<p>I've just renewed my 9-year-old son's trumpet rental for another year, but asked to exchange his current trumpet (Hunter) for another one. I asked for a Bach TR-300, having heard that this was a good one. They told me that they didn't have that model available at the moment, but they could give us a Bach TR-1530, which they said is even better because it has nickel valves which are faster. The alternative would be to wait a few weeks and get the TR-300. I know nothing about music or instruments, and I would appreciate some advice.</p>
<p>My son is finishing 4th grade, and he's been playing the trumpet for a year. He's doing reasonably well. He's been playing the piano for 2.5 years, and I am told (by his teacher and other knowledgable people) that he is quite talented. </p>
<p>I'm also looking for a private trumpet teacher. He started lessons last summer in a summer program at a well-regarded music school, and continued group lessons at school this year. I'd like to add private lessons now or in the fall. Any advice on how to find a good teacher? We're in Westchester County, NY, if anyone has specific recommendations.</p>
<p>My son happily plays classical music, but is really passionate about jazz. He will listen to recordings by Dave Brubeck, Al Hirt, etc., for hours.</p>
<p>Cool! A little jazz lover!</p>
<p>I don't know trumpet at all, but I would encourage you to find a fabulous high school or college musician to teach your son, at this time. My own son has been incredibly influential to a bunch of little boys, and has loved teaching and sharing his love of jazz with them.</p>
<p>Being in Westchester, I am positive that you would have all kinds of choices. I would call your high school first, since sometimes the jazz/music department will have a list of very strong players who are willing/able to teach young students.</p>
<p>I would suggest running this by the trumpet teacher.</p>
<p>There is a comparison of the two instruments on the last page of <a href="http://www.bachbrass.com/pdf/BATRP.PDF%5B/url%5D">http://www.bachbrass.com/pdf/BATRP.PDF</a></p>
<p>Note that the 1530 does not have a tuning slide. If your son is used to having this feature, he will probably think the 1530 is a step backwards. Otherwise, it is a matter of how soon the teacher wants to introduce the use of the slide for fine tuning the pitch.</p>
<p>What are the terms of the rental agreement? Many places will substitute a similar instrument with no questions asked if you are displeased with the current one. You might be able to start with what they have and then move on to a different instrument later.</p>
<p>My own jazz musician son started out on the trumpet and switched to guitar about age 11, and is now headed to a conservatory for jazz guitar. My son had a fun silly trumpet player as a teacher when he was in fourth grade, and I think he simply learned that music is fun, which is a great lesson. If your son is truly mature enough to handle serious music study, you could check out The Manhattan School of Music precollege program. There are many students from Westchester who go there on Saturdays.</p>
<p>BassDad,</p>
<p>From what I can tell, the 1530 has a tuning slide, but not a tuning slide brace. Is that what you meant? Not that I know what either of these are. </p>
<p>I'm supposed to do the exchange tomorrow. I think I will pick up the 1530, and perhaps try to exchange it again in a few weeks. The current teacher is the one at the school, who teaches all instruments. If I get a private teacher this summer, then I will ask him (will look for a male).</p>
<p>Thank you, everyone.</p>
<p>NYMomof2, we're in Westchester, and S1 played trumpet for several years. I have a couple of thoughts for you. Do you want to PM me, so we don't end up sharing too much information here? :)</p>
<p>DS is a trumpet major in college now. He played for two years on his father's old (and very beat up) student trumpet (Conn). We told him that if he stuck with the instrument for two years that we would buy him the instrument of his choice. I guess, I'm wondering why you are switching trumpets right now. But all that aside, when we did buy that trumpet (after the two years), we bought a professional level Yamaha (which we happened to get used from a trumpet playing friend). The key for my son was that the trumpet have monal piston valves and a decent and easy to use tuning slide. The student trumpet had neither. DS played the Yamaha for two years, and we sold it back to the original owner (no kidding) and he bought a Bach Strad which he still uses.</p>
<p>Thank you, thumper1. Your name was dropped in the other thread I started in the Parent Cafe, before I realized that there was a music forum.</p>
