet that much, and really, who can blame them?

2) Parent's approval of the Suburban use- heh, yeah, IF we get #1, this really shouldn't be TOO much of a problem. Big couple of IFs here.

3) Financial- I know 750 doesn't sound like a lot, but for me, that is a TON of money. I've got my next semester payment looking me square in the eye, plus other expenses that I have. Summer is also the only time I can really get a lot of hours in, and taking a month off would cost me in the neighborhood 1500-2000 dollars. So if we use some economics, the opportunity cost plus the cost of the trip is actually 2750, and that's just an estimate!

I'm sorry if I'm sinking the boat here, but that's the reality of my situation. Unless we have some miraculous intervention, I'm not real optimistic that I'll be attending the trip

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Michael Smith
Hullabaloo: The official band of Texas A&M Basketball
Kanstul 1537/ Schilke 14
LA Olds Studio