Advice · Education · Playing techniques · Teaching techniques

NEW : Educational Resources

This new page has a variety of resources that I hope that you will find useful. Fellow teachers will find these to be easily accessible and understandable. These are all concepts and exercises that I have used with my own pre-college students over the past 25 years, and have also found lots of these to… Continue reading NEW : Educational Resources

Advice · Education · Playing techniques · Teaching techniques

Arban Variations

Arban's 'Cornet Method' is often referred to as the brass players' bible. It addresses many aspects of brass playing, both technically and musically, and with the right guidance is a superb tool for any player's development. However, many young players struggle with HOW to practise the exercises within this book, and many a copy is… Continue reading Arban Variations

Advice · Education

Claude Gordon Practice Routines

This article was originally written by Jeff Purtle and published in The Brass herald in 2009. Jeff Purtle is a private teacher, clinician, and trumpet player with international clientele. As a protégé of Claude Gordon he continues the traditions of Claude Gordon and Herbert L. Clarke with effortless playing and productive practice. Please visit purtle.com for a fabulous range of educational content.

Advice · Education

So You or Your Kid Wants to Play the Trumpet

An article by Estela Aragon, CEO/Founder at TrumpetHeadquarters.com Ahhhh the trumpet. So many of all ages fall in love with the instrument due to its age- less sound and versatility. The trumpet plays nice with classical, jazz, pop, mariachi, latin jazz, bluegrass, dixieland and many eastern music forms. It’s no wonder that the world is… Continue reading So You or Your Kid Wants to Play the Trumpet

Advice · Education · Interview

Trumpet Headquarters : Estela Aragon

Education is a lifelong journey, and a journey that often starts in schools around the world that suffer from a lack of funding in music. It is more important than ever to find good quality and reliable resources to help children on their musical journey, as well as adults and advanced learners too. Trumpet Headquarters is a wonderful resource set up by Estela Aragon who was kind enough to talk to me here.

Gear Review

Buzz-R : Product Review

It is always intriguing to receive new trumpet gadgets through to try out and review. I have always used mouthpiece buzzing as an important part of my practice as well as my teaching, so the Buzz-R looks like an interesting prospect. Finding an effective embouchure calisthenic aid that can realistically be incorporated into a practice… Continue reading Buzz-R : Product Review

Advice · Education · Interview

Trumpet Artist Profile : Christopher Still

Chris Still is a renowned musician and educator, and I was delighted that he was able to find time to do this interview. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the founder of ‘Honesty Pill’. Regular readers will have read Chris’ feature a couple of weeks ago - If you haven’t… Continue reading Trumpet Artist Profile : Christopher Still

Advice · Education · Interview

Honesty Pill : In conversation with Christopher Still

Educator, clinician and coach (and also a trumpet player with the Los Angeles Philharmonic!) Chris Still has a really fascinating project that can benefit ALL musicians. I am extremely grateful for his time to chat about "Honesty Pill". Can you give a brief rundown of what Honesty Pill is all about? Sure. Honesty Pill is… Continue reading Honesty Pill : In conversation with Christopher Still

Advice · Education · Interview

Trumpet Artist Profile: Mario Guarneri

Mario Guarneri will be known to many readers as a performer and educator of the highest calibre. A former member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mario is also in demand as educator and lecturer on the pedagogical concepts involved with his groundbreaking designs and the trumpet in general. Here he shares with me some thoughts on approaching different stylistic challenges both as a player and a teacher.

Education · Interview

Johnny Thirkell : Horn Camp 2019

Johnny Thirkell is one of the great unsung heroes of the music industry. With a truly prolific recording output, his trumpet features on thousands of hits over the past thirty odd years. To find out more about Johnny, please follow this link to read this great interview (even if I do say so myself!) that… Continue reading Johnny Thirkell : Horn Camp 2019

Advice · Education · Interview

Trumpet Artist Profile: Markus Stockhausen

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