I’m thankful for having a roof over my head and food in my stomach.
I’m thankful for my loving wife and family.
I’m thankful for the blue skies and sunshine that I look out at today.
I’m thankful for having a job that challenges me and allows me to work with others to change the world.
I’m thankful for living in a country where I can speak my views openly and be judged on the quality of my actions and content of my character.
I’m thankful to the authors, musicians, artists and film makers who in the pursuit of excellence help me understand a little bit better what it is to be human.
I’m thankful to the Republican party for choosing Mitt Romney over Jon Huntsman and thereby enabling President Obama to be re-elected.
I’m thankful to the campaigners in Scotland who fight every day to show that nationalism is ‘the measles of mankind’.
I’m thankful for the creators of the Kindle for giving me untold access to knowledge.
I’m grateful to the entrepreneurs who work everyday to make the world a better place.
I’m grateful for the peacemakers who try to help opposing sides settle scores by the ballot box and not the bomb.
I’m grateful for my health and the good health of those I love.
“May all beings be well, may all beings be happy, may all beings be free from suffering.” – The Buddha
What are you thankful for (leave a comment below).
Dundee lost its greatest musical son today. Michael Marra left us at the age of 60 and a city and a nation loses one of its greatest songwriters. I have no doubt that future generations will be listening and studying the music of Michael and he’ll be ranked alongside Burns, Scott and MacDiarmid as a leading Scottish writer. My own discovery of Michael’s music happened in 1997 in a small apartment off Dundee’s Perth Road.
Alison, my future wife and someone who sang on a number of Michael’s albums and singles, played me some of his music. One of those songs was ‘Hermless’, which many call Scotland’s alternative national anthem. Here was a beautifully crafted song not about borders, flags and battles but about humanity, compassion and canniness.
Wi’ ma hand on ma hert and ma hert in ma mooth
Wi’ erms that could reach ower the sea
Ma feet micht be big but the insects are safe
They’ll never get stood on by me
Hermless, hermless, There’s never nae bother fae me
I ging to the libry, I tak’ oot a book
And then I go hame for ma tea
As the years went on I had the good fortune to spend a little time with Michael at late-night sessions in Skye, dressing rooms in Dundee or when he visited our home in Perthshire to talk about a live album he had just recorded. What always struck me about Michael is that I could have imagined him perfectly at home as an intellectual and writer in Hemingway’s 1920′s Paris or a 1960′s Hungary. His soft-spoken voice and slight figure disguised a creative mind and the eye of an artist.
Friday Kahlo by Michael Marra
A couple of years ago I introduced my friend Malcolm to Michael’s album ‘Posted Sober’, perhaps one of the most under rated albums of that year. Two songs on that album of gems stood out to me, ‘The Lonesome Death of Francis Clarke’ and ‘Frida Kahlo’s Visit To The Taybridge Bar’. The first was about a distant relative of Michael’s and the recurring story of Scot’s leaving it’s shores for opportunity and adventure. ’Frida Kahlo’s Visit To Taybridge Bar’ perfectly encapsulates Michael’s gift, the ability to root art in the everyday tales of men and women’s lives. He makes you care for Frida, despise Diego Rivera, laugh at St Peter and want to buy Jimmy Harry a beer or Wallace’s pie.
Today above the piano at our house in Scotland hangs a painting by Michael that we bought at a small exhibition he held in Kirriemuir. It’s of his beloved Frida Kahlo and today I’ll be thinking of that picture and the man that created it and listening to some of the finest songs about love, loss and our fellow man.
I’m super excited to be heading to SFMusicTech Summit in San Francisco next week for the bi-annual get together of music tech folks. Having attended MIDEM, ILMC and many of the other music industry conferences over the years I would describe SFMusicTech as the TED conference for music. You couldn’t hope to meet a room of more interesting people who live at the intersection of music and tech. It describes itself as:
“The SF MusicTech Summit brings together visionaries in the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians, and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce.”
I attended the summit for the first time earlier this year and you can read my SFMusicTech Virgin story here. This year we actually have ArtistWorks CEO and co-founder David Butler speaking on a panel with Berkleemusic CEO Debbie Cavalier. Check out this little video to see just how excited I am and then head over to www.sfmusictech.com.
So you want trumpet lessons? You normally have three choices:
In-person trumpet teacher
Books & DVD’s
Online
If you are looking to learn trumpet online then the four most popular sites are TrumpetStudio.com, eTrumpetLesson.com, PlaywithaPro.com and ArtistWorks’ Online Trumpet School with David Bilger. Here is a little review of each of them:
TrumpetStudio.com
TrumpetStudio.com
Pros – Good selection of articles, tips, practice routines and methods books to learn to play trumpet.
Cons – Only suggested for beginners as there isn’t much depth to what is available.
Rating – 3/5
eTrumpetLessons.com
eTrumpetLessons.com
Pros – Basic introductory guide to playing trumpet consisting of online videos, dvd’s and a book.
Cons – Still very basic and the whole site felt very salesy
Rating – 2/5
Playwithapro.com
PlaywithaPro.com
Pros – Selection of great teachers with high quality online videos.
Cons – You have to buy individual packages of videos and there is no feedback or community to the site.
Rating – 4/5
Trumpet Lessons with ArtistWorks
ArtistWorks Trumpet School with David Bilger
Pros – High quality instruction, hundreds of videos, personalized feedback, community features, experienced teacher.
Cons – Slightly pricer than the other sites but still well worth it.
Rating – 5/5
So all in all if you are looking at learning trumpet then I would highly recommend David Bilger’s online trumpet school with ArtistWorks. ArtistWorks is the gold standard in online music lessons and you can get free sample lessons from their trumpet school at www.artistworks.com
In the meantime here is a list of just some of the trumpet lessons and trumpet exercises you’ll find at the ArtistWorks Online Trumpet School with David Bilger:
Fundamentals to Professional
Holding the instrument
Breathing Part 1
Breathing Part 2
Developing Your Sound
Single tonguing –Part 1
Single tonguing –Part 2
Single tonguing –Part 3
Major and Minor Scales
Intonation – multipart lesson
Rhythmic Basics
Basic Daily Practice Habits
Proper Posture
INTERMEDIATE LESSONS:
Buzzing – multipart lesson
Multiple Tonguing Basics – Part 1
Multiple Tonguing Basics – Part 2
Flexibility to Extend Range – Part 1
Flexibility to Extend Range – Part 2
Dynamic Range – Part 1
Dynamic Range – Part 2
Finger Dexterity
Rhythmic Subdivision
Vibrato
More on Intonation
The Use & Tuning of Mutes – Part 1
The Use & Tuning of Mutes – Part 2
The Use & Tuning of Mutes – Part 3
Flow Studies for Developing Phrasing
Practice Tips and Defining a Routine
Pedal Tones
Lip Trills for Ultimate Range Development
Developing an Even Sound Across Registers
More on Dynamic Range Development
Multiple Tonguing of Difficult Passages
Mixed Meter Rhythms
Transposition
Intonation Refinement
Defining Your Style
Employing Different Keyed Trumpets – Part 1
Employing Different Keyed Trumpets – Part 2
Recital Planning and Competitions – Part 1
Recital Planning and Competitions – Part 2
PROFESSIONAL LESSONS:
Extended Techniques
Vibrato for Musical Effect
Moving Easily Between Styles
The Role of Different Orchestral Section Members
Balancing Practice with a Difficult Performance Schedule – 2 parts
Pops Concert Playing
Audition Prep and Performance – Part 1
Audition Prep and Performance – Part 2
Situational Dynamics
Constructing Cadenzas
Etudes
Longinotti Etude in form of a cadenza
Carlier Etude #3, Part 1
Carlier Etude #3, Part 2
Bordogni Etude #3, Part 1
Bordogni Etude #3, Part 2
Arban Characteristic Study #4, Part 1
Arban Characteristic Study #4, Part 2
Charlier Etude #13, Part 1
Charlier Etude #13, Part 2
Orchestral Excerpts
Introduction to Orchestral Excerpts
Bartok – Concerto for Orchestra, 1st, 2nd & 5th mvmt
Beethoven – Leonore Overture 3
Beethoven – Symphony #9, 4th mvmt
Bizet – Carmen, Prelude to Act 1
Brahms – Symphony #2, 1st mvmt
Brahms – Symphony #2, 4th mvmt
Copland – Outdoor Overture
Debussy – Fetes, 2 parts
Gershwin – American in Paris – Part 1
Gershwin – American in Paris – Part 2
Gershwin – American in Paris – Part 3
Gershwin – Concerto in F, 2nd mvmt
Haydn – Concerto in E flat 1st mvmt
Mahler – Symphony #1, 1st mvmt
Mahler – Symphony #1, 3rd mvmt
Mahler – Symphony #3, 3rd mvmt
Mahler – Symphony #5, 1st mvmt
Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition
Mussorgsky – “Samuel Goldenberg”
Ravel – Bolero
Ravel – Piano Concerto in G, 1st mvmt, Part 1
Ravel – Piano Concerto in G, 1st mvmt, Part 2
Ravel – Piano Concerto in G, 1st mvmt, Part 3
Respighi – Pines of Rome, 1st mvmt, multipart lesson
Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade, 3rd and 4th mvmt, Part 2
Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade, 3rd and 4th mvmt, Part 3
Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade, 3rd and 4th mvmt, Part 3
Rimsky-Korsakov – Cappricio Espagnol
Schumann – Symphony #2, 1st mvmt
Shostakovich – Piano Concerto, 2nd and 4th mvmt
Shostakovich – Symphony #5, 1st mvmt
Strauss – Don Juan
Strauss – Ein Heldenleben – B flat Offstage
Strauss – Ein Heldenleben – E flat
Strauss – Zarathustra
Stravinsky – Petrouchka Ballerina’s Dance
Stravinsky – Waltz Part 1 and Part 2
Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake, Neapolitan Dance
Tchaikovsky – Symphony #4, 1st mvmt
Wagner – Parsifal Prelude, Part 1
Wagner – Parsifal Prelude, Part 2
Solo Repertoire
Arutunian – Concerto for Trumpet – Part 1
Arutunian – Concerto for Trumpet – Part 2
Arutunian – Concerto for Trumpet – Part 3
Arutunian – Concerto for Trumpet – Part 4
Arutunian – Concerto for Trumpet – Cadenza
Pennequin Concert Piece – Part 1
Pennequin Concert Piece – Part 2
Pennequin Concert Piece – Part 3
Haydn Concerto in E flat, 2nd movement
Hindemith Sonata, first part of 1st movement, Part 1
Hindemith Sonata, first part of 1st movement, Part 2
Everyone knows that if you want to get really good at anything then you need a mentor or coach. Phil Mickelson has Butch Harmon, Venus and Serena have their dad Richard and the Karate Kid had Mr Miyagi. If you are a flute player then there is probably no greater coach alive today than Jeffrey Khaner. As flute professor at Curtis Institute of Music and Lynn University’s Conservatory of Music he is widely considered as the world’s best flute teacher. But there is a problem….
Flute teacher Jeffrey Khaner
It’s easier to get into Harvard than Curtis and so you chances of getting to study with Khaner were infinitesimally small. However that’s all changed now with the introduction of a new online flute school with Jeffrey Khaner. You can now get access to hundreds of Khaner’s video flute lessons but more importantly you can receive personalized one-on-one feedback from the great man himself and all for less than $100 a month. To check out the sample lessons go to www.artistworks.com
In the meantime here are a list of just some of the lessons you’ll find there.
Excited to announce that anyone interested in learning classical music online can now do so for a fraction of the cost of attending one of the big music schools. ArtistWorks just launched four online classical music schools in one day! It’s now possible to get flute lessons from Jeffrey Khaner, trumpet lessons from David Bilger, clarinet lessons from Ricardo Morale and French horn lessons from William Caballero and all online and from the comfort of your own living room.
The CEO and co-founder of ArtistWorks, David Butler said:
“The dream of every aspiring classical musician is to study under a world-renowned master. The ArtistWorks Classical Music Campus makes this dream a reality by offering serious music students an opportunity to get direct guidance and individualized instruction from some of the greatest classical musicians teaching and performing today.”
ArtistWorks offers the best classical music teachers, all of whom are principal performers within their respective orchestras. In addition, most are music instructors at various ultra exclusive classical music schools including Juilliard, Curtis Institute and the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music (among others). Previously, having direct access to these prestigious teaching artists was virtually unobtainable.
Each ArtistWorks school covers everything an aspiring player would want to know, regardless of the level that you enter at. They also provide the most popular etudes, orchestral excerpts, and solo instrument pieces designed to give classical musicians a competitive edge for competitions and auditions.
Through ArtistWorks’ patent-pending Video Exchange™ platform, each master teaching artist is able to provide a complete online curriculum in the form of streaming video lessons. Students can work through the music lessons and submit videos of their practice directly to their teacher. Their teaching artists can then provide video responses with expert advice, guidance and feedback on their technique. All online student teacher interactions become visible to the entire membership, forming a virtual master class where each student can benefit from one-on-one teaching. ArtistWorks now powers over twenty-two online music schools from some of the biggest names in rock, classical, jazz and bluegrass.
Every so often it’s important to take a step back and evaluate those values that you hold dearest. You’ll probably notice that over time they may change. Indeed Warren Buffett said “Any year that passes in which you don’t destroy one of your best loved ideas is a wasted year”. On a recent flight I took the time to list those things, ideas and values I cherished and those that turned me off. I’ve listed them below. What are yours?
James Taylor is an award-winning entrepreneur, drummer and marketer working within technology, education and the arts. He is a director of ArtistWorks, a leading edtech company and the largest provider of online music schools.
