Navigating your child’s band/orchestra experience as a parent can be challenging – as a parent of two music students, I can personally attest to this! Many of us may have memories of our own band experiences, and some – like myself – are musicians/teachers who have very specific thoughts on how music students should work. The following are some thoughts on what you should expect from your student’s practice sessions from my experience as an educator and a parent.

As a professional musician, there is no shortage of things to practice. We have scales, flexibility, sound production, range, articulation, technique, extended technique, etudes, excerpts, solo repertoire, improvisation, ii-V-Is, and on, and on, and on! Sometimes this list can feel overwhelming and like there is never enough time to get everything done.

Unfortunately, I must add one more thing to the list – possibly one of the most important, but often overlooked elements of music: Intonation.

One is a brass instrument, one is a string instrument. Both are pretty rock-and-roll, but that is not the similarity we are talking about. Think sound production and you are getting close. Watch this Denis Wick Quick Clinic with DW artist Chris O'Hara and gain a new understanding about your trumpet and your mouthpiece too!

Whenever I give clinics, the usual questions about practicing or instrument/mouthpiece choice inevitably arise. The questions that never get asked are about the other, non-musical things that go into a successful music career – and they are numerous. This is the stuff that doesn’t get talked about much in music classes, and comprises the vast majority of what I do on a daily basis. Recently, while talking to class of collegiate trumpet players, the professor (who is also one of my former teachers and knows me pretty well) asked me to tell the students how many companies I run. Here it goes (and I’ll try to keep it brief):

If you are going to focus on improving your buzz to get more sound, you have 2 options: free buzzing, and mouthpiece buzzing. Are both beneficial? Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara provides some insights on free buzzing vs. mouthpiece buzzing and best practices in this Denis Wick Quick Clinic.

Any type of lesson or audition prep takes some structure. Arbans Characteristic study #8 and phrasing study Beatrice are classic requests for auditions and placement tests. Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara takes you through a step by step process to break these selections into smaller pieces, and prepare for success. 

"Why would you choose to play an instrument with a mouthpiece the size of a coin...?" asks Denis Wick Products' Mary Galime. Here is Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara's answer in this Transform to Perform interview.

One paint brush and one colour will not cut it for most painters, and the same concept applies to musicians with their gear. To tell the right story, you need the products that best assist you to add the proper nuance to that story. Learn about Chris O'Hara's approach to his product in this Transform to Perform interview.

Every pro has a moment where they stop thinking like a student and start thinking like a pro. What causes the change? Find out how it happened for Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara in this Transform to Perform interview.

What is the last thing you think about before getting on stage for a big performance, and what is the first thing you think of after the performance? This is the essence of what we learn as we #transform2perform throughout our musical lives. Find out what Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara approaches the before and after of every performance in this Transform to Perform interview.