When deciding how to introduce this gifted young lady, I struggled even with the heading. Many adjectives came to mind such as “gifted”, “talented”, “motivated”, “mature”, etc., but the only word I could find which describes this person would be “exceptional”. Many times adults refer to the younger generation as irresponsible, self-indulging, self-centered and lazy. News broadcasts show less than adult behavior of students rioting and vandalizing property and blatantly disregarding the law and because of these actions, younger people are sometimes regarded as lawless individuals and many times we overlook the positive influences made by the majority of youth…

This morning while lying in bed and looking out our bedroom sliding doors at the sun coming up over Table Rock Lake, I began to wonder why the Christmas season is most often celebrated with brass instruments. Why do we hear more brass ensembles during this time of the year than woodwind quartets or string ensembles? Why are brass instruments more seasonal than all other instruments? Throughout the day I pondered this question and finally decided to sit down and discuss this question with myself. Brass instruments were not always used during the Christmas season just as they were not…

The History The Branson Trumpet Ensemble began performing in the Branson area in 2005 and has amassed a library of over 1,000 arrangements ranging from Bach to Rock. Its performances have included weddings, private parties, concerts, conventions, church services as well as special music for many different occasions. The Original Members John Casebourn graduated from McMinnville Senior High School in McMinnville, Oregon. He earned his BS degree in 1987 from the College of the Ozarks, in Branson Missouri. John was the band director at the following communities- Plato, Missouri from 1987 until 1988; Blue Eye, Missouri 1988-1998; Spokane, MO 1998-2006…

You would think that an adult would learn from his mistakes but as you will see, some don’t. The first time I forgot my mouthpiece was in Iowa at a very nice country club. Fortunately, one of the other trumpet players was able to loan me an extra from his case. The second time I failed to bring a mouthpiece happened here in Branson while playing a Bobby Vinton show and that is today’s story. Usually I have a couple mouthpieces in my trumpet case for just this situation but that day the mouthpiece holder was empty. When I removed…

To celebrate our 5th anniversary of our site, we have decided to post the three most popular topics. Today we are featuring our most popular post- The Disturbing Monette Video We all have had moments when something pops into our minds which is disturbing enough to keep us up at night and for me, this is one of those moments. Several weeks ago, while searching for topics for this blog, I came across a video produced by Mr. Dave Monette. I first met Mr. Monette many years ago while he was visiting our campus and was very impressed with his…

I have no comment other than– “Because of complete mortification, retired Prof. is interested in selling all of his trumpets and moving to a mountain in Tibet to live in isolation for the remainder of his life”..

Throughout our lives, we sometimes think back to people who have influenced our lives. Such is my case when remembering one of my favorite trumpet teachers, Mr. Don Jacoby (or just “Jake” to the trumpet world). It was a trumpet custom while attending North Texas State (now University of North Texas) to study with Mr. John Haynie on campus for your degree and at the same time study with Jake in Dallas for making contacts in the area. Both teachers were exceptional players as well as teachers and each excelled in his own area; Jake in commercial playing and Mr.…

In my original post introducing this musician, who I considered to be a moving force in the universe, was on September 29, 2012 when I published “Please Welcome Victor Haskins”. At that time I predicted his continued success and I wanted to share his talents with my readers. As in all predictions, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you learn to eat your words. I am pleased to announce that my earlier predictions are continuing to come true for this unique individual and for that reason; I have asked Mr. Haskins to share “in his own words” what has…