“New Additions to UIL Prescribed Solo Ensemble Music List for Grade 2- Trumpet Quartet Numbers”

Total recent inclusions- 25   Medici Music Press includes 10 or 40% of all new “Trumpet Quartets” to Grade 2 level recently accepted   Code Event Name Title Composer Arranger Publisher [Collection] Grade Specification 340-2-13651 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet Kyrie in F Bach Dishinger Medici Music Press 2 340-2-13652 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet Kyrie in G Bach Dishinger Medici Music Press 2 340-2-13653 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet Rowland Byrd Dishinger Medici Music Press 2 (no repeats) 340-2-13654 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet The Earle of Oxford’s Marche Byrd Dishinger Medici Music Press 2 340-2-13655 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet Two Renaissance Canons des Pres Decker Medici Music Press 2 340-2-13656 Cornet-Trumpet Quartet…

The University Interscholastic League Solo and Ensemble Music

“Solo and ensemble repertoire will not be considered at this time”. “Solo and ensemble repertoire will not be considered at this time”. “Solo and ensemble repertoire will not be considered at this time”. “Solo and ensemble repertoire will not be considered at this time”. To most of you, this organization and their simple yet straight forward statement “Solo and ensemble repertoire will not be considered at this time” has little meaning or importance. But to the hundreds of aspiring composers/arrangers around the country, this statement is a point of great frustration which only a composer/arranger can fully understand. Those 10…

Let Me Introduce You To My Friend Jen Houck

Many of you may not recognize the name Jen Houck, unless you remember reading some of her comments and her very helpful suggestions on some inexpensive equipment that will make cleaning your horn much easier- Now Here Is A Great Idea! or you might remember this one Carroll Community Wind Ensemble Trumpet Players Jen has been a very good friend of mine for many years now and her insight and fresh look at simple as well as complex problems is always welcome on our site. Recently she contacted me for some ideas which she wanted to implement in her upcoming…

The Continuing Evolution of the Trumpet Embouchure

In the beginning there was the smile. I was first introduced to the smile embouchure by my first cornet teacher, Mr.Earl E. Youngdahl in Moline, Illinois when I was in fourth grade. The lesson went something like this- “Mr. Youngdahl, how can I play the high notes”? His response went somewhat like this- “When you play the high notes, you need to stretch the corners of your lips outward as if you are stretching a rubber band by pulling on both ends at the same time”. And now you know why I have never been able to play with ease…

5 Areas Where Most Trumpet Players Go Wrong- #5 “Fingering”

Some may ask, “What could go wrong when fingering? You push the valves down and they come back up. Although this statement is very true, improper fingering or inadequate practice of fingering can lead to several playing faults. Here are a few bad habits and voids when practicing to improve your fingering I have observed through several decades as a trumpet teacher. 1. Valves go down too slow Many players equate slow tempi with slow valve action. WRONG! As Doc Severinsen has always stressed; “Bang the valves down at all times”. As Don “Jake” Jacoby always said, “Bang the valves…

Shofar Sho Good!

A shofar (pron. /ʃoʊˈfɑːr/, from Hebrew: is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram’s horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player’s embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of animal and level of finish. You may ask, what is information about a Jewish instrument doing on a trumpet player’s blog? Especially due to the fact that the host of this…

Different Forms Of Teaching

So, why don’t we jump right in and begin our quest for that perfect job that you are looking for in music. Different forms of teaching College/University- Teaching at the University or College level can be very satisfying for you are usually working with focused and dedicated students. Working with this type of person is much less frustrating than teaching at lower levels of students. A definite advantage of this level is that you are working with more developed musicians which is a challenge all of its own. Your teaching schedule is more like most regular work schedules. Although you…

Are You Thinking About A Career In Music?

Having a full time job in music is very appealing to many young people. They view their local band director as a leader in the community who apparently enjoys his/her position and is content getting up early every morning and going to work. Or, the young person sees an entertainer on TV who is doing what they enjoy and making vast sums of money doing it. Or it might be a person interested in teaching at the university level. All of these positions may be of interest to a young person but as in all professions, there are many things…

You Should Never Breath Through Your Nose…unless.

How many times we have heard this mantra about inhaling before playing a note on a brass instrument? Until recently, I have been one of those practitioners. Lately I have begun to waver in my staunch attitude towards this practice. Now before you get all hot and bothered and start ranting about, “You can’t get enough air in if you breath through your nose” or “your sound is darker and more improved if you breathe through your mouth” or “breathing through your nose is too slow”, let me explain a couple of instances that taking a breath through your nose…