STEP Post-Project Reflection

For my STEP Signature Project, I participated in the Trumpet Mastery Course offered by Tom Hooten. Over the course of 12 weeks, I had 3 private lessons with Tom, as well as weekly warm up classes, studio classes, and lectures that all related to trumpet playing.

Although this course primarily was about trumpet playing, I really learned a lot about my self and gained several different life skills throughout the course. The biggest thing that I gained from this course is confidence. I went into the class not extremely confident in my trumpet playing and for the first few weeks I had a strong case of imposter syndrome, which is feeling like I did not belong in the class. However, everyone in the class and Tom Hooten was very supportive of me and my playing, and that boosted my confidence. I saw a lot of growth in my own playing during the summer which helped me feel better about my own playing. Tom Hooten also gave me lots of practical tips about trumpet playing and implementing those things in my daily practice has helped my confidence because I am continually making progress in my playing. Some other skills that I gained through this course are discipline and goal setting.

The relationship that I grew during my project that has impact on me the most is my relationship with Tom Hooten. He is arguably one of the best trumpet players in the United States because of his made accolades and his current position as the principal trumpet of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. Because of this I was very nervous when I first met with him, but he made me feel very comfortable in the class and in my lessons, and I really learned a lot from him. He always emphasized that everyone in that class is the same, we all enjoy playing trumpet. He just set his bar high one day and holds himself to really high expectations, and that’s where he got to where he is now. Hearing that and watching him just act like a normal person made me realize that I did not have to be nervous around him, and that he was there to help me. I really learned so much from him regarding specific things about trumpet playing. He gave me access to so many new books and trumpet literature that I now use daily. We also talked a lot about how to practice efficiently, such as when to use slow practice, and playing everything with a purpose. I am so thankful that I got to work directly with him and have him as a mentor in my life.

During the course we were expected to perform weekly for some of our classmates, and each week we had to prepare something different to play. This proved to be the most challenging part of the course, because a week is not a lot of time to prepare a challenging piece of music. I learned a lot of discipline this summer when it came to practicing. Usually in the summer I slack off on my practice, but this summer I was extremely diligent in my practicing, and those weekly performances really pushed me as a performer. I was exposed to all kinds of new trumpet literature and got to listen and learn from my peers as well.

Another skill that I have gotten better with because of this class is goal setting. At the beginning of the course me and Tom sat down individually and talked about my long term and short-term goals of trumpet playing. In that session I learned a lot of great tips about goal setting, such as writing down specific goals and figuring out specific steps to get to where you want to be. Talking out my aspirations of being a professional trumpet player with someone who is already in the field is extremely helpful, as he was able to give me a lot of specific advice.

I am going to pursue trumpet performance when I graduate from Ohio State, and I can thank this course for solidifying this decision in my life. I got to interact with many people who are in the field that I want to go to and made many connections with people. I also worked very hard over the summer and improved a lot. Playing and improving on my trumpet all summer made me realize that playing trumpet is what I am truly passionate about, and I am going to continue to learn and grow as a trumpet player.