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…