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Volume 27, No. 1 - October 2002
Anderson, Michael: The Trumpet Herald Oct02/67
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The inaugural Web Site Reviews column features one of the most enduring and popular Internet resources for trumpet players, The Trumpet Herald. Founded and administered by ITG News Editor, Todd Davidson, The Trumpet Herald has been online since 1996, which makes it a pioneering trumpet-related web site.
The Trumpet Herald
THE TRUMPET HERALD features several sections of resources under one roof. From the home page at: www.trumpetherald.com, you will find Forums, Market Place, The Listening Room, Jobs, Registry and Products.
The heart and soul of the Trumpet Herald is the Forums area, run by a powerful database program called PHP. PHP forums are completely web site driven and are viewed through the  visitor’s web browser. Unlike an email discussion group where messages are delivered to your inbox, a web driven forum requires you to visit the forum web pages often in order to keep up on the discussions and to participate in this active online community. The advantage of this format is that you only have to deal with messages when you choose to. The forum’s software is very powerful, and helps keep track of the topics and messages you have already read so that you don’t waste time loading pages you don’t need. Anyone can read the forums, but to participate by posting, you have to register with the database. This is a simple process and does not require you to divulge your identity if you wish to remain anonymous.
In the Trumpet Herald Forums, unlike some other popular discussion groups, each topic area has a moderator. This moderator "looks after" his or her area and makes sure that the messages posted stay on topic, don’t contain offensive language and are not abusive to others. This helps the discussions remain civil and productive.
The Trumpet Herald Forums is an incredibly useful resource to just about every kind of trumpet enthusiast. You can get answers to most any question that you might have, increase your knowledge, and keep abreast of the latest in the trumpet world. It also gives you a great opportunity to share your opinions and expertise with others to whom you might not otherwise be available. Participating in an online forum can enhance your enjoyment of any subject matter, and The Trumpet Herald Forums is no exception.
Another valuable section of the Trumpet Herald is the Market Place. The Market Place is a spot where you can buy and sell anything related to the trumpet. Also run by a great web driven database application, the Market Place can be searched by key name or browsed by category. The user interface is very intuitive for both buyers and sellers, making it easy to find what you want or to post an ad for selling an item. Like the classifieds in your newspaper, you can often find some real bargains or some unusual items here. Unlike your classifieds, this web site is completely dedicated to the trumpet and its related products!
The Listening Room features sound clips of recent trumpet CDs, giving the user a chance to hear a sample before buying. All sound files are in MP3 format and are combined with a short description of the CD and artist, and a small color graphic of the CD cover. I don’t know what it takes to have a recording featured in this area, but there are directions on how to submit one for review.
The Trumpet Herald also has a Registry, a useful tool for finding other trumpet players. You can search by name, by area, or both. I encourage everyone to register here. You might get a gig out of it or some long-lost friend from your past may be able to find you!
The Products area features new trumpet-related products in a review format, and the Jobs area posts trumpet positions and graduate assistantships that are currently available. The Jobs area seemed a little bit out-of-date when I visited it recently, so for current job openings I recommend the ITG Web Site Employment pages.
Graphically, The Trumpet Herald is a top-drawer site. Todd Davidson has always had great visual taste and professional-level graphic design skills. The layout and navigation of this web site is a cut above most, which makes it a very pleasing place to spend online time.
There are ads on The Trumpet Herald, but they are small, unobtrusive, and tasteful, and they are all very specifically related to the trumpet. These ads enable this fine resource to exist and to be regularly updated. Like most worthwhile online resources, The Trumpet Herald is completely free to its users and provides a great service to the online trumpet world. Bravo to Todd Davidson for bringing us this fine resource year after year.
On another note, for more recommended web sites, take a look at my Top 25 Online Trumpet Resources at: www.trumpetguild.org/top25.html. I prepared this list at the beginning of the summer in preparation for a presentation I did at the 2002 Conference in Manchester. This list will give you hours and hours of enjoyable and interesting trumpet web surfing.
If you have a web site you would like to be considered for review in this column, please submit it to: website@trumpetguild.org.
| 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 two years ago. |
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