On Stage - Out of the Comfort Zone

I did it again. Why do I do it? Why do any of us who performer put ourselves on stage and risk the possibility of failure? Of course, there is always the possiblity of success, too, and the joy of playing with others.

The other weekend I performed with a small chamber orchestra led by one of the best directors in the country. The music was very difficult. I worked very hard on it, carried around a lot of stress about it, and in the end (the performance) I played some parts well, other parts just OK, and other sections poorly. The conductor probably didn't think much of my playing, but the audience gave the group an appreciative applause, and people commented to me afterwards that I had done well.

The moral to the story is this: performance can be frightening, but pushing through the fear and doing our best will usually result in bringing some amount of enjoyment to ourselves and others. The worst that can happen is we fail (by some standard – usually our own). But failure is not fatal; we go home and our family and pets still love us, and the sun will shine again. And we'll practice to do better the next time.

Speaking of Performance...

Congratulations are in order for several of my students for their recent performances and accomplishments:

Zach Brink successfully auditioned for entry into the music school at the University of Idaho. Zach is my first advanced student, and it has been a pleasure working with him since last fall helpng him prepare for his audition. Zach has also joined me in the trombone section of the LCSC Jazz Band.

Sacajewea Jr. High Jazz Band (Shane Hasenoehrl, guitar, Scott McIntosh and Jacob Holthous, trombones) received runner-up honors at both the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the Clackamas (Oregon) Jazz Festival. In addition to the private lessons, I was able to lead a trombone sectional with Scott, Jacob and their section-mate Ben before the Hampton festival. They sounded great to me; no surprise that they're doing so well. I can't claim any credit for Shane's success on guitar, but I do give him lessons on the baritone horn.

Kole Steeley and Chad Roberts also performed at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival with their school jazz bands. Well done, everyone!

Parents Corner – Joining the Club

I'm joining the “parents' club” in a about a month. Samantha and I are expecting a baby at the end of May. There may be a day or so of disrupted lessons (not to mention our nights of interrupted sleep).

Listening to Music – Jazz Brass

One of the best ways to learn an instrument is by listening to some of the best practitioners. Who should you listen to? There have been and still are many many amazing trombone and trumpet players. Below is a short list of some of my favorites (mostly jazz players). Soon, I'll put a better list on the website, along with suggestions for where to get access to their music (you can start by listening to NPR, 90.5 FM, on Friday & Saturday evenings).