trmptr

This is in resonse to the threads on college teaching - but I would like to keep it open to teachers of all levels. I teach college and will write about that, but others please feel free to chip in about jobs at other levels.

For me, college teaching is a dream career. I began my path to be a college teacher early in my undergrad and never wavered from it. I went straight thru from undergrad to DMA and got my first job when I was ABD. My first job was a very good job - I was incredibly lucky to get it - teaching a good, large trumpet studio, brass ensemble, and high brass methods. Dave Hickman was my teacher and being from his school had tremendous influence on the search committee that hired me.

But as for teaching - I can't imagine a better career. I can organize my schedule howver I want. If I want to teach 2 days a week, I can. (I don't, but I could.) I have time to practice, I'm encouraged to perform as much as possible, I have a modest travel account to use for gigs, performances and recruiting trips, I work with terrific, talented colleagues, I get summers off to do whatever I please, and best of all, I get to work with enthusiastic, talented, young musicians, who are bursting at the seams trying to improve and learn. Who could ask for a better job than this? I look forward to every day; and never, ever have I dreaded going to "work". (I hesitate to even call it work.) The students are what it's all about. I look at my job as an opportunity to assist young adults in getting to the point where they are ready for the job market. They need someone to help mentor them and I believe that is one of the most important parts of my job. It's also one of the most fun parts. Working with college students is a joy. I enjoy preparing students for senior recitals, job interviews, internships, grad school auditions, summer gig auditions, etc. These are exciting times in their lives and I feel lucky to be involved in a way that I can help them. It's extremely rewarding.

Sure, there are politics, wacky conductors, and occasional battles to fight. But it's all part of the game called university teaching, and it's part of what keeps it interesting and fun.

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

Manny Laureano

I second that emotion, Del.

My experiences teaching have been on the private and ensemble level, so, I didn't have to pay my dues in the usual route but paid they were.

U. of Hardknox they call it.

I got out of a rehearsal today and I swear i was a little sad it was over and actually was bummed that I have to wait a week before Saturday morning to work with the kids again. Some of you already know we're working on the Rite of Spring and today's session encapsulated everything positive you can say about the rewards of passing down what you know to young 'uns.

They were turned on. They were hungry to play the piece. They want to play in front of a live audience and show what they know. They were focused. They responded to every stupid little gesture I made. They were smiling when I'd wink or give a solo passage player a quick thumbs up. Damn it, I really love these kids, y'know?

I have had many private students over the years but I have a Japanese lady who comes in every couple of weeks that has me doing handsprings when she leaves because she's such a hard worker. Considering she used to cry after our first few lessons many years ago, it's fun to see her looking forward to the auditions soon to come.

It's about change.

It's about the joy of having someone see something in a whole new way and really understand that they have OPTIONS!!! For when you love to teach, you'll walk over burning coals to get that understanding.

Whether it's one-on-one or a large ensemble you can't help but love the moment in the lesson when you say "Yeah... THAT'S what I'm talking about... Bravo!"

They change and we grow as a result. Gotta love it.

ML

trumpetdiva1

Del, your enthusiasm is contagious. The best job that I’d ever had and loved the most was when I had served on the faculty at the Wilkes University Conservatory and Community School of the Arts in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It didn’t seem like work to me either. I was having fun teaching trumpet. I was very relaxed and had so much joy when I had heard improvement in my student’s playing. I was very blessed and fortunate at the time to be studying trumpet with Laurie Frink and John McNeil when I held the position. They gave me the inspiration to teach and what inspirational players and people! I would practice in the music building for hours at a time and played professionally in the area. Teaching trumpet is truly a wonderful experience! For knowledge is not to be kept to ourselves, but is best when it is generously shared with others.

Janell

__________________
Janell Carter

Brekelefuw

One of my finest moments as a trumpet player and teacher was when the band teacher that started me on trumpet phoned me up to tell me he had a student who was leagues above everyone else, and that I knew her. It turns out it was the first student I ever had. It made me so happy to hear that a student who i taught was still playing and enjoying it, and doing well at it.

trmptr

Good responses so far. Keep em' coming...

