User:Instantsoup44

Musical Background & Upbringing

When I was young, my musical experience was limited to the Country records that my mother would always play around the house or in the car. I must've known all the lyrics to every Tina Turner or Dixie Chicks album from the 90's. Eventually, when I got to Elementary school, it came time to choose a music class (band, chorus, or general music). This was also about the same time that a brass trio came to school and gave a small concert. I don't remember much from that concert, but I do remember Jay Daily (the trumpet player) playing the theme song to Star Wars, and that is when I knew that I wanted to play the trumpet.

Middle School was a time of learning, and a time of not practicing outside of class. By the time I became a Freshman at Alvirne High School in Hudson, NH, I still did not know the names of all the notes. But with High School came marching band, it was time to play with the big boys. One of the seniors I remember had a great solo in one of the tunes. I remember wanting that spotlight so badly (the curse of the high school trumpet player). One day, she had a dentist appointment, so the other seniors had to read her part, but none of them could! I seized the moment, as I had already learned the solo by ear. I didn't know the notes, and I was probably playing some false fingerings, but I stumbled through if well enough to get a first chair spot for next semester. That is when I began to take music seriously.

I took lessons with Russ Ryan, a Berklee alum. I also began listening, transcribing, practicing, learning theory. I ate it all up. As a result, my grades in other subjects dropped, but I could care less. I knew what I wanted to do. All that work has lead me here, the prestigious Berklee College of Music. It is here that I will continue to learn and make music, and hopefully build a long and fruitful career.

My Music

My music consists primarily of Jazz. At heart, I am a jazz composer, and performer. Although this might seem quite narrow, Jazz is a very broad term. It can encompass rock, fusion, bebop, blues, salsa, etc. Everything that I enjoy listening to/performing, will inevitably end up inside of my musical vocabulary. I tend to think of music not by genres solely, but by its quality. Music is either good, or bad, and it is as simple as that.