Voice Lessons in Fremont, CA

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Euphonium Tuba Music

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I knew I wanted to teach in high school, however I never dreamed of becoming a professional player like I am now until I was in college. When I was a student at the University of Iowa I was surrounded by ambitious people like me and we pushed each other with the ultimate goal of becoming the best players we could be which ultimately resulted in several of us developing ambitions to play professionally.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Yes it does, it runs very deeply. My dad and stepmother are both music teachers, and low brass players. My dad was a collegiate band director, and my stepmom was a collegiate low brass professor for a long time. They have since moved on to different musical jobs with my stepmother teaching beginning orchestra and my dad moving on to an administrative role. There is also an extended part of my family that I do not know who play music in Nashville.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I cannot imagine life where I am not a musician. The prompt requires me to have 27 words so I'm adding some down here, the previous sentence is the only one that matters here.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
I really enjoy playing within the New Orleans brass band style. It gives me an opportunity to open up and wail alongside a lot of creative license for the individual players. There is also a lot of improvisation which is my favorite part of a lot of music.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
I have a degree in trombone performance with a separate K-12 music education certification from the University of Iowa. I have always wanted to be a trombonist but I also have always had passion and felt a calling for teaching.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
This will differ wildly depending on what literature I'm playing. There is a consistent part of my practice though which is my daily routine. My routine starts with a couple short breathing exercises. I'll then play my first sounds of the day which are usually long, easy glissandos. Then long tones and lip slurs with a metronome. The focus is ALWAYS on quality, not speed. I will usually incorporate articulation and range expansion into my lip slur exercises to be more efficient. I'll finish off with a low and slow cooldown, expanding down into the basement of my range. The goal of this is to focus on being the best trombonist I can be, and building skills in places I think are deficient.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I think the Rubank method is good for a few reasons. I like their technical exercises, and I also like that it is progressive on a scale that is challenging but achievable in private lessons. With regards to brass playing, Arbans is really good for building technical facility, and Rochut is really good for building consistency with tone, flexibility and constructing musical phrases.

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