Many thanks to the Anderson High School band directors for inviting me to teach 2 weeks of daily masterclasses to their trumpet section (10 total!). And a HUGE thank you to the students for their attention, questions, and enthusiasm!
We covered a massive amount of material, which is summarized below with a link to all handouts passed out during the 2 weeks.
Warmups (beautiful and relaxed sound)
- Leadpipe exercises
- Buzzing play-a-long videos
- Cichowicz
- Tone development exercises: dynamic long tones, bending, pedals
Technique
- Clarke #2
- Arban interval exercise
- Attack/Entrance exercise with metronome
- Lip Slurs/Flexibility Loops
- Single/Double/Triple tongue exercises
- Cross training: be creative to expand results of any exercise
Etudes
- Progression of 4 etudes from middle school to high school level (Hero’s Return, Coronation, 101, Olympus)
- 2019 All-State etudes
- 2019 All-State Jazz etudes and improv
Maintenance
- Oil before valves are stuck
- Clean mouthpiece weekly (2 seconds)
- Clean leadpipe monthly (10 seconds)
- Disassemble and clean entire trumpet twice annually
Equipment
- Mouthpiece parts/function
- Upgrading trumpet
- Consult lesson teacher/band director before buying new equipment
- Trumpet mute demos: straight, cup, harmon, plunger, solotone
- Trumpet demos: Bb, C, piccolo, flugelhorn
Mental
- Setting goals: long-term and short-term
- Successful section-building
- Inspiration from videos and live performances
Etude Practice Tips
- Play musically! Add lyrics or a storyline to inspire creativity
- Consult recordings of etudes and pieces that are similar
- Record yourself frequently
- Develop range and techniques outside of etude
- Find other pieces that address similar concepts to keep practicing fresh (ex: Pictures at an Exhibition)
- Tone first!
- Fully address weaknesses in your playing
