Posted by glennled on November 27, 2010
Have you heard of the Marine Military Academy? Neither had I when I got an email from a parent in Lynnwood inquiring about private lessons for her son, a trumpeter, coming home from Texas for vacation during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. At first, I wondered, does “marine” refer to the navy, merchant marine, oceanography, biology, or what? No, none of the above—it’s the U.S. Marine Corps, of course! We arranged four one-hour lessons while he’s home in November, and I now have my 13th student.
The Marine Military Academy (MMA) is in Harlingen in south Texas, only about 11 miles from the Rio Grande River and the border with Mexico. Forty-five years ago in 1965, it was established as a private college preparatory school for boys, grades 8-12 (see www.mma-tx.org). It is the only Marine prep school in the USA, and the typical enrollment is about 350-400.
My student is 17 and a senior. As a cadet at MMA, he plays in the school band. Three bugle calls get used regularly in the daily/weekly routine of school life: “Attention,” “Adjutant’s Call,” and “Taps.” For Pass in Review, the band plays the stirring march by John Philip Sousa known as “Semper Fi”—that’s short for Semper Fidelis (Latin, meaning “Always faithful”, the motto of the Marine Corps). And they play the moving “Marine Corps Hymn” (Halls of Montezuma), too, among many other pieces of music. For next year, he’s now considering three universities in Washington, Illinois, and Texas, and the Naval Academy in Maryland.
His dream is to play trumpet in The United States Marine Band, known as “The President’s Own” (see www.marineband.usmc.mil/). God bless the Marines and all our military and all our veterans, way back to the Revolutionary War, 1776-1783.
Trumpeters in “The President’s Own” Marine Band
Freedom is not free. It’s a universal, human desire, and its costs, for every generation on this precious globe, are high. In these Thanksgiving holidays, I pray he lives his dream, God willing.
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: adjutant's call, attention, band, bugle, cadet, Christmas, Halls of Montezuma, Harlingen, Illinois, John Philip Sousa, lessons, Lynnwood, march, Marine Corps, Marine Corps Hymn, Marine Military Academy, Maryland, Mexico, military, Naval Academy, prep, preparatory school, President's Own, Revolutionary War, Rio Grande River, Semper Fidelis, Taps, Texas, Thanksgiving, trumpet, trumpeter, United States Marine Band, Washington | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 15, 2010
When you’re chosen to accompany the choir at a Christmas concert, you’ve gotta practice your trumpet and be ready—especially when you’re a 6th grader and the music is written in the key of A (with three sharps) and the ending note is High A above the staff! And that’s how it came to be that I now have my 12th trumpet student. Besides being in band, he’s also a member of the choir at Canyon Creek Elementary School in Bothell. The choir will perform at the 600-seat Northshore Performing Arts Center (NPAC) in Bothell and the Seattle Center on 14 and 15 December, respectively.
At age 12, he’s a talented, enthusiastic, confident, responsible boy with a warm smile and pleasant, happy attitude. His trumpet tone is strong and solid, and he has an excellent sense of rhythm. For the concerts, he simply needs more practice of the right exercises to strengthen his embouchure and extend his range further into the upper register. Since he’s a quick learner, I think he’ll do very well when he plays at the Christmas concerts next month. We have about five more weeks of lessons to prepare…and that’s just enough time to “nail it!”
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: 6th grade, band, Bothell, Canyon Creek Elementary School, choir, Christmas, concert, embouchure, lessons, Northshore Performing Arts Center, rhythm, Seattle Center, soloist, tone, trumpet, upper register | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on November 14, 2010
A piano sits in the living room—Mom wants live music in the home. Her 10-year old son (in 4th grade and my 11th student) has a head start. He’s a smart, friendly kid with a bright spirit and smile. And he likes music! He’d already had some music education before I arrived on the scene, so there are some basic things I don’t have to teach him. We can focus on the trumpet itself right away. He’s taking band at Lawton Elementary School in Magnolia in Seattle, but they meet only once a week. So when we ended our first lesson together last Wednesday, he got the usual assignment: practice for 30 minutes at least four times a week (or 20 minutes, five times a week). He seems eager to play the horn. They’re going to have some lovely, lively music in their home!
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: 4th grade, band, education, Lawton Elementary School, lesson, Magnolia, music, piano, Seattle, trumpet | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 13, 2010
My newest (10th) trumpet student is unhappy with his current chair placement within the trumpet section of his junior high school band in Kenmore. He wants to move up toward the top. (I like students with goals and determination!)
We’ve now had two private lessons, and “we’re workin’ on it.” Now in his third year of playing, he was essentially self-taught. Not knowing anything different, he adopted a very unconventional way of placing the mouthpiece on his lips. As the band music became progressively more complex and demanding, his unusual embouchure became a major problem for him—but he didn’t realize it. He and his parents were smart enough to seek help. The fact is that he simply was not gonna get to the top playing that way—so “we’re workin’ on it.”