<p>The reason that I am changing trumpets is that my son has been unhappy with this one all year. Last summer we rented a Jupiter from a different source, and he liked it much better. I switched after the summer to the instrument company that services our school music program, picking up and dropping off instruments, because it was so much easier. </p>
<p>What exactly are Monal piston valves? And how do I tell whether the trumpet has a good tuning slide, or a tuning slide at all?</p>
<p>I am thinking of buying a used trumpet in a year, if he continues, but I want him to have something good in the meantime. This seems to be the time to change, since so many trumpets are coming in from school year rentals.</p>
<p>I guess I would suggest speaking to your son's current teacher. That person will have a sense of the features your son would need on a trumpet. Monal piston valves (I believe this is still the case..I'm not the trumpet player...my son is) are the best valves. Some student trumpets do not have this type of valve. I actually checked and even my husband's old Conn had a tuning slide. I guess I didn't know that there were trumpets without them. Is there any chance you can go to a music store and have your son try a couple of different trumpets? We have a number of rental vendors with stores in this area who rent to the local schools. The kids can go in and try different trumpets. There are many characteristics to a trumpet that I can't explain..the bore for example. Some trumpets actually have reverse tuning slides and some players prefer this. Also...your son would be able to explain what he doesn't LIKE about his current horn. The brass person at the store might be able to advise him on a horn that would be a better choice. I will say...my son recently purchased a new trumpet...and he tried at least 50 different horns. It took him almost a year to find one that he felt was "right".</p>
<p>Another thing you need to be sure of is that the mouthpiece is the right size. Sometimes that can make a difference in how a student feels about playing a horn too.</p>
<p>As mentioned above...check with your vendor. Many have "trade up" policies for student trumpets. When the student is ready to upgrade, a large portion of the rental fee is used towards the upgrade. </p>
<p>My son's elementary trumpet teacher at the time recommended that he use a student trumpet until he was ready to buy a professional level one (there are also intermediate level trumpets...she felt this was a waste of money). This is what we did. I will say...if your student continues to play and does get a nice professional trumpet, you probably want to keep a student one around if the student is required to play in the marching band at the school. </p>
<p>I'll see if my son has any suggestions.</p>
<p>And one question...you had a note that you would be looking for a male trumpet teacher for your son. My son has had both male and female teachers. His first teacher was a woman and his current grad school teacher is as well. They were both outstanding teachers and players.</p>
<p>P.S. If your son liked the Jupiter trumpet through another vendor...why not just rent that again. At least you KNOW he likes that one.</p>
<p>Thanks, thumper1. From what I can tell, the TR300 is a better trumpet, and the 1530 is meant for beginners. But the Bach website says that beginners will progress faster with the TR300. The TR300 has Monel valves, but the 1530 has nickel valves. The person at the rental place told me that the nickel valves were "faster" and my son would like them better. I'm not sure whether it has a tuning slide.</p>
<p>I certainly didn't mean to imply that male teachers were better, but my son has a preference for male teachers. His piano teacher is male, with many male students, and my son loves this. Since most of his teachers at school are female, I like to balance things.</p>
<p>The other rental place is really inconvenient, so I'm trying to stick to the one that supplies the school.</p>
<p>I'll probably go in to the store tomorrow with my son and see what we can find out.</p>
<p>My son started in fourth grade too and he's playing Pictures at an Exhibition tomorrow (now a senior in high school). Time flies.
I would get the teacher first and the trumpet second. Your new teacher will have definite ideas of what is best for him. He may even have a trumpet to lend to your son. I don't know Westchester, but if there is a youth symphony there, call them and ask who teaches their trumpeters. If there is a college nearby, there may be a trumpet instructor on staff.<br>
I would encourage him to continue listening to jazz, but if I had to choose between a jazz teacher and a classical teacher, I would start with the latter and then add a jazz teacher after the basics are covered. If your son is set on jazz I would look for trumpeters that play that genre in your area and ask whether they teach.
