Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

News & Tips for Trumpet & Cornet Students

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Posts Tagged ‘concert’

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Packed House at Northshore School District’s 6th Grade Honors Concert

Posted by glennled on February 9, 2012

NSD 6th Grade Honor Band, 2012

More than 300 students performed last Tuesday evening at the annual Northshore School District’s Sixth Grade Honors Concert held at Northshore Junior High School in Bothell. The 2012 Honor Orchestra, Choir and Band filled the entire length of the gym floor, and their parents, relatives and friends overflowed the grandstand and lined the walls to hear them perform 10 music pieces.

My prime interest was in the Honor Band, for I teach brass instruments to sixth graders from Canyon Creek, Crystal Springs, and Fernwood elementary schools, under the leadership of Mr. Shawn McGinn, Director of Instrumental Music, Skyview Junior High School in Bothell. From the group I teach, there were four trumpet, one French horn, one trombone, and one baritone players in the Honor Band. In addition, Mr. McGinn’s schools were represented by two flute, four clarinet, one bass clarinet, one alto saxophone, and one percussion players.

Mr. Alec Wilmart, band director at Kellogg Middle School, conducted the Honor Band. He is past president of the Sno-King Music Educators Association and is chief arranger for the University of Washington Husky Marching Band. He holds degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Education from UW.

The band played “Declaration and Dance” by Harold Bennet and arranged by Larry Clark; “Summit March” by Bill Calhoun; and “Antiquitas” by Larry Clark.

The audience waved often, clapped hard, and went home very proud!

  

Posted in School Concerts, Student Competitions, Honors & Awards | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Go to the Trumpet Arts Festival Near SPU on Sunday!

Posted by glennled on January 28, 2012

Trumpeters! Want to become your best? Want a quick study on playing the trumpet? Feel like you’re stuck on something and just not getting any better at it, no matter what? Want to hear how advanced, professional trumpeters do things and what they’ve learned through their years of experience? Want to ask them a question about something?

Here’s your chance on Sunday, 29 January—attend the Trumpet Arts Festival being held adjacent to the campus of Seattle Pacific University (SPU).

It’s a full program featuring the following trumpeters: Christopher Smith, Assistant Principal, Seattle Symphony; Bryan Appleby-Wineberg, Rowan University; Vince Green, Western Washington University; and Brian Chin, Seattle Pacific University.

  • At 2 p.m., attend the Masterclass: “Practicing Fundamentals”
  • At 3 p.m., the Masterclass is on “Practicing Jazz Improvisation”
  • At 4 p.m., Bob Malone will conduct the Masterclass, “Finding a Great Horn”

That’s followed at 5 p.m. with a student concert (open to the public). Then the main concert event starts at 7 p.m. The festival ends with an afterhours jam session at 9 p.m. Come hear some great music!

The location is the First Free Methodist Church, 3200 Third Avenue West, Seattle. The cost is $25 tuition and $10 for the evening concert only. Learn more about the featured trumpeters on their websites:

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Four-Band Winter Concert at Eckstein Middle School in Seattle

Posted by glennled on December 14, 2011

Eckstein Wind Ensemble

At Eckstein Middle School in northeast Seattle on 8 December, more than one-quarter of the entire student body performed in one of four bands at the winter concert. These bands are comprised of 341 musicians out of the student body of 1280 students–that’s 27% and that’s success! You simply can’t argue about the superiority of this music program when you look at all the trophies in the hallway outside the auditorium, which was packed with parents, relatives and friends like me.

The Beginning Band (31 students) conducted by Chris Boscole played three pieces. Next was the Junior Concert Band (109 students) conducted by Cuauhtemoc Escobedo (aka “Mr. E” or “Moc”), Director of Bands at the school. The Junior Band played five pieces, finishing with Leroy Anderson’s “A Trumpeter’s Lullaby,” featuring three trumpet soloists. After that, Mr. Escobedo conducted the Intermediate Concert Band (107) in another five pieces, one of which featured another trumpeter. Finally, Mr. Escobedo conducted the Wind Ensemble (94) in yet another five pieces. Soloists included two clarinetists and five flutists.

