A bit of a confession: This was my first private lesson since high school! Even though I've been a busy trumpet player since then I never pursued any additional coaching. I knew how to play and was plenty successful as a trumpeter, plus I was somewhat preoccupied with pursuing a professional career outside of music. I eventually came to realize I had developed a few bad habits that I guess went unnoticed because I had plenty of "head room" to effectively compensate for my evolving deficiencies.
I saw Roger give a masterclass at Maryland Trumpet Day last month. I could relate to his approach to the embouchure and blowing and thought I might be able to benefit more from a personal session. He returned to the area to host a clinic at Washington Music Center (Chuck's) and we arranged to meet there.
Bottom line: I was prescribed heaps of remedial work! Yes, Clarke and Schlossberg are back on the stand in my studio and I'm to approach them with soft, determined finesse. My sister Justine dropped by to crash the end of our session and quickly stepped up to reinforce everything that Roger was recommending for me. We had a good, productive trumpet hang.
Justine is a great pro trumpet player in the D.C. area. I'll maybe dedicate a full post to her in the future. Roger is very impressive too. Definitely check his site out and consider setting up your own private lesson the next time he's in your area.
No comments:
Post a Comment