Summer Music Camps

[Billy B]

What camps will have Bill Adam students as trumpet instructors this summer? I don't want to send my kids to any mouthpiece buzzers.
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Bill Bergren

[PH]

Well, Aebersold camps for one.

[BullJive]

LOL... Billy, you're awesome.

[da_roadrunner]

I know that Matt Mealy (who went to Eau Claire) goes to the International Music Camp at the Peace Gardens for Jazz week (at least he has the past 2 yrs)

[mcstock]

Bob Baca is doing a couple of things:
http://www.indianheadartscenter.com/workshops/music/trumpet_workshop.htm
http://www.nymp.net/2005%20summer%20band%20camps.htm

Matt
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“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
Epictetus

[Babb9520]

Cannon Music Camp with John Almeida. I loved this place. I think Almeida really brought me into the whole thing! A major turning point in playing.

Charlie Babb

[Babb9520]

I think that possibly a good teacher at a summer camp realizes the diversity of all the kids attending and would take into consideration not to undergo any huge changes in their playing. I remember I went to camp one summer where I had a teacher wanting me to change my mouthpiece from a 3C to a 5C!! (something my teacher at home would never approve of). He also thought very highly of this guy named Aperature, and thought he needed to be smaller!!
A teacher at a summer camp should maybe focus more on the musical knowledge of the student and help to improve that. Also, I found that the playing environment at a camp really helps to improve your playing. Especially when you go and your thrown in the middle with everyone else. Thats what I've really gotten out of camps.

Charlie Babb

[miles52245]

Billy...
Why not send your students somewhere that the faculty can teach and support them to the highest level with music and musicality and let Mr. Adam's routine speak for itself....it may be a good thing to be turned on to different approaches to solidify the student's belief in the Adam approach.

Even though I am a big believer in the routine, the "don't want to send my kids to any mouthpiece buzzers" comment is a bit closeminded and harsh for a student of Mr. Adam's teaching isn't it?

B

[MPWall1]

With all due respect to everyone, I have to agree with Bill. I have found so much hostility toward Mr. Adam and his students from teachers that I have encountered (all the brass faculty at Montclair State University). If I could do it over again, I would have gone where I could only study with an Adam student for college and summer camps. I think some of us Adam students feel defensive because of the hostility that we or our students experienced.

For this thing to work efficiently, I think we need to protect our students from other ways that my cause them to move backwards. I am NOT saying that other ways are wrong, but I want my students to only study with Adam students because that's the way that I feel is best for both their musical development as well as their development as a person.

I guess I could have just said that I agree with Bill, but that would be too easy!

Michael
_________________
Michael Patrick Wall, Ed.D.
Independent Researcher in Music Education

[PH]

I've seen it far too often. Someone studies with Mr. Adam or one of his students and then goes to study with someone else for a few weeks. When they return to study with Adam they need to be taken back to square one (or at least square two) to undo all the tension that has crept into their playing.

As Adam says, "Put one foot in one boat and the other in another boat. Pretty soon you'll find your butt in the lake."

[Billy B]

Brent,

I have not personally had experiences with sending kids to camps and having them turned around. I have been warned by many of my colleagues against sending students who are in the developmental stages to a camp where someone is going to teach the kid to play the trumpet in a week. You know the type of teacher I am speaking of. While the Adam concept can certainly stand on it's own merits, I see no need to expose them to any conflicting information. I know of a college student who spent the summer at a very prestigious music camp only to spend the entire next semester recovering from a teacher who was going to change everything. They just aren't mature enough to sort it out. As Mr Adam has said, "If you put each foot in a different row boat, you're going to end up on your ass." I would prefer a camp where the emphasis is on the music. As far as being harsh about "mouthpiece buzzers" I hope you get the opportunity to be around Adam when the subject comes up. He certainly doesn't mince words and would agree 100% with the comment.
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Bill Bergren

[Billy B]

Pat,

Well that is pretty funny that we were writing the same thoughts at the same time! You don't suppose there is something to that thing where Adam starts talking about what you are thinking?
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Bill Bergren

[ADziuk]

I was under the impression that Dr. Karl Sievers did something in the summer somewhere as well. (I know he did IMC one summer but I think they change faculty every summer)

Ha! I love how the main paige for the Northland Camp has a big capitals message, "BOB BACA WILL BE RETURNING THIS SUMMER!" That is kind of random, I wonder if they had a ton of calls asking that or something.

John Harbaugh is the trumpet guy at this jazz camp:
http://www.northwestcollege.edu/area/music/Camps/Jazz%20Camp.htm

[miles52245]

Billy, Pat and all,
I see all points stated here and certainly respect the opinions that are being made....I practice and believe strongly in the Adam school of trumpet playing, but still believe (maybe to my own demise)that there are teachers out there that will respect the pre-existing methodology of the students and just teach "music and musicality" at these camps....if students have some things together, I certainly try to take that route in the camps that I teach at in the summer.

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject....

[MPWall1]

miles,

you make a great point that there are teachers out there who will respect students' primary teachers and just teach music. no one (i think) would argue with you there. what people are getting upset with are teachers who think that they should override what a student has been taught and that the student's routine and mindset is "wrong" because it is not congruent with their own.

i learned a lot from teachers who just taught music--many of whom were not trumpet players. the people who ticked me off were the trumpet teachers who laughed at my "Adam crap" and made me buzz my lips until I was so screwed up in the head that I couldn't hit a 3rd-line C. For students like me, years of study can be almost wiped away by a terrible teacher with a crazy agenda.

I know I've made my posts on this topic personal, but I was really messed up by poor teachers and I just want people to be aware of what goes on so that we Adam students can watch out for each other and for our own students.

Michael
_________________
Michael Patrick Wall, Ed.D.
Independent Researcher in Music Education

[redhawktrumpet85]

Not meaning to hijack this topic, but I've never really encountered anyone who thinks the Adam method is "crap." Granted, all of my teachers are Adam or Cicowicz (sp?) influenced, but I digress. Why do teachers not respect the Adam method when it has such proven results?!
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Matt Miller

[popotrpt]

Its been my experience that most Adam students are known for their commercial/jazz chops. Comparatively, not very many in the orchestral world. Also in my opinion the sound most of his student's get lends itself more to commercial/jazz playing. It's just a sound concept that I believe doesn't fit as well as others in an orchestral setting, so it gets looked down upon at times.

The attitude of some of the students also comes into play. Also in my experience majority of Adam's students have had the attitude that any other way of playing doesn't work as well as the Adam school. I studied with an Adam student for two years and was put down because I had a different sound concept for myself and disagreed with a few points. Some of it I really liked and it helped my playing but some of it wasn't right for me and the direction I was going and he couldn't accept that. Most of the attitude came with him thinking the Adam way was the very best way to play the trumpet. It didn't matter who the player was, it would work for them. Also that if you buzz you're playing with too much tension and it won't take you as far as you want to go. That kind of attitude can turn people off to the school as well. What works/doesn't work for one doesn't necessarily work/not work for someone else.


I don't think the Adam method is crap at all. There are a lot of good things in it and with the right teacher a student could go far with it. But for me it wasn't right which was unfortunate because my teacher was fun and I did learn some. However I do think it's more important to study with multiple types of teachers, not just