We always passed trumpets by S's teachers. They all had definite ideas of how good the instrument was and what would be best for S. Thus, I would find a teacher first and a trumpet second.</p>
<p>Sorry, I mis-spoke as the politicians say. I meant the first valve tuning slide thumb hook that permits the player to fine tune certain notes on the fly, not the tuning slides themselves that allow the instrument to be tuned before playing. An instrument without tuning slides at all would be pretty hard to tune.</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>the Bach website says that beginners will progress faster with the TR300>></p>
</blockquote>
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<p>Interesting comment...a bit of a digression here, but IMHO students "progress faster" through their talent and perseveration. Of course their instrument can't be problematic...but I don't think that there is a guarantee that a student will progress faster on trumpet A than trumpet B.</p>
<p>Re: what Bassdad noted...again speak with the teacher. Are 9 year old beginners even taught to "tune on the fly" with their tuning slides? I would think that there are tons of other technique things that would be taught first...</p>
<p>My son just sent me an info sheet he wrote on purchasing trumpets. He says I can forward it to anyone interested...but I can't post it here. So if you would like to have it, please send me an email (with something in the subject heading that indicates trumpet buying so I don't delete it as spam) and I'll forward the attachment to you.</p>
<p>I hope this isn't a violation of the TOS of this site to post that I can send you this info....</p>
<p>If it is...I'll understand if the mods delete this post.</p>
<p>I completely agree with the posters who said to ask the teacher first. I'm now a junior in high school and started playing in fourth grade (we had to pick an instrument, I somehow knew trumpet was right). I'm the only one in my family who plays an instrument, so my parents were COMPLETELY clueless and also had no expectation that I would remotely enjoy music.
In fifth grade I started private lessons after much begging. By seventh grade it was apparent that I needed my own non-student trumpet and I went to the store and bought a Bach Strad (model 37). My teacher went ahead of time and put out a bunch of models he thought I would like and then stayed while I chose.
My advice is to rent for now. I don't know the specific models you're thinking of, but honestly most rental student trumpets are pretty much the same: not too good. The problem with buying his own horn is that your son is a 10 or 11 year-old boy. Trust me when I say that even if he is the most gentle boy in the world, the others are not. Especially trumpet players. His trumpet WILL be used in a sword fight or thrown across the room or will just fall off his chair by accident. When I finally bought my trumpet, I used the rental for the rest of the year at school and only brought my Strad to concerts. I practiced and had lessons on the Strad.
At his level, a professional trumpet or even intermediate model is unnecessary unless he is some sort of prodigy, which a teacher can determine. Chances are he'll drop the trumpet, get braces, and maybe even quit before he hits middle school. They also require more air, which he hasn't learned to regulate at a level that will allow him to make a good sound.</p>
<p>So my advice is to wait until he needs it. He will hit a point in a few years where the rental trumpet is hindering his playing. Until then, however, a nice trumpet will make playing harder and more frustrating, will be considerably banged up in a few years (student models are a LOT more resistant to dents and scratches) and might even be sitting in the closet in two years never to be seen again. I know many players who got nice trumpets only to find that they quit in sixth or seventh grade or switched to another instrument or completely dented it beyond repair.
Trust me, waiting is worth it.</p>
<p>NYMOM</p>
<p>your mailbox is full</p>
<p>for jazz instruction in Westchester:</p>
<p>Lagond</a> Music School in Westchester New York</p>
<p>Current trumpet instructor is Jonathan Powell</p>
<p>Jonathan</a> Powell</p>
<p>Just catching up with this thread - thank you all for the advice. Thumper1 sent me the information sheet her son put together, and it was extremely helpful. </p>
<p>We picked up the Bach 1530 this weekend, and my son likes it much better than the Hunter he had this year. I'm going to start looking for a teacher, and perhaps make another exchange if something else is recommended.</p>
<p>I'm interested in the jazz/classical issue. My son definitely loves jazz, but he accepts the wisdom of his piano teacher that he needs to focus on classical music. He learns 2-3 jazz pieces per year. He also loves the classical pieces. At his last recital, he played Fur Elise (full version) and two jazz pieces that he had heard someone else play. He got the names and asked his teacher whether he could learn them. They were "Beginning to See the Light" (Ellington) and "Bumble Boogie." When he played them at the recital, he started bopping around, dancing sitting down, to his teacher's chagrin. I know it's not proper technique, but it was very funny and I'm glad I have it on tape. </p>
<p>I'm glad to know about the Lagond School, OdysseyTigger. I'm thinking that I might look for a classical teacher first, and perhaps add a jazz teacher later, or have my son participate in their workshops.</p>
<p>It's a really, really good idea for all musicians to have solid classical training before they move to jazz IMO. In the first place, it makes the transition to the other genre much easier, and in the second, good technique is really important to jazz too.</p>
<p>We know a couple of kids who went straight to jazz, without spending enough time developing classical technique. Even though they are quite good, their technique suffers from not having the training. So, I would definitely recommend staying with the classical for now, but perhaps adding supplemental lessons or summer classes in jazz.</p>