Musical Jungle Gym

Musical Jungle Gym This book is a passion project that I have been workshopping on and off for years. Along the way, though many details changed from draft to draft, two “guiding-light” objectives have held fast: 1.) Write an intermediate level etude book that celebrates my favorite thing about the trumpet; it’s versatility. The studies you’ll find within I liken to a buffet of trumpet stylings (Dixieland, Symphony Orchestra, Ska, Baroque, Salsa, Broadway and many more) the idea being, if you play through everything, you’ll have “tasted” a good portion of the many styles of music in which the trumpet has made a home. 2.) “Gamify” fundamentals using a deck of cards. Two things about me: 1.) I love the feeling of drawing a card from a deck and seeing the hand I’ve been dealt. 2.) I hate getting stuck in warm-up ruts, though I am prone to it. So, I used the joy of the first thing to transform the frustration of the second into something fun - draw a card to determine what to play. This involved coming up with 52 options for several categories of fundamentals. My goal with each was that they be simple enough for an emerging student to grasp fairly quickly, educational from a theory stand point and effective in encouraging good form in breathing, tone production and flow. I associate Jungle Gyms as places that spark joy, invite play and exploration, inspire creativity and, if it’s a good one, encourage a certain degree of risk taking. I loved playing on them as a kid and now, as a parent, I love watching my kids play on them. I hope this Musical Jungle Gym can encourage some of those same feelings and be a place where you and/or your students can have fun and grow.