Without exception, every great player on every instrument began developing their skills through imitation. By creating a very clear concept of sound in our mind, we are giving ourselves a reference point that we will use (consciously or subconsciously) in the qualitative evaluation of our own sound production. In our private sessions this happens naturally within call and response and other imatative exercises. When students are on their own I recommend completing one short listening assignment per week. This entails watching a short video of a trumpet player or brass group and taking a moment to write down your thoughts on what you heard. Developing the vocabulary to describe sounds and textures is a vital first step in creating our internal sound concept.
The Video Collection
In previous years the listening video collection was hosted on this website. Due to its popularity and the necessity for growth it has been moved to youtube, which will be faster and more convienient for my students and will benefit from broad compatibilty as well. Just click the link to go to my personal youtube selections, you will be inspired by what you see, guaranteed.
