Trumpet Lessons (Summer #1 & Summer #2)

Professor: Dr. Dunnick

My trumpet lessons with Dr. Dunnick have been helpful and informative in many ways.

First, I learned practical information about teaching techniques and resources that can be

helpful. Additionally, I worked on improving my trumpet playing. Finally, Dr. Dunnick is an

excellent teacher, and I learned a lot about leadership and teaching styles from his example.

Dr. Dunnick allowed me to look through several trumpet method books, duet books, and

solos. We discussed the pros and cons of the various examples. Additionally, Dr. Dunnick

helped me find music for myself. He found pieces that would be fun and engaging, but still

challenging for me to play (Vygotsky). He modeled some of the sections of the music for me to

help give me ideas for how to experiment with phrasing (Bandura). He also instructed me to

experiment with various ways to express different emotions and stories through the pieces that I

was working on (Bruner, Langer). This was helpful because I was able to create my own

connection to the music, and make musical decisions on my own, but still get some feedback

and suggestions to help guide me along the way.

During one of my lessons, Dr. Dunnick listened to me tell him about my experiences in

my Vernacular Musicianship class, and he offered some help and guidance for helping me to

start developing playing-by-ear. He started helping me by playing a few phrases for me and

asking me to echo them (Gordon). He started very simple and gradually made the

patterns/phrases more complex (Pestalozzi). He asked me to pick some simple melodies (such

as folk songs, children songs, and/or hymns) that I enjoy, and try to figure them out. This

exercise was helpful, and helped me begin to feel a little more comfortable playing trumpet by

ear. I am still not completely comfortable with this, but I have definitely improved, and I have

ideas for ways to continue to work on it (Dweck). I appreciated that Dr. Dunnick asked me what

would be useful for me to focus on during our lessons, and then offered me guidance in that
particular area. He made the learning experience more student-centered, and he was very

encouraging throughout the process (Comenius).

Perhaps my most important take-away from my lesson experiences with Dr. Dunnick is

learning from his example and his leadership skills (Aquinas). He is a principle-centered leader.

It is obvious that he cares about his students because he is willing to be flexible when

scheduling lessons, and he is supportive in helping us improve. Dr. Dunnick is very

encouraging, but still holds high expectations. He is passionate about music and the trumpet,

and his passion and excitement influenced me. I have learned a lot from Dr. Dunnick about how

to lead by example and how to be an effective leader. I have realized the positive effect that this

has had on me personally, and I hope to be able to create a similar rapport with my students so

that they can feel comfortable asking me questions about things that they are struggling with in

music. I also want my students to know that I genuinely care about them and want them to

succeed and find happiness in life. I will try to create this type of relationship with my students

by being a principle-centered leader, being caring and supportive, and by holding them to high

expectations.