Katie Prior- “Exceptional”

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When deciding how to introduce this gifted young lady, I struggled even with the heading. Many adjectives came to mind such as “gifted”, “talented”, “motivated”, “mature”, etc., but the only word I could find which describes this person would be “exceptional”. Many times adults refer to the younger generation as…

Sheet Music for Trumpet- Free

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Budgets are tight and still we need material to practice. I have been searching the Internet for some time and have collected a large source of sites which offer free music for the trumpet. Some are good and most are a waist of time. I have selected my top thirteen…

Be Careful What You Ask For!

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In our last post I invited comments on the subject “Why Brass at Christmas Time” and I did get a question. But it wasn’t what I expected. I thought I would have comments such as “What’s so bad about woodwind quartets”? or “You’re an idiot”, you know the usual responses.…

Christmas = Brass

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This morning while lying in bed and looking out our bedroom sliding doors at the sun coming up over Table Rock Lake, I began to wonder why the Christmas season is most often celebrated with brass instruments. Why do we hear more brass ensembles during this time of the year…

The Sound Check

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Every commercial musician has gone through this ritual before a show and no one has ever portrayed this tedious practice better than this. Thanks Paul for the heads up. Enjoy!

the Branson Trumpet Ensemble

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The History The Branson Trumpet Ensemble began performing in the Branson area in 2005 and has amassed a library of over 1,000 arrangements ranging from Bach to Rock. Its performances have included weddings, private parties, concerts, conventions, church services as well as special music for many different occasions. The Original…

A Musician Must Be Flexible- Part 2

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Flexibility in your surroundings Being flexible in your surroundings or environment refers to your interaction with the situation and people around you. Musicians at times can be moody, prideful, insecure as well as stubborn and arrogant. This is not a trait of all musicians but is true of many. When…

A Musician Must Be Flexible- Part 1

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Flexibility when performing Whether you play regularly in an orchestra or a jazz combo, each performing medium has its own playing expectations. If you are playing lead in a big band, you will be expected to play at the upper dynamic levels as well as in the upper range of…