Sessions and Trumpet
Before the recent West Coast USA and Canada Teachers’ and Leaders’ Workshop, I was having a hard time improving my trumpet playing. I couldn’t really focus, and I couldn’t hit lots of notes that I had done the exercises for. I thought it was a mechanical problem, or maybe ten hours a week wasn’t enough practicing, so I just practiced extra and always felt worried that I would be asked to play something that was too hard.
At the workshop, I never had sessions on any of this. Most of the time I wasn’t sessioning about anything that had to do with* my music life. I had sessions on just about everything else! When I came back home, I decided to practice. Usually when I take five days off, I come back sounding like I’ve never played before. This time it was different. Just warming up, I could hit notes that I’d been working at for months! I could read the music and play the rhythms so much easier! It was like everything that any teacher had ever told me finally clicked! I was really pleased with myself, after all of this time.
Later on, I was trying to figure out how this came so easily. I figured out that it was the discharging! I am sure that all of my sessions and discharging cleared some of my distress that was stopping me from getting better. I honestly am still in shock that sessions on my other feelings helped me with trumpet, which I usually try to keep “as least RC as possible” so I can try to learn like everyone else. I’m really happy that I figured this out. It has convinced me to try harder to do sessions outside of class. :)
Bell Thompson
Seattle, Washington, USA
* “Had to do with” means related to.