General Tips Always oil your valves before important performance events, such as concerts, rehearsals, and lessons. Even if they’re working well right now, they could start sticking at the worst possible moment. As they say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If one of your valves is sticking, OIL ALL THREE! If you oil only the one that’s sticking now, you can almost guarantee that another will be sticking very soon.

I recently came across a really good blog post on The Productivityist, one of many blogs I follow these days. It’s a guest post written by Ryan McRae, titled “Becoming the Productive College Student.” It’s a pretty quick read, and well worth the time for anyone who’s looking to be more productive in their college years (and beyond!). Here’s my take on what he has to say: Master Your Calendar The first part of McRae’s post is about what he calls mastering your calendar.

I recently came across a wonderful blog post written by composer and percussionist Ivan Trevino. Titled “Music and Sandwiches,” the post talks about Trevino’s experiences transitioning from music student to music professional. Much of what he says resonated strongly with me. My own career has followed a similar “slow burn” trajectory. Over the years I have done many things besides perform and teach on the trumpet. I’ve worked behind a deli counter, in a hospital billing department, at an HVAC company, a commercial real estate brokerage, book store conglomerate, and internet start-up.

I just read a fascinating article in Boston Magazine about recent percussion auditions for the Boston Symphony. This article captures very well the atmosphere, and to me more interestingly, the inner experience of the musicians taking part in the audition. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an aspiring symphony musician, this is a good look. If you aspire to win an audition yourself someday, this is a must-read.

Students and parents often ask me how much time every day should be spent practicing. I usually answer that as a very general rule of thumb, if you take a 30 minute lesson once a week, then you should practice at least 30 minutes every day. But that is a very generic response. It’s really much more a matter of HOW you practice that makes the difference, and probably 60 or more percent of time in lessons we work on practice technique.

Cleaning your trumpet is a basic part of routine maintenance. If you want your instrument to sound its best and last a long time, you need to clean it regularly. I generally recommend that my students clean their horns out once every 6-8 weeks. You should plan to spend around 30 minutes or more the first few times you clean your trumpet. As you get used to the routine, it will take you less time.

Motivating Your Child to Practice Here are some excellent writings on this topic by the real experts (parents!)… This first item was posted to the Trumpet Players’ International Network internet discussion group by Bryan Edgett. This is posted here with the author’s permission. I am vitally concerned about this issue. This forum has proffered many “how to-s” for getting kids to practice. Some positive comments have included taking them to concerts, playing duets, some form of extrinsic motivation (new this or that, trip, etc.