Ensemble skills for brass musicians – presentation notes
January 27, 2024: Brass day class Robert Fraser: ENSEMBLE ETIQUETTE: GROUP DYNAMICS AND MUSIC – “Playing well is only part of it”
MESA 2023 Presentation: Confronting Perfection in the Teaching Studio
Blier-Carruthers, Amy. “The Problem of Perfection in Classical Recording: The Performer’s Perspective.” The Musical Quarterly 103, no. 1–2 (December 1, 2020): 184–236. https://doi.org/10.1093/musqtl/gdaa008. Bose, Sudip. “In Praise of Flubs: The Pursuit of Perfection Has Taken All the Personality out of Recorded Classical Music.” The American Scholar 74, no. 1 (2005): 115–18. Burns, David D. Feeling …
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How to practice – presentation notes
These notes are for a presentation I offered at Orchestra North Owen Sound on July 16/18, 2018. Feel free to take a look and use these resources if you’re interested in upping your own practice game! Resources Metacognition (PDF): an exploration of various limits to self-knowledge Christine Carter, Athletic Advantage from The Strad Wynton Marsalis, Twelve …
Happy Canada day! A round-up of Canadian music for trumpet
Tomorrow, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. I love this country (warts and all): I’m proud of our arts and culture, our society, our national quirks and I’m especially proud to contribute to Canada’s future by working and teaching here. Many classical musicians in Canada feel detached from their nation’s composers. I think that’s especially true …
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Labratour 2008 – exploring a surprising history in brass
One of the most meaningful experiences of my life as a musician was a 2008 tour of coastal Labrador. Memorial University’s School of Music was my first academic job, and I had only been teaching there for a few weeks before I boarded a very small plane and set off for Happy Valley-Goose Bay with …
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Twisted sounds
Have you ever made a small error in a concert and thought to yourself, “This concert is a total failure! I’ve completely blown it!” Or have you been in the practice room and thought, “Tomorrow’s lesson is going to be a disaster! I always play terribly in lessons!” Or how about this one: have you …
Point Pelee and Grand Russian Fantasia with Toronto Winds
On Thursday, I’ll be performing as featured soloist with the Toronto Winds. I’ll be playing Howard Cable’s Point Pelee and Jules Levy’s Grand Russian Fantasia at the Atlantic Festival of Music. The festival brings students from across Atlantic Canada to southwestern Ontario, and the concert will be held on campus at Western University.
Arutiunian’s Concerto for Trumpet
In May 2001, just before I graduated high school, I was a member of the National Youth Band of Canada. This was my first real music festival and it was a huge event in my life. Not only was I amazed and inspired by the musicians I met, but I grew as a person and …
Sunday Scales, special supplement: Brass Day clinic
Yesterday we held our annual Brass Day at Western, where I teach trumpet. Every year I offer a clinic, and this year my class was called “The Power of Scales.” Basically I attempted to summarize this series of articles over the course of an hour. No small feat! Here is a copy of the handout …
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Sunday Scales 20: Abblasen
Today’s exercise has it all: a living history, virtuosity combined with artistry and even a little detective-work thrown into the mix. We’re talking about the famous Abblasen call by Gottfried Reiche.