Flute soloist in Eckstein Wind Ensemble performs "Gemeinhardt Suite" by Robert W. Smith

The music, including some Bach and Mozart, was challenging for the students—there was no effort to “play it safe” with easy compositions—and the students were up to the challenge! It was very impressive and enjoyable.

Two of my trumpet students performed—see my blog posts of 18 November 2009, and 19 April 2010. One is in the Wind Ensemble, and the other is in the Junior Concert Band. I was very proud of and happy for them.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Thus ends "Sheherazade" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Students don Santa hats for the finale, "Sleigh Ride," by Leroy Anderson

Three trumpeters accept the applause from the Eckstein Junior Band (standing) and the audience after soloing in "A Trumpeter's Lullaby" by Leroy Anderson

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Photo Gallery of Elementary Band Concert at Skyview Jr. High, Bothell

Posted by glennled on December 13, 2011

Mr. Shawn McGinn (left, front), 2nd-year band (left, back), and 1st-year band (right)

On Thursday, 8 December, the parents and relatives gathered at band period (7:55-8:35 a.m.) to hear their kids play in the band in the school cafeteria at Skyview Junior High School in Bothell. For the 1st-year band, it was their first concert ever, and the featured song was “Jingle Bells.” Then the 2nd year band played two pieces: “Apollo Fanfare” by Robert W. Smith and “Five Christmas Favorites,” a medley. The band director is Shawn McGinn, and I am his assistant for brass instruction (trumpet, trombone, baritone, and French horn). Photos by I-Phone; click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Sacred Christmas Sounds—SPU’s Concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle

Posted by glennled on December 11, 2011

On 28 and 29 November, thousands of people started this Christmas season by attending the 12th annual concert at Benaroya Hall presented by Seattle Pacific University (SPU) called “The Sacred Sounds of Christmas.” The program divided into two parts: one, “The Promise Made” (Advent and Annunciation), and two, “The Promise Fulfilled” (Incarnation and Celebration).

The choir members processed down the aisles through the crowd to the stage, singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” which always chokes me up: “O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our King of Peace.” And on from there went the splendid concert to start the blessings of the Christmas season, 2011. ‘Tis a joy to be a believer in these past 18 years after living the previous 34 years as an agnostic. In 1994, I gave up “If it is to be, it’s up to me,” for “Thy will be done.” It’s a Good Life!

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Washington All-State Band & Orchestra Concert at Benaroya Hall

Posted by glennled on February 21, 2011

Last night, the Washington All-State Band and All-State Orchestra played their annual concert, sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA), at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. I was not there. I wanted to be there. Someday, I want to go see and hear one of my trumpet students play on the concert stage in the Washington All-State Band or All-State Orchestra.  Who will it be?

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Mercer Island Sophomore Trumpeter Returns to Music Fundamentals

Posted by glennled on February 6, 2011

Mercer Island was my home for 33 years. One of my two sons (now living in New Zealand) played drums in the MI High School Band. And now my 15th trumpet student is a sophomore in that same school and plays trumpet in that same band. Also like my drummer son, she

Drum Major, MIHS Marching Band

has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It’s easy for her attention to drift from one thing to the next, and it’s hard to stay focused on something for a long time.

She first learned to read music and play trumpet when she was a young girl, but then she transferred to another school and did not play for three years. To her dismay, when she returned to school at M.I. and resumed playing trumpet in the band, she found that she had forgotten much of what she’d once known about how to read music. Now she manages to play ok but wants to improve. Marching band season is over, she’s moved into concert band, the music is more complex and difficult, and she wants to play it well. She realized she must return to the basics and re-study the fundamentals…with a trumpet tutor.

I am the lucky man who is privileged to help her. We started her private lessons on 18 December 2010. She already plays with such a sweet, solid tone. Now all we need to do is help her learn all those notes over a two-octave range, learn all those music notations, strengthen and train her embouchure, and develop her hand-to-eye coordination and muscle memory. As that happens, her confidence and pride will soar. She will play as well as, or better than, most of her classmates. And, in turn, she will enjoy music and her band membership even more!

She  says she had a great time when the 300-member MIHS band went to England a month ago to march in the colossal 2011 London New Year’s Day Parade (see www.londonparade.co.uk), joining some 10,000 performers from 20 countries who marched in front of about half a million spectators along the 2-mile route. The parade, which began in 1987, is broadcast by over 700 TV stations worldwide and is watched for some three hours by about 200 million viewers. This was the M.I. band’s first appearance in this, the 25th annual parade. Roughly 200 M.I. band students made the trip. The kids and community raised about $80,000 in support of those students who could not otherwise have gone. Go to the links below to watch videos of the MIHS band’s performance in London. Other USA bands participating came from Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Almost one out of every four students in Mercer Island High School is enrolled in the band program! The program consists of four concerts bands, the marching band, jazz bands, and the “Animal Band” (see http://www.misd.k12.wa.us/schools/hs/hsband/bands.html). The successes, awards and accolades won by these bands are numerous; for example,  over 50 students were selected to participate in the All-State and All-Northwest honor ensembles during the last five years.

Next year, they will march again in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. Hmmmm….now if only the UW Husky football team can just win enough games next season, maybe they’ll get to play in the Rose Bowl game itself. Go, Huskies! And then she and her fellow M.I. band members can watch our own Seattle team play there. It’s so much fun to be in band!  🙂

There are at least four videos of the MIHS Marching Band’s performance in London on YouTube:

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6th-Grade Soloist Prepares to “Nail It” at Christmas Choir Concerts!

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!”

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Glenn Now Teaches Brass Instruments at School in Northshore School District

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!  🙂

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The Eagles Concert at Seattle’s Key Arena

Posted by glennled on May 28, 2010

A full house of about 12,500 fans packed Key Arena in Seattle on Wednesday night to hear one of the greatest bands of my lifetime, the Eagles. The audience was mostly “Yuppies” and “Boomers” in their mid-30’s to 60’s, and Glenn Frey, guitarist and emcee, jokingly called it their “Assisted Living Tour.”

Indeed, Tim Schmit, bass guitarist and soulful crooner, got sick while in Seattle and had to be treated at Swedish Hospital. That resulted in a two-week delay from the original concert date. The delay caused about 800 ticket holders to take a refund, but then those tickets quickly resold. Floor tickets cost upward of $250.

The old guys appear to be in great shape—no over-the-belt paunches hanging off these fellows! Man, they are good! The primary four are Schmit, Frey, Don Henley, lead singer, guitarist and percussionist, and Joe Walsh, exceptional guitarist and rebellious rocker. They started recording 38 years ago in 1972. They’re backed by about 10 other musicians: masterful guitarist, Steuart Smith, a pianist, keyboard artist , violinist, two drummers, three saxophonists, and one trumpeter.

Man, does this band have depth and power! They deliver strong voices, rich, tight harmonies, interesting rhythms and syncopation, and meaningful lyrics—just a consistently solid, fluid sound by a polished, impassioned team of musicians. Everyone appreciates excellence and mastery in any field of human endeavor, and these guys have delivered hit after hit after hit. That’s part of what prompts Henley to introduce “The Long Run” as their “theme song after 40 years of doing this.” 

When we dig deep inside ourselves and, through hard work and practice, develop our God-given natural gifts, talents, and strengths into masterful skills and abilities, and finally, produce a useful, needed, sought-after product, we spread joy to the world. The Eagles are among the best bands in my lifetime to have done that. The crowd ate it up and would have stayed all night.

Among my favorites (not in priority order): “Hotel California,” “I Can’t Tell You Why,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “In the City,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Desperado,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Get Over It,” “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” “Take It Easy,” “Heartache Tonight,” “Seven Bridges Road,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Wasted Time,” “New York Minute,” and “One of These Nights.”

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