
One of my friends recently asked me for my views on taking lessons using the medium of Skype. Well, more and more eminent pro musicians are offering lessons using Skype, as it offers them another income stream.
From my perspective as a student, this medium allows direct access to fine teachers and performers worldwide without having to leave the comfort my own home. My experience of taking lessons has been most useful but one does have to bear in mind the variable quality of video and sound, therefore I have only arranged the lessons after carefully studying that teacher's methods and ideas first. The point here is that I prepare for the lesson with clear objectives in mind, for example confirmation of a particular technique or method.
Feast of Trumpet Playing
Hakan Hardenberger will be performing tomorrow evening in Glasgow with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and my teacher, Mark O'Keefe will be interviewing him before the show. I have my ticket booked and am excited about this opportunity to hear one of the great trumpet performers. Post-concert Mark and his colleague, Hedley Benson, will be performing as well, so it really is an evening not to be missed.
Diary
I am currently playing the Haydn concerto in rehearsals with Edinburgh Chamber Orchestra, in preparation for the performance by Tom Poulson, who is a very fine young pro player based in Glasgow. Concert repertoire that I've played over the last few days has included Cesar Franck's Symphony, Rimsky-Korsakoff Overture and some Italian choral trumpet playing.