Trombone with Caleb M.

Caleb moved from his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, to Chicago in 2008 to attend DePaul University, where he received his Bachelor’s in Trumpet Performance studying under Matt Lee and Tage Larsen. Since then, Caleb has picked up a variety of regular gigs across a wide spectrum of styles, genres, and types of events. He has also played the national anthem for the president at opening night of the Chicago Bulls season, been featured at Chicago Blackhawks games, principal trumpet in symphony orchestras, pit orchestras Caleb has been teaching privately in the Chicago area for over 10 years now and is eager to teach students with any amount of experience, especially those who are eager to approach music from a variety of perspectives. --- I believe that the best way to teach a brass instrument at any level, is simply to check in and make sure that the student has a great understanding of what a beautiful sound is on their instrument. This is done in a patient and positive environment, filled with the best possible music making to serve as a model to aspire to. With small, attainable goals and the encouragement to practice at least a small amount on a daily basis, you cannot help but improve, while hopefully having a good time playing whatever music interests you. The journey is a bit different for everyone, but anyone can make a beautiful sound, and go from there! --- I like to strike a balance of teaching out of various method books(depending on the student and their level of ability, some are more suitable than others of course and I help guide the way), and learning to play by ear, which can be almost anything the student wants to learn, provided it's not overly complicated for them. Technique has it's place, but is certainly not the whole story. Learning music that is fun, while at the same time learning to get better at your instrument, makes the overall process enjoyable and rewarding. Once you have the right tools, music is something that can be fulfilling for the rest of your life, especially when you learn to do it in a fun and healthy way.