He’s accepting the challenge he’s facing. A wise man said this about challenges—“Every setback is a setup for a comeback.”
Once he turns the corner, catches on, and gains control of the new sounds he’s producing, he should advance quickly because he already has very strong practice habits and, for his age group, he already knows fingering and rhythm. I think he’ll soon be producing a better tone and will extend his range higher into the upper register. Then watch out, those of you trumpeters who are now sitting in the higher-placed chairs—move over, here he comes! 🙂
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts, Student Competitions, Honors & Awards | Tagged: 8th-grader, band, challenge, comeback, embouchure, fingering, junior high school, Kenmore, lessons, mouthpiece, practice, rhythm, setback, tone, upper register | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on November 11, 2010
Half-time Finale to ABBA's hit song, "Waterloo"
Wow, this was spectacular…you should see the videos below! At the UW-Stanford football game on 30 October, about 800 cheerleaders and dancers from 44 junior high and high schools from Washington performed for the fans during the half-time show. It’s such a big show that it’s sponsored by the Cheerleaders of America (COA), headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and it bears the official name, “Second Annual UW Half-time Spirit Extravaganza.”
The theme, chosen by the UW Husky Varsity Marching Band, was music by the famous group, ABBA. The cheer/dance teams performed a featured routine to a medley of ABBA songs, followed by a mass scramble to spell out “HUSKIES” to the popular sports song, “Rock and Roll Music, Part II.” The cheer/dance teams then
Band plays ABBA medley while cheerleaders wait to return to field for finale
joined the Husky Band to cover the entire field while the band played ABBA’s “Waterloo” for the finale. Beautiful show that lifted the spirits on a cold, rainy night when the home team wasn’t doing so well on the football field—way to go!
Watch it all (both the rehearsals and performance) at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx9zGPKB9Gg and
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: ABBA, band, cheer/dance teams, cheerleaders, Cheerleaders of America, COA, dancers, extravaganza, half-time, Husky, medley, Rock and Roll Music Part II, Stanford, UW, Waterloo | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 11, 2010
Thrilling Pre-Game Percussion Performance--Wow! Those Drummers!
The Stanford Cardinals skunked the University of Washington Huskies, 41-0, a couple of weeks ago. It was
Crushing half-time stats!
the Huskies’ first home shutout in 34 years (since 1976)! Our team stunk so bad that fans started leaving by half-time. No doubt, the cold rain made that an easy decision for many fans. But if you came for the bands and the music, then Husky Stadium smelled sweet as a rose, and you were entertained in high fashion. The half-time show, especially, was fantastic!
Husky Alumni Band
There were three bands at the game: UW Varsity Marching Band, UW Husky Alumni Band, and a visiting band named “Musica Grato Himi” from Himi, Japan. (As you know, I’m a proud member of the Alumni Band and stayed at the Stanford game to the bitter, cold, rainy end.)
The half-time show was spectacular! Not only was the music superb (from the movie, “Mama Mia”), but
also some 800 cheer and dance team members from 44 junior high and high schools performed on the field along with the UW Varsity Band and Musica Grato. The entire field was covered with enthusiastic, fit people in the most colorful uniforms! For more about cheer and dance squads, please see the next post on this blog.
Finale of the 2nd Annual UW Half-time Spirit Extravaganza
Some final notes about the Japanese band. Musica Grato is Italian for “give thanks to music.” In 2005, the UW
It was a sloppy game
Husky Marching Band performed in Himi, Japan, and Musica Grato performed in Seattle at both a Husky football game and at a concert with a band from the Northshore School District located in Bothell/Woodinville. Since Musica Grato was formed in 2003, it has steadily achieved magnificent results. Atop the list of their awards and honors are their performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008, and the Sudler Shield prize from the John Philip Sousa Foundation of America. During the 2010 trip to Seattle, they again performed a joint concert with the Northshore School District Band on Monday, 1 November, two days after the UW-Stanford football game.
The Huskies will come back
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: bands, Bothell, Cardinals, drummers, Husky Alumni Band, Japan, John Philip Sousa Foundation of America, Mama Mia, Musica Grato Himi, Northshore School District, Stanford, Sudler Shield prize, University of Washington, UW, Varsity Marching Band, Woodinville | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on October 1, 2010
Nine boys and I have now had three band classes together. The oldest boy in the group just turned 12 last week. They are the trumpeters (8) and trombonist (1) who play in the second-year elementary school band which practices at 7:45 a.m. at Skyview Jr. High in Bothell. On the first day, we played a name game to help me get acquainted—they already know each other—and since then, we’ve worked on lip slur exercises, “Apollo Fanfare,” and “Cameroon.” For fun, during warmups, we play some little tune on our mouthpieces like “Happy Birthday” and “Old MacDonald.” I play a phrase, and they repeat after me.
Today, after talking about proper breathing using the diaphragm, we had a contest to see who could play and hold Concert B-flat the longest. The guy who won the first round had to drop out of round 2. Then the winner of round 2 had to drop out of round 3. Finally, we were down to the last two guys, and that established the order: every guy now knows how windy he is (i.e., his lung capacity), as compared to his classmates. They’re competitive, and it was fun! We’ll do it again someday to see if there are any changes. It pays to practice…
Next week, the new kids in first-year elementary band start work. The band director was a master recruiter this year–about 70 kids signed up, paid their fees, and rented or purchased their horns. That’s terrific! Next week, we start learning music together. Stay tuned… 🙂
Posted in Skyview Junior High | Tagged: band, brass, breathing, diaphragm, elementary, horns, trombonist, trumpeters, tune | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 6, 2010
Concert, 8 June 2010 - L-to-R: 2nd-year band, jazz band, & 1st-year band
Wow, here’s a totally new experience for me! I’m now an assistant to the band director at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell. He hired me for the 2010-11 school year to teach brass instruments to beginning band students from the local elementary schools which feed into that junior high. Each week, early in the morning, elementary band students will be bussed to Skyview for band classes. I’ll conduct rehearsals and teach the brass players (trumpet and trombone).
How did this happen? It’s all the result of a chain of events after I helped one of his band members last spring. Please go to “Archives” on the left side of this blog and click on “May 2010”; then find the post, “6th Grade Student Earns Quick Promotion!”
At that time, I wasn’t seeking a teaching position with any school, but I was (and am) seeking new students for private lessons. I met the band director, attended the concert in June, spoke to both his bands about private lessons during the summer—one thing led to another, and “Voila!”—here we are. This is gonna be fun! 🙂
Posted in Skyview Junior High | Tagged: band, Bothell, brass instruments, concert, jazz, Northshore School District, private lessons, Skyview Jr. High, trombone, trumpet | 12 Comments »
Posted by glennled on September 6, 2010
My 9th trumpet student is from Magnolia and enters Ballard High School next Wednesday, the 8th. He’s never played trumpet before, but his grandparents encouraged him to take it up now, even when many of his classmates have already been playing for about four years. To catch up to their level and be admitted into the high school band, if he wants to, would be quite a challenge. He’s almost 15 years old. “Better late than never” is just part of the grandparents’ idea, and so we began in late July. They really just want him and his three younger siblings to learn to play, understand and enjoy music. On top of that, if he decides to join band someday, that’s fine. If not, fine. His little sister already plays the flute. His two brothers have taken a few beginning lessons with me, too, and it is yet to be determined whether they will continue. Perhaps their big brother’s experience will influence them. BTW, their older cousin is a Husky football player at UW. Wouldn’t it be very special if, as trumpet players, they also someday play on that field at Husky Stadium in front of 72,000 cheering fans?! But if not, that’s fine, too… 😉
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: Ballard High School, band, flute, Husky Stadium, lessons, Magnolia, music, trumpet, UW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on August 4, 2010
Parade photos by Elliot Suhr, seattlepi.com
It’s only about 2.5 miles from the Space Needle to Qwest Field along the route of the Seafair Torchlight Parade, but if you’re in the parade, near the end, it takes many hours to get there. That’s what I learned last Saturday, when several other members of the Husky Alumni Band and I mixed in with the UW Varsity Marching Band to play our music along the parade route through downtown Seattle. The obvious enthusiasm and pleasure of the hundreds of thousands of spectators of all ages who 
lined the streets made the whole event very fun for us all. And the weather was perfect. Oh, what a night!
There were Seafair pirates and a police motorcade and firemen and floats and clowns and drill teams and a queen and Hawaiian princesses and military bands and school bands and cheerleaders and–you-name-it! Our band was #81 of 105 groups in the parade. Fourteen awards were presented to the best and most creative entries. 
The parade was sponsored by Alaska Airlines.
The UW band was big, although not full size, which you’ll see as soon as football season starts next month. About 18 of us trumpeters came for the parade. If you ever have a chance to be in the parade, don’t turn it down…it’s so much fun!
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Parade photos by Elliot Suhr, seattlepi.com
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Posted in Festivals & Competitions, HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: cheerleaders, Husky Alumni Band, pirates, Qwest Field, SeaFair, Space Needle, Torchlight Parade, trumpets, UW, Varsity Marching Band | 2 Comments »
Have you heard of the Marine Military Academy? Neither had I when I got an email from a parent in Lynnwood inquiring about private lessons for her son, a trumpeter, coming home from Texas for vacation during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. At first, I wondered, does “marine” refer to the navy, merchant marine, oceanography, biology, or what? No, none of the above—it’s the U.S. Marine Corps, of course! We arranged four one-hour lessons while he’s home in November, and I now have my 13th student.
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 