Manny - I can attest first hand to your love of teaching. When I brought my BSU trumpet ensemble to play for you and the rest of your buddies from the Minnesota Orchestra, your enthusiasm and teaching was the highlight of our year! Thank you for that. I'd love to do it again sometime!

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

trpt2345

This is a great topic, and I too am having a blast teaching. First off, I think that teaching goes hand in hand with any level of accomplishment in music. There were teachers that passed knowledge on to you, and it is incumbent on those who have received such informaton to pass it on. The path I have found is a little less traditional, I teach in a community music school, not a public system. There are many advantages: I am pretty much left to my own devices, I don't have to answer to any bureaucrats, and as long as my kids perform well the powers that be don't bother me. My specialty is jazz, and I direct three small ensembles, one large one (my beloved Latin jazz band) and teach both improvisation and arranging/composition classes. Plus I have seven or eight private students. There is no greater pleasure than telling students things and having them respond and sound way better. A new student a couple weeks back, after I got her to breath deeply and put a ton of air into the horn and get a sound she never had had before, exclaimed, "No one ever told me these things before!" I was just so tickled. Two of my older students have already gotten into colleges of their choice (one got a total ride to Oberlin, the other, a young lady who plays drums and percussion got into Sarah Lawrence; I was the one who wrote recommendations for both.) Though I still get my biggest satisfaction from performing, teaching has provided a second career and outlet-it makes me articulate what I know-and it allows me to decline gigs I don't really want to do. Life is good. I am always eager to go to work. And like Manny, I wish I could do it again tomorrow instead of waiting until next week.
I guess the moral to this story is that leave yourself open to possibilities, and if you don't want to go the public school route realize there is an extensive network of community music schools around the country (and world too) that might provide an opportunity.

Michael McLaughlin

The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do.
Igor Stravinsky

__________________
Chicago MM

Khora

Exactly, ML. SO well said!

Sandy

tpter1

This is a wonderful topic. I have some things I'd like to share, but will chime in later as I'm having difficulty getting my thoughts into words.

I come at this from a slightly different perspective than represented thus far, as I am in a public school. I see it all, from beginning to end. I've taught little kindergartners all the way up through university level players, in most aspects (aside from strings and piano...you do NOT want to hear me play either of those!).

My focus has always been on 2 areas: musical independance and using music as a tool to teach about humanity. Kids in 6th grade could care less that Mozart had perfect pitch; most of them don't really give a hoot that the lines of the bass clef are GBDFA. It is not relevant to them (unless they play a bass clef instrument). But when they hear his music, and know what they're listening to, and get it, that makes all the difference. When I looked out in the audience at the last concert I played in and saw alumni, I knew I made an impact. Further, they were not there to see me. They were there to hear the concert. I was blown away by that.

ps.: This site has really focused me and become an integral part of my teaching, for research, methods, inspiration and personal challenge.

Well, that's a bit of a start, I guess. Maybe I'll come back and modify as my thoughts clarify a bit.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

trmptr

Glenn,

I will look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. The intent of this thread was for teachers of all levels to "chip in", and thoughts from someone such as you will bring a new perspective.

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

ecarroll

Del,

Hello from Montreal. I have a short break between students and have been dying to contribute to this thread. Thanks for starting it.

I have a slightly different story to tell, although in essence it's similar to what I'm reading here today.

I came to teaching the same way many other professional trumpeters did -- an offer from the local conservatory when I was playing in the Rotterdam Philharmonic. I'll be the first to admit that I was simply parroting my own teachers in those early years but soon came to the realization that each student has a different set of skills and a unique musical culture. It was at this very moment that my own teaching took off -- the joy of introducing young musicians to the many varieties of music that I had myself discovered and performed was infectious and recently I also discovered that by including new music in my teaching I could return to that wonderful feeling of being a student myself.

My interest in performing has waned as my passion for teaching has waxed. No matter, really -- the hole left by turning down most concert offers has been more than filled by my excellent students at CalArts, McGill, Dartmouth, Chosen Vale, and my former students in Lake Placid, Rotterdam, and London. Their discovery becomes my re-discovery and their joy becomes my joy. Each has a role in my life, akin to being members of the same family.

Nothing remains the same in life but I'll look back at this part of my own as a period of being totally stimulated and absolutely content.

This place doesn't hurt either.

Best,
EC