Idledale, CO Trumpet Lessons

Festival, the Estes Park Jazz Festival, and Dazzle Jazz.

As a freelance trumpeter, Tom has performed and/or recorded with The Temptations, John Batiste, Father John Misty, Chris Potter, One Republic, DeVotchKa, Leftover Salmon, Juno winner Jayme Stone, and Portugal. The Man at venues including Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Blue Note, and City Park Jazz.

​Tom has been a faculty member of the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) since 2016.

​Tom’s professional career began in the United States Army Band, where he performed for 3 years across the Pacific Northwest and Japan. He was promoted to sergeant before receiving an honorable discharge. He received his jazz performance degrees from CU Boulder (undergraduate) and NYU (master’s). At NYU, Tom also served as an adjunct faculty member of the Jazz Department.

*** Lesson Details ***
I will guide you to your goals. I write my own materials for each student's individual goals. If you want to learn a song and I don't know it, I will learn the song with you, sharing the process. After several months of study, you will have an understanding of not only what to practice, but how and why to practice.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Music room w/piano, trumpet, and optional seating for parents

*** Travel Equipment ***
I provide music, accessories (tuner, metronome, portable speakers), and books. I can bring an extra trumpet for beginners.

*** Specialties ***
Trumpet- Caruso Method, breathing exercises, and other mechanics depending on student level.
Improvisation- Theory, ear training, free play, jazz standards.

e been trained in and have performed in many different genres and styles and offer a wide range of musical knowledge to meet my students needs.

o Equipment ***
I have several guitars, a drum kit, djembe, mandolin, clarinet and full-size keyboard.

*** Specialties ***
Guitar: Classical, jazz, American or Irish folk, rock and pop; lead or rhythm.
Drums & Percussion: All genres
Piano: Classical (includes sight reading)

theatrical dance show Dancing at the Crossroads and his arrangements have been played by chamber groups throughout northern Colorado.

*** Lesson Details ***
My lessons are geared towards a set of goals that are created between the student's wants and my expectations for them to be successful at what the student wants to achieve. For each student, I use a different set of pedagogical tools designed to get them to the goals they want. The main goal I have for all my students is that their fundamentals on their instrument will be at the level that they can complete their goals with ease. Over their time with me, they will have the skills to coach themselves when they practice and tackle any music they come across.

*** Travel Equipment ***
I expect them to provide and music stand and their music. These are both things that they need to have at their home for practice.

*** Specialties ***
I teach and perform both jazz and classical music. Almost any style that uses a trombone or brass instruments, I have performed in and have a strong foundation in.

e string-by-string approach using simple songs to start. Your first lesson will be a combination of reading notes on a page and reading chords on a chord chart. You will come out of the lesson learning at least 3 notes and one chord. Weekly goals are set and a practice routine is discussed.

Intermediate players- After a quick assessment of your abilities we will discuss your future goals as a player. We could pursue classical guitar with additional lessons in note reading and fingering methods, or we could focus more on chords and strum patterns if you prefer to sing and play your favorite artists.

Advanced players- this is where it gets fun. We go where you want to go. I will provide guidance based on your strengths and weaknesses. We will choose music that can display your strengths, and challenge your weaknesses. Remember, there's always someone better than you!

Drum:

Beginning players- All of my lessons follow my own, proven teaching method. All lessons take place with the student at the drum kit playing 90% of the time. I approach all drum lessons beat-by-beat always with a metronome. My goal for the first lesson is to teach at least one basic pattern. We progress through a series of hundreds of different drum patterns that become increasingly more difficult. Every week is a new opportunity to practice clean technique and improve internal timing.

Intermediate players- After a brief assessment of your abilities we will begin discussing concepts of pattern construction. You will start coming up with of your own patterns and ideas. I will provide guidance for more complex fills and I will give tips to help you figure out the right groove for the right song. Every week is a new opportunity to add another tool to your kit.

Advanced players- come and teach ME something! I'm still working on super triplets and sextuplets in 5/4 time :-)

I also teach trumpet at beginner and intermediate levels. I have prepared many students for tryout pieces (solo, regionals, chair placement, etc). I also am experienced in tone improvement, endurance studies, range extension, and accuracy improvement. I use many different method books, but I prefer Arbans and Clarks.

*** Studio Equipment ***
Drums
5 piece Pearl kit- full cymbals. Beginner half sized kit upon request.
Guitar- bring your own acoustic.
Trumpet- bring your own.
Chairs, stands, and some music provided.
Hal Leonard method book required for beginning guitar students.

*** Specialties ***
Acoustic guitar- Christian Praise&Worship, classical picking and positions, strum patterns.
Drums- 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, quarters, eights, sixteenths. Rock, funk, ballad, pop.
Trumpet- range, endurance, flexibility.

gside a song you love or reading through a classical concerto, I’ll help prepare you or your child to tackle a wide variety of styles, without missing out on any of the basics that turn good players into phenomenal musicians. We all know it’s not about being the best. It’s about having fun, and playing music well is definitely fun. Music lessons include:

1. Building a really strong foundation so it's easy to interpret or understand any part, and to play it with the right amount of practice.

2. Learning to sight-read music, so you can play it well as soon as possible.

3. Learning how to improvise (make-up) music, learn music by ear, and to understand and create chords, which lets you play music in different ways.

4. Play different styles from classical to jazz to popular music.

5. Learning how to practice efficiently so you can learn music as fast as possible.

6. Composing our own original music.

Practice makes perfect! Learning an instrument helps build self-confidence and discipline. If your child’s bored, distracted, or just needs a constructive hobby, music is a great place to get them interested in something that will help them feel better about themselves, and the effects will be felt across everything else they do, through better studying habits to a more patient, diligent work ethic.

It’s also relaxing! Stressed about work? Need an escape? Everybody has the power to learn an instrument. Seriously, there’s no such thing as “talent.” Just start lessons and get practicing! It really is that simple, and I’ll guide you through every step of the way.

I have a diverse background teaching students of all ages, from 3-year-olds to retirees alike, customizing what we learn to the individual student. We’ll learn how to read music just as easily as you read words; improvise and compose music of our own; and feel good playing any style: classical, jazz, rock, and all. My experience as a working musician in films, musical theater, and pop music, as well as classical concert music, allows me to appreciate and teach styles that many other instructors overlook, and I know full well that learning an instrument is not about becoming a professional; it’s about being able to connect to others or oneself through music… and also to just have fun! There’s no need to learn music we don’t like! It’s not about stuffing Beethoven into your kids’ ears… we just want to make music, be that Beethoven or Billy Joel.

Learning an instrument is one of those few skills that will genuinely last you your whole life. I don’t want to sugarcoat it: it takes time to learn an instrument. It takes practice, and sometimes it’s frustrating. But the results are well worth it.

Now get out there and make some music! But start by signing up for lessons. I can’t wait to get started!

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“What’s that chord?” “Why does all my music sound the same?” “How do I fix this voicing?” “I just can’t get it out of my head!” …sound familiar? You’ve probably hit a rut. Or maybe you’re just starting out. Either way, you want your music to sound new, exciting, and to come out exactly how you hear it in your head. Yes… you CAN learn to compose music, you CAN learn to be more creative, and you CAN learn to share your sound with the world.

Film music, classical, jazz… whatever your interest, all music comes from the same place, and by learning a handful of basic concepts, you can apply these to whatever style you’re trying to write. Learning to emulate another musician involves knowing what they’re doing. Learning to create a groundbreaking sound requires that you know what’s already been done, and how to achieve it. Step by step, we’ll work our way there.

We’ll learn how to write cool, interesting chord progressions, how to write beautiful melodies, and how to voice chords. We’ll learn how to control the mood of our music, from making it sound relaxed to adding tension wherever we want. Maybe you’re trying to write for an orchestra, or just a small band. By learning the basics, you can then easily break away from what’s been done and come up with something truly new… the goal of any aspiring composer!

my own EP.