I believe my students when they tell me they are “passionate” about music (or teaching). I myself am acquainted with passion, which has shaped my experience in manifold ways. At various times I have known passion for horses, classical music, running a college trumpet studio, learning to cook, painting with…
Passion, Talent, and Your Choice of Profession: Some Thoughts on Majoring in Music
In modern American culture, we tend to believe that we reach the apex of professional success when our work achieves a balance between financial profitability and personal meaning. And why not? Given that we must earn money, who wouldn’t rather earn it in a way that feels personally satisfying? Unfortunately,…
Does Motivation Matter? Further Thoughts on Choosing to Practice
I recently posted a fairly transparent account of my decision to practice for 365 consecutive days in 2017. Shortly thereafter, a thread on social media brought up the following counter-argument: If you’re struggling to find the motivation to practice, maybe you shouldn’t be in music. Now, that’s not an exact…
365 Days: My Practicing Odyssey of 2017
Last January, I committed to 365 consecutive days of practice. By announcing this fact, I am of course also confessing to an uncomfortable truth: I am a professional trumpet player, and a college teacher at that. And until recently, I could not honestly claim to have practiced every day, without…
Contacting Established Professionals (go ahead, send that email)
When I was in college I had a colleague who wanted to play a relatively unknown, unpublished piece by a relatively well-known living composer. She emailed him, asking how she could acquire the music for her recital. He responded, and she programmed the piece. While preparing for the same concert,…
To Teach or Not to Teach: Is This Really the Right Question?
In teaching college trumpet, I find that the following question arises often: “Should I major in music education?” Coming from my college students, this question usually means one of two things. The first is the topic of this post: “Should I major in music education?” (as opposed to performance or…