Are Universities a Thing of the Past?

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This may be strange to hear this from a retired University Professor but just as fashions and musical styles change with time, so does the importance of advanced education. Decades ago, it was imperative to frequent the hallowed halls of the learned institutions for at that time it was a common law that in order to compete for a good job, you had to have a college degree or face the reality that you would not have a chance at decent employment. Today’s work force has changed and for one to amass great debt for advanced degrees seems questionable now…

Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble Goes to School

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I would like to thank our friends in the Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble for including two of my arrangements in their past concert. From a composer/arranger’s standpoint, nothing can be more rewarding than to have such a talented ensemble perform one’s piece with such high level of musicianship. I would especially like to thank Mr. Dean Haist for his outstanding work with schools around the state and elsewhere. His high level of presentations should be the standard for all of us as we continue to promote instrumental music in our school systems. Bravo to the Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble for an outstanding…

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Are Trumpet Players Born That Way or Do They Grow Into It? (Reprinted from Dec 14, 2019)

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Trumpet players have the reputation of being, arrogant, self-centered, boisterous, know-it-alls and for this, we are sorry. Some players learn this naturally and some of us did not realize it was happening until it was too late. This is typical of the view most musicians have of trumpet players- How many trumpets does it take to change a light bulb? Five. One to handle the bulb and four to tell him how much better they could’ve done it. Is it justified? It might be, but I am more interested in the answer to this question- “Do trumpet players have these…

To My Wife and Still My Best Friend after 58 years……

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Can you imagine the number of times she has listed to me practice, perform and still keeps me around? During these many years I have been through twenty different instruments, five different teachers, one heart attack, cancer, global amnesia, blood clots, a brain concussion, five broken bones, an ablation in the heart, five dogs, nine cars, two motor cycles, four bicycles, one tooth extraction, three tuxedos…….and she still takes care of me. Talk about a supper hero! Today is our 58th wedding anniversary and the only way I can show her my love and appreciation is to show it musically with…

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Ernest Williams- The Unsung Hero of the Cornet

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Even though some readers may not be familiar with the name Ernest Williams, his contribution to the trumpet/cornet world should be recognized. The following material was taken from Wikipedia in order to illustrate Mr. Williams contributions to our instrumental world. “A native of Wayne County, Indiana, Ernest Williams’ musical career began in 1898 as a volunteer in the 158th Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry when he served as cornet soloist during the Spanish–American War. His talents as a performer were highly regarded and, after successfully substituting as bandmaster in his regiment, Williams was chosen to lead the 161st Indiana Regiment,…

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Last 3 days of 10% discount on all jazz arrangements/transcriptions through the month of May…..

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Last 3 days of 10% discount on all jazz arrangements/transcriptions through the month of May (discount applies only to Jazz arr./trans) trumpetensemblemusic.com And these are only 10 of the 152 examples being discounted! “Birdland” (Trumpet Quartet) – Trumpet Ensemble Music Just A Closer Walk With Thee- Trumpet Trio | Download Trumpet Music PDF – Trumpet Ensemble Music TV Medley- Trumpet Trio – Trumpet Ensemble Music Bugler’s Holiday- Trumpet Quartet – Trumpet Ensemble Music Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Trumpet Quartet – Trumpet Ensemble Music Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Trumpet Quintet – Trumpet Ensemble Music We Need A Little Christmas-…

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Dime or No Dime? Re-Printed from Feb. 17, 2013

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On one of the more active trumpet discussion boards this month was a question about inserting a dime in the third valve lower cap to change the sound of your trumpet. Being the skeptic I am and will always be; I decided to test the concept. I played with the dime placed in the bottom of my third valve for two weeks and today removed it for my testing. During the two weeks with the dime in, I neither felt, heard nor recognized any change in timbre, accuracy, response, range endurance, amount of money made or any other factors in…

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