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Volume 27, No. 3 - March 2003
Anderson, Michael: Trumpet Pedagogy on the Internet Mar03/65
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The Internet, with its vast resources, offers an unprecedented volume of information to trumpet players. ITG offers this column as an introduction to this exponentially expanding resource. ITG cannot guarantee that these locations are completely accurate, and that all copyright laws have been observed. For suggestions and/or comments, contact Michael Anderson, website@trumpetguild.org
Trumpet Pedagogy on the Internet
"You can’t learn to play the trumpet on the Internet!" I have said this (actually typed it) many times to people seeking playing advice online. I firmly believe that one needs to take lessons in person with a living, breathing, and qualified instructor to improve. However, the Internet can still be a valuable supplement to live instruction and has proven to be a great way for people to learn more about how to approach the horn. In this column, I will focus on web sites that specialize in trumpet pedagogy.
The ITG Web Site has many excellent resource pages for all types of trumpet players. In particular, I would like to highlight the ITG Youth Web Site. This site is geared toward junior  high and high school players, but is full of high quality pedagogical material for players of all ages, particularly the "comeback player."
Amy Gilreath, trumpet professor at Illinois State University, started the ITG Youth Web Site several years ago. The job of overseeing the site was taken over by Joe Bowman, who teaches at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The site contains a wealth of pedagogical information in the "Ask The Teacher," "Master Class," and "Solo Reviews" sections. "Ask the Teacher" is coordinated by Bowman and gives anyone the opportunity to submit a specific question. Questions are then answered by a qualified trumpet teacher and posted to the site. New questions and answers are posted regularly, so check this page often. Lisa Blackmore, adjunct professor of trumpet and horn at Lindenwood University, is the coordinator of the Master Class area of the ITG Youth Web Site. Here, you will find articles from leading trumpet pedagogues on a variety of interesting subjects. In the Solo Reviews section of the site Cindy Thompson Carrell, professor of trumpet at Harding University has put together a comprehensive graded and annotated list of trumpet solos. Each entry is categorized by level of difficulty, and each entry lists the composer, title, publisher, and range, and includes a brief description and review. This is a great resource for trumpet teachers searching for literature to use with their students. All levels of ability are represented. The ITG Youth Web Site can be found at: http://www.trumpetguild.org/itgyouth/
One of my all-time favorite trumpet-related web sites, O.J.’s Trumpet Page, has been a labor of love for Norwegian trumpeter Ole Jutnes for years. Ole’s site is one of those phenomenal resources that you can only find in non-commercial, personal web sites. The goal of this site is to share, without commercial interruption, as much information as possible in a way that can be easily accessed by the most people. This epitomizes the philosophy upon which the Internet was founded. There are no ads  and no self-promotion on this site, there is only CONTENT! Giving a complete overview of this web site would be difficult in this space. Over many years, Jutnes has amassed an impressive amount of quality trumpet information that can’t be found anywhere else. If you are interested in trumpet pedagogy, plan to spend a considerable amount of time visiting this web site. It is well organized and easily navigated. Ole is a regular contributor to TPIN (Trumpet Players International Network) and is always on the lookout for quality content to add to his site. Visit O.J.’s Trumpet Page at: http://abel.hive.no/trompet/index.html. You won’t be disappointed.
On the jazz side of things, Jeff Helgesen has put together a fantastic page filled with unique jazz trumpet resources. This site has beautiful solo transcriptions in PDF format, articles on trumpet players, jazz trumpet player tribute pages with biographies, transcriptions, discographies, and miscellaneous information. The site also contains trumpet haikus and an excellent primer on how to do your own transcriptions. Helgesen is a serious  jazz trumpet player and a great contributor to the Internet trumpet world. Check out his site at: http://www.shout.net/~jmh/index.html
Here is a list of some other sites with unique, well-organized pedagogical content worth visiting and exploring in detail.
• Bryan Goff’s Trumpet Tips -- http://mailer.fsu.edu/~bgoff/tpt-tips/tips.html
• Hylton Adcroft's Trumpet Centre -- http://home.clara.net/hylton/
• Alex Yates' Trumpet Site -- http://www.petrouska.com
• Bill Adams' Articles -- http://www.roth-music.com/Bill-Adam/articles/
• Rune Aleksandersen’s Trumpet Playing Thoughts --
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/3319/trumpet.htm
Check here for my complete list of Top 25 Trumpet Resources: http://www.trumpetguild.org/top25.html
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to send me his or her favorite trumpet web sites. If you know of a site you want to share with the trumpet community, send it to me at: website@trumpetguild.org
Happy surfing!
| About the author: Michael Anderson is Assistant Professor of Music at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska. He is the Executive Director of the ITG Web Site, a member of the ITG Board of Directors, the ITG Journal Editorial Committee and Chair of the Technology Committee. Anderson was also the project manager of the ITG Journal CD-ROM that was distributed to each member three years ago. |
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