At the ITG Conference 2018 I managed to meet with a number of great people to conduct interviews, none greater than Philip Smith! Former Principal Trumpet with the New York Philharmonic, Phil shares his approach to both trumpet and cornet, and also speaks candidly about his recent experiences with Focal Dystonia.
I think that the concept of a saxophonist and former violinist becoming one of the most well-respected and well-known trumpet (and brass) teachers is a fascinating one. His callisthenic approach will be well-known to many readers through his publications, but in addition to this concentration on the physical synchronisation of different muscle groups, he also … Continue reading The Carmine Caruso Legacy
Acclaimed trumpet soloist and respected educator Rex Richardson has been described as "one of the world’s most engaging and astonishingly versatile trumpeters" (Style Weekly), and "among the very best trumpet soloists in the world today" (ITG). I was delighted to be able to catch up with him and to find out more.
I met up with Markus Stockhausen on a (typically) rainy day at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, UK on 23rd March 2018. He is a trumpeter at the cutting edge of modern performance, and as I was to find out during the course of this interview, a fascinating one at that! JH: … Continue reading Trumpet Artist Profile: Markus Stockhausen
D.H. Lawrence writes: “Never set a child afloat on the flat sea of life with only one sail to catch the wind.” The same could easily be said about trumpet students and the importance of developing versatility in not only their playing but also their outlook on life.
Encouraging younger students to play brass instruments in a crowded marketplace full of competition for children’s attention is a tough task. Warwick Music (the team behind pBone and pTrumpet) has set about opening up “buzzing” to the masses in the hope that the pBuzz can be the gateway instrument to get children interested in brass. Recorders have been a mainstay of primary schools across the world for many years, and ukuleles have also been very popular as an affordable way for hard-up schools to introduce musical instruments in the classroom at an early age. So, why not brass?!...
Regular readers will most likely need no introduction to Allen Vizzutti - an artist of the highest calibre: soloist, recording artist, composer, educator and master clinician!
A new school term is just starting, with thousands of children picking up a trumpet for the first time this month. The purpose of this article is to look at how we as teachers approach these crucial first few weeks, what our priorities are to ensure sustained enthusiasm and a solid technical and musical grounding… and also any tips and tricks that we have learnt that help to achieve this.
Residential Trumpet Course Feature: The Australasian Trumpet Academy
Music education has changed drastically over the past few years, and is a topic upon which instrumental teachers have often lamented. In the UK in particular we had a sudden shift to whole-class and group instrumental tuition 12 years ago, which has taken a long time to establish itself as anything more than a musical … Continue reading Resources for Group Trumpet Tuition
Mike Lovatt has one of the most heard and recognisable trumpet sounds in the world right now. If you do not think that you have heard him play before, you are probably wrong! Starring on more movie soundtracks than I can even begin to list, he is instantly recognised by his signature scintillating yet full, … Continue reading Mike Lovatt: Interview and Instrument Review
The decision to have braces during childhood can be a difficult decision to make… even before you consider how it will affect your trumpet playing! While teaching I have lost count of the number of times that I been approached by students or their parents to tell me that their orthodontist has told them to … Continue reading Playing with Braces