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. Caleb performs in Chicago with soul-pop band The Right Now as well as his original funk band Nasty Snacks. He has played in horn sections for Latin, funk, and big-band jazz bands, as well as Afrobeat, indie rock, R&B/soul, and hip-hop/rap groups. 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 and in the DePaul Screamin’ Demons Pep Band at Madison Square Garden. Caleb also regularly lends his solo talents to wedding parties and church services, and is one-fourth of the Chicago for-hire horn section Revolution Horns. Other musical endeavors include a performance on the Steve Harvey Show, playing trumpet for the Broadway musical I Love Lucy in downtown Chicago, and a coveted chance to perform in master classes for his idols Adolph “Bud” Herseth and Chris Martin. Caleb has been teaching privately in the Chicago area for 8 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.
Teaches all skill levels
Teaching since 2011
Bachelors in Music Performance
Teaches ages 7+
Speaks English, Spanish
Has background check
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. Caleb performs in Chicago with soul-pop band The Right Now as well as his original funk band Nasty Snacks. He has played in horn sections for Latin, funk, and big-band jazz bands, as well as Afrobeat, indie rock, R&B/soul, and hip-hop/rap groups. 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 and in the DePaul Screamin’ Demons Pep Band at Madison Square Garden. Caleb also regularly lends his solo talents to wedding parties and church services, and is one-fourth of the Chicago for-hire horn section Revolution Horns. Other musical endeavors include a performance on the Steve Harvey Show, playing trumpet for the Broadway musical I Love Lucy in downtown Chicago, and a coveted chance to perform in master classes for his idols Adolph “Bud” Herseth and Chris Martin. Caleb has been teaching privately in the Chicago area for 8 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.
Teaches all skill levels
Teaching since 2011
Bachelors in Music Performance
Teaches ages 7+
Speaks English, Spanish
Has background check
Caleb is awesome. He has single handedly made us a convert of remote music lessons! He communicates extremely well with younger kids, even though he has such extensive knowledge of music. My 10 year old son was super hesitant to start learning how to play the trumpet, but my son is all smiles throughout the entire lesson, and is self motivated to practice everyday! Caleb is an absolute gem.
I had played the trumpet in high school but had not played it since then for 40 years. I was wanting to get back into it to play some specific songs with some friends that play drums, guitars etc. Caleb was the perfect match to teach me the basics again, some music theory and then helping me learn and play the songs I wanted to play. He is so great to work with and will take you in any direction you want to go. And, he is so awesome playing the trumpet. He's amazing. He knows what he is talking about and can back it up. I highly recommend him to anyone at any level.
Caleb is an excellent teacher! He was patient and encouraging with my teenage son who can sometimes get very discouraged when he finds his work challenging. I hope some of Caleb's positive attitude rubs off on him. The improvement in my son's trombone playing after one lesson was impressive..