Education philosophy

	Paul the teacher

Playing a musical instrument can be a dichotomy. We spend hours learning the basics, conscientiously practising every day, cultivating the sound of our instrument and deriving immense pleasure from the social and musical interaction we get from the company of other musicians. Yet, at the same time, as if in parallel, this same process can instill fears and doubts that plague musicians all their lives. In extreme cases this can result in the player simply giving up - with the perception of failure often lingering for years.

Paul's teaching identifies the importance of both the physical and psychological process of performing. In order to achieve this harmony he places the emphasis on increasing confidence and self-steem by improving the students technical ability and developing a practice and performance regime that is systematic and organised.

To this end he has developed a course of lessons based on patience and simplicity - two fundamentals not easily grasped by aspiring trumpeters! Adequate rest is the essential ingredient for stamina building in any discipline that involves muscular activity, therefore, developing a patient and relaxed approach to our practise is an essential part of the process of improvement.

We all have fears and negative attitudes that inflict our performance and many of these attitudes have built up over many years of practising and performing. Much of this mental 'baggage' we collect is due to constantly telling ourselves, or being told by others, how difficult everything is! Trumpeters like to make the simplest of things as difficult as possible! The trumpet is a simple instrument to play and the process of ridding ourselves of this 'baggage' begins when you hear yourself playing effortlessly and consistently. By reducing our feelings of technical limitations it allows our thought processes to focus on the musical and creative aspects of performing - which is where the real fun lies!