Mullen Music Studio Blog

Q & A with Dr. Amanda Pepping, Assistant Professor of Music at Georgia State University

2012-02-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

Student: L. M.

Age: 12

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: How can I learn to sight read rhythms better?

A: My high school band director had us practice simplerhythmic blocks almost every day. Practicing rhythms outside of musicalpieces helps develop the pattern recognition skills that are essential to sightreading. There are many different ways to learn to sight read rhythms andmelodies better, though. You can ask your music teachers for guidance inchoosing one that will work best for you.

Student: C. E.

Age: 13

Instrument: Tuba

Q: When I play my cheeks always look like a chipmunk. Howcan I stop that?

Chances are that your cheeks look like a chipmunk because you'renot directing your air through the aperture, the hole between your lips. When we play brass instruments, we need to blow air like we would whenblowing out a candle. I've had some success with students with puffycheeks by having them blow at a spot across the room every time they play. You can practice this off the instrument as well. You first blow atyour hand, held half-an-arm's length from your face. Then blow (withoutbuzzing) through just your mouthpiece in the same way. Next introducebuzzing an easy-to-play pitch to this blowing exercise, and finally, glissandoup and down on the mouthpiece maintaining that focus. This should makethings easier on your tuba.

Student: J. A. B.

Age: 13

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: Are there ways to make practice time easy and more fun?

I love practicing, but sometimes it feels a little routine. I think it's important to set achievable but motivating goals for everypractice session, whether they be perfecting a piece of music or improving anaspect of playing. I have the hardest time in the practice room when I feellike I have nothing I need to do. I try to make sure to establish my objectivesbefore I even pick up my trumpet so I know why I am in the practice room.

Another thing that I think helps on days I can't focus is topractice more shorter sessions. If you have to practice 1/2 an hour aday, then sitting down for three 10-minute sessions could be helpful.

Student: I. A.

Age: 18

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: How would a trumpet player increase hitting higher notes withease?

That's a question that every trumpet player asks. Makesure that you're using good air and playing efficiently. Practice goodplaying habits every day. A great teacher who you work with on a regular basiswill help you improve faster than anything I can tell you here.

Student: Z. R.

Age: 15

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: How do I improve on playing louder, but make it soundgood?

A: Just like the question about playing higher notes, practicegood habits daily. A good teacher who you work with regularly will helpyou progress faster than you could without the teacher. As you learn touse your air more efficiently, you'll be able to play louder.

Student: R. C.

Age: 16

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: Do you have any recommendations for learning and practicingmultiple tonguing?

One of the first things I make students learning to multipletongue do is just walk around practicing tonguing patterns, going tu-ku-tu-kuor tu-tu-ku for about 30 seconds every day before we even pick up a trumpet. Thenext step is to blow these patterns on your hand or a piece of paper and makesure the wind is moving forward the entire time. At this point, we startthe simple tonguing exercises in the Arban book. Students start very slowly,making sure each note is long enough. Then they speed up, which is easierwith the right air support. Like all aspects of trumpeting, you have topractice tonguing every day.

Student: R. T.

Age: 15

Instrument: French horn

Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to improve transposition?

A: Transposition is easier once you can play in any key, so makesure you know all your scales. I teach students who are transposing forthe first time to play simple melodies in all twelve keys, both with andwithout music. Writing out transpositions helps many people who arelearning the skill for the first time. Transposing is something you haveto practice most days to make significant improvement.

Student: B. M.

Age: 15

Instrument: Trumpet

Q: I am saving up to buy a professional trumpet and cost is afactor. What should I look for?

A: I think cost is almost always a factor. Usedinstruments can be just as good as or even better than new ones, so don't rulethem out. There are a lot of bells and whistles on instruments. What is most important is to make sure you have a good instrument thatcan achieve a good sound in every register and dynamic. Also, you cannotassume that two b-flat trumpets, even if they're the same model, will playexactly the same. They may all be very good, but just like with cars,every now and then you find one that isn't quite up to the level of the othersor one that is exceptionally better than similar ones. The best thing isto have your trumpet teacher or a professional try out an instrument and get hisor her assessment before you buy it.

Student: M. D.

Age: 17

Instrument: Guitar

Q: When you feel stuck on something you're having trouble with,do you give it some time and come back to it later or do you pick it apart thenand there until you perfect it?

Yes. I do both of those. I will work on something until itbecomes frustrating, and in that moment, I know I need to put it down for alittle while so I don't teach myself to get tense or stressed about playingsomething. I've found that even the most frustrating passages become easywith regular and patient practice.

Student: R. T.

Age: 15

Instrument: French horn

Q: Did you ever feel pressured to pursue a more (if you will)practical career? Describe what decisions you had to make before making music acareer?

I did feel a lot of pressure to pursue a more practical career. I chose music because my teacher Bob Dorer, now of the MinnesotaOrchestra, said that if I could be happy doing anything else in the world butbe a professional musician, I should do that instead. He rightly pointed outthat there are many more stable, more lucrative, and easier vocations. However, I get to play every day. I always look forward to work,and I love what I do. This was the right choice for me.

Student: R. T.

Age: 15

Instrument: French horn

Q: As a female musician, do you ever feel unequally treated asopposed to your male peers? As a female brass musician?

A: Growing up as a female trumpeter in New Mexico, there werecertainly times I felt like my peers treated me differently than they treatedeach other. However, when you grow up, successful people have pretty-muchfigured out how to treat each other.

Artist Biography:

AmandaPepping enjoys her multi-faceted career as a performer,arranger, educator, and co-editor of the International Trumpet Guild Newssection. She has given recitals and solo appearances throughout theUnited States, Europe, and most recently Thailand. She has performed withgroups including the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado,the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, , Bent Frequency, theNew Trinity Baroque Orchestra, the Houston Bach Society, the Arizona Opera, andthe Brass Band of Battle Creek, Michigan. She has been a featured soloist withvarious European ensembles, including the Hombeek Brass Band in Belgium, aswell as groups here in the United States, including the Salt River BrassBand, UGA Wind Ensemble, and ASU Marimba Ensemble. She is the assistantprofessor of music at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Before movingto Georgia, Amanda taught Texas State University in San Marco and TexasLutheran University in Seguin. In Arizona, Amanda was an adjunctprofessor at Mesa Community College and Phoenix College.

Amanda wasa 2005-2006 Fulbright Fellow in Karlsruhe, Germany, studying the Baroquetrumpet with world-renowned trumpet soloist, historian, and teacher Dr. EdwardTarr. Amanda received her doctorate from the University of Texas inAustin where she studied with Ray Sasaki and served as a teaching assistant tomusicologist Dr. Lorenzo Candelaria. She holds her master’s and bachelor’sdegrees from Arizona State University where she studied with and was a teachingassistant to David Hickman, whose book Trumpet Pedagogy, which she edited, has sold over 4500 copies. She has also studiedwith German trumpet soloist Reinhold Friedrich, Emory Harvison of the PhoenixSymphony, and Robert Dorer and Douglas Carlsen of the MinnesotaOrchestra. Several of her arrangments can be heard on her first soloalbum, Amanda, which is available through SummitRecords. Amanda is a Sonaré artist.

For more information, please visit:

www.amandapepping.com
bentfrequency.com
trumpetguild.org/news
http://www.sonarewinds.com/artists

Noteworthy Online Software for the Private Music Instructor

2012-01-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

If you teach private lessons or are interested in starting your own studio, I would like to introduce you to Music Teacher’s Helper. Whether you’re a full-time private music (vocal or instrumental) instructor or an ensemble conductor who teaches lessons, this service is for you. It really is the simplest way to manage your music studio. I started using the service when I opened my studio and have used it ever since.

My favorite features:

Your own studio website
Automatic lesson reminders to you and each registered student
The cost of the service is based on the size of your studio
Library Feature – Track your Sheet Music, Books, CDs, accessories and more! Know where your materials are at all times.
Excellent customer support
Accept credit cards online

Have all of your scheduling, financial information, student records, e-mail list, library, tax records and more in one convenient place. There are many other features that make your job much easier. This online software really takes the hassle out running a studio and gives you more time to focus your energy on teaching music.

Here is my studio page so you can see an MTH website in action.

In all honesty, I couldn’t imagine running a studio without it. It is a great site for band, orchestra and choral directors who teach a few lessons outside of the school day. You can add up to five students to your account with full access to all features for free! For more info, check out the MTH homepage here.

Enjoy!

Beautiful Tone Begins With Listening

2011-08-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

One of the first questions I ask a new student in my private studio is to name five professional musicians that play his or her instrument. I am going to use trumpet in this blog entry but the same concept applies for any instrument. When asked this question, young trumpet players might throw out names like Satchmo, Diz or Miles. Then I ask for five classical musicians. I often get a blank stare. Some of these students are coming to me for the first time seeking help on their college scholarship auditions. It concerns me that they will enter their first year of college without knowledge of a single professional trumpet player.

I firmly believe that establishing a beautiful tone on any instrument begins with practicing the art of listening. This is something that students can start to learn on the first day of beginning band. It is difficult for a student to produce a mature sound on trumpet when they have never heard a characteristic trumpet tone.

The best way to remedy this is to encourage students to attend live performances whenever possible. I know from experience that not all communities have ongoing access to live classical music. In which case we must rely on recorded music (CDs, DVDs, MP3 downloads, music subscription services, online videos, etc.).

Using the idea of keywords (sonata, concerto, suite, etc.) I ask trumpet students to find a few trumpet recordings. Students often come to the following lesson having listened to a recording of Maurice Andre or Wynton Marsalis or the like. The other interesting thing that happens is that students will return to my studio and give me a list of trumpet players often with extensive bios, discographies and more. They want me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can now name five professional classical trumpet players. On a personal note, I love it when this happens! I simply smile and enjoy the enthusiasm with which they share their new musical finds.

It’s good to follow up on this discussion by suggesting recordings of musicians that might not be readily available at a local music store. Also, in addition of sonatas and concertos, this could open up a dialogue about recordings of standard band and orchestral excerpts for specific instruments, chamber music, etc.

I have provided a list of recordings by instrument. My aim is not to create a comprehensive list but to give instructors and students a starting point for building a personal or school music collection. Fellow wind conductors, I encourage you to unwind after a long day of rehearsals by listening to great orchestral, chamber and choral recordings. Follow that up with some Grainger and Holst (or Maslanka and Schwanter if you prefer) and call it a day. Students, I hope this list will inspire you to actively listen to great recordings and to truly reflect on the quality of sound coming out of the other end of your horn. Enjoy!

*This list is a work in progress. I will continue to add new music and potentially new categories as time allows. If you have discovered new music you would like to share, please comment below. I might even add your suggestion to the list!