Thanks to encouragement from a wonderful friend, I’ve decided to start a blog based on my experiences as a trumpet player, a trumpet instructor, and a music scholar. I look forward to verbalizing a wide range of topics pertaining to the instrument I love and the music that surrounds it.
My first thought will serve as a format for my postings here. My involvement in music stems from the great experiences I had as a student in the Grand Island Public Schools (Nebraska). One of the instrumental figures in my development was Lew Cole, my junior high band director. Though there is much to write about (I plan on writing about him in the future), I am reminded of one of his “famous” quotes:
“Straight through, no mistakes!”
I remember hearing Mr. Cole say this every time we first rehearsed a piece of music. He encouraged us to “go for it” and play like we were ready to perform it. It helped many students cast aside their fears of clamming a note or missing a fingering, so that confidence would be built every time they picked up their instrument. Slowly we accepted that making a mistake was human and reality, and that everyone did it whether they were first chair or last chair. Little did we know that we were learning from our mistakes (probably subconsciously at that point) and breaking free from our “white-knuckled”, timid approach to playing our instruments.
I’ll do my best to follow this advice as I blog here. This is new for me and while I may not be quite at the “white-knuckled” point, I know the road will be similar to my junior high band days. I’ll just “go for it” and see what happens.
