Now that you have carefully selected your solo and practiced your part to perfection, it is time to put the final touches on your perfect performance. Knowing and being able to perform your solo is two-thirds of the equation for success. The final 1/3 is knowing that a perfect performance is possible. This last level of preparation is where most performers fall short. This last third is what makes the difference between the men and the boys, the pro and the amateur. Your first assignment in building confidence is to memorize your solo. Can you hear the deafening silence in…

We have had enough time to perfect our material to perfection. Notice that I didn’t say how fast we are now able to play it. If you are a less experienced player, you may be able to perform the material perfectly at the slowest tempo. Congratulations for you are on your way to performing the Etude without any “clams”. But if you think you are able to play this material at a faster tempo and are still making mistakes, continue at a tempo where you are able to play it without ANY mistakes! Don’t fool yourself into thinking you have…

I have always wanted to perform the trumpet solo featured in the Brandenburg Concerto #2. It ain’t gunna happen! Why you might ask? The answer is simple. I don’t have the chops and I never will have the chops. With that confession, I have illustrated my concern for choosing material suited to your strength or better phrased, avoid your short comings. I have heard students play this challenging number beautifully but, as my first boss at the University of Northern Iowa told me, “Not every horse is a race horse”. Be sure when you are setting your next program you…

Life is simple when you break it down into its basic parts. I have performed and prepared students for public performances for most of my life and the collective number of perfect performances is few and far between. In my own case I can remember less than a dozen occasions which I can honestly say were perfect performances. There were always those little glitches which could have been prevented such as a dynamic not observed or a tempo too fast or too slow. Perfection seldom comes without total preparation and complete concentration. This post is an introduction to a series…

As in most activities, levels of proficiency can be established. Whether you are speaking of driving skills, golfing ability or Art, each have recognizable levels of ability. This is especially true in music. Each of the four plateaus represent musicians’ accomplishments and for this post I will define the lowest level as amateur, the next more advanced as advanced amateur, followed by professional and advanced or Artist level of musical ability. Each of these levels are easily recognized through several characteristics which I will define below. Amateur Musician – A person interested in music with little experience or knowledge but…

Comments have arrived which can be answered in one fell swoop. Have you noticed that when you do an unusual amount of sight reading or performing under stress, you suffer from irritated eyes? If you have noticed this condition, you and most of the trumpet world suffer with you. Stressful playing conditions such as recitals and sight-reading changes the way you look at things; literally. Under stress your natural and involuntary instinct to blink and lubricate your eyes is hampered and as you continue playing under pressure, your natural function of blinking is overridden and although you need the lubrication…