Andrew Hitz & Lance LaDuke: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is the presentation that I did with my Pedal Note Media partner, Lance LaDuke, at the 2015 Army Tuba-Euphonium Workshop at Fort Myer in Arlington, VA.  A big thank you to all of those from the Army Band who were not only involved with hosting the workshop but also with archiving all of the sessions for everyone to enjoy after the fact.

Our session was titled "Low Brass 101: It's Just Business" and discussed things that you can do today to help take your career to the next level.  As we stated at the beginning of the presentation, it really has nothing to do with low brass specific stuff.  We discussed things like networking, marketing, targeting specific customers, and many other business concepts.

We hope you enjoy!

8:00 a.m. - Two Part Warm-Up with Mitsuru Saito, euphonium. 8:45 a.m. - Tom Holz - "Life Outside the Orchestra" (HMusKorps Veitshochheim cancelled due to illness) 10:00 a.m. - What do You Mean - MUSICIANSHIP!!! with Dr. Brian Bowman, euphonium 11:15 a.m. - Ophiclide Recital with Dr. Richard Demy. 12:30 p.m.

Practice Room Advice from John Wooden

"Don't activity with achievement."

-John Wooden

The above quote is the problem with practicing for time (like practice records that only note time spent.) Our goal in the practice room should not be activity, but achievement.

Every one of us can get more done in a super-focused 30-minute practice session than in a distracted 60-minute one. So hide the clock, write down exactly what you are trying to achieve in any given practice session, and don't get up until it's done.

It's The Little Things

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

-John Wooden

John Wooden may have been a basketball coach but he sure knew the secret to success in music.  The difference between a superior rating and an excellent rating at assessment is the little details.  The difference between your average professional musician and the greatest in the world is the little details.  The difference between having a great lesson and a pretty good lesson is the little details.

Because the little things make the big things happen.

Student Percussionists Playing Led Zeppelin: Monday YouTube Fix

This clip is the convergence of a whole lot of things that are near and dear to my heart.  A grassroots nonprofit organization (the Louisville Leopard Percussionists,) students making music, and Led Zeppelin.

I will never forget where I was when I "got it" when it came to Led Zeppelin.  I was standing in the Leningrad Airport and a friend of mine had a Walkman that he handed me and said "Listen to this." I went home and had bought every album within months.

I'm wondering if this incredible clip will maybe inspire some kids to check them out and maybe instill the same kind of love in Led Zeppelin that I've now had for the last 25 years.

Regardless, these kids and this program are awesome! Enjoy!

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists is a non-profit organization offering extracurricular music opportunities to local children at little or no cost. Please help us keep our program going by donating at http://bit.ly/louleopardsdonate. http://www.louisvilleleopardpercussionists.com/ The 2014-15 Louisville Leopard Percussionists rehearsing Kashmir, The Ocean, and Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.

The Definition of Maturity

“Maturing is realizing how many things don’t require your comment.”

-Rachel Wolchin

Great advice for a business as small as the music business.

The Three Most Endearing Words You Can Ever Say To A Colleague

I don't know.

Doc Severinsen: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is a three-part video of Doc Severinsen giving a wonderful clinic from the early 90's in which he actually warms up.  His clinics are always about so much more than just trumpet.  He really is a great motivator and speaker.  A true legend!

Enjoy!

A clinic by Doc Severinsen on trumpet playing. He goes through his entire warmup routine, actually warming up during the clinic. I believe this clinic was given in the early 1990's.

Part 2 of the clinic by Doc Severinsen on trumpet playing. He goes through his entire warmup routine, actually warming up during the clinic. I believe this clinic was given in the early 1990's.

Final part of the clinic by Doc Severinsen on trumpet playing. He goes through his entire warmup routine, actually warming up during the clinic. I believe this clinic was given in the early 1990's.

Confidence as a Byprodct of Preparedness

“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.”

—Roger Staubach

Whether an athlete or a musician, confidence is a byproduct of knowing deep down that you've done absolutely everything you could to be prepared for whatever task is in front of you. 

Jens Lindemann Master Class Quotes from George Mason University (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the final installment of Jens Lindemann quotes from his master class at George Mason last semester for our brass ensemble.  It was a pleasure to have him.  He left the students inspired and in the practice room!

• "When I get to the bottom I think of adding volume of air, not volume of sound.  Keep things set and then apply air."
   
• "When I hear people say 'I'm not really a high note player.  I'm more of a second player and focus on this octave and a half.' I call bullshit."
   
• "We are taught to play low to high from day one.  That's a terrible idea."
   
• "High notes are faster vibrations.  They're not high."
   
• "The faster you think of everything on a horizontal plane including air-wise, the beter off you'll be.  Horizontally away from you, not up."
   
• "By the time you get to college you're not so much learning new things but unlearning old things."
   
• "The instrument is right here (his lips.) (The trumpet) is just an amplifier."
   
• "We're far too dependent when we're young on the tongue to start notes."
   
• "The way to practice using the mid-section of our bodies is breath attacks."
   
• "There's no mystery as to what we're doing here.  It's just plumbing."
   
• "The instrument is not profound.  The body is profound."
   
• "Playing an octave is no big deal.  Then you add a slur and every body freaks out.  That stupid line makes everybody freak out."
   
• "There's no such thing as a slur on a trumpet.  It simply means play from one note to the next without a tongue."
   
• "You can mask a slur by crescendoing slightly on the bottom note."
   
• "I'm a lot more relaxed about mouthpieces now than when I was coming up."
   
• "I'm not a believer in finding the biggest mouthpiece that you can get for your instrument.  And that includes the professionals who are hoisting that upon you.  They are wrong."
   
• "It's important for you to know that you can get things done on mid-sized equipment."

Sir Georg Solti and the London Philharmonic: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is a great performance of Beethoven 9 from the 1986 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall featuring the London Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Georg Solti.  The soloists are Jessye Norman, Sarah Walker, Reiner Goldberg and Hans Sotin.  The choir is a combination of The BBC Singers, the London Voices and the Chorus of Welsh National Opera.

Enjoy!

A live VHS recording of a BBC Prom concert from the Royal Albert Hall, London.1986. Seen lots of performances of this mighty work since then, but none of them equal, or surpass this one. I do not own the copyright for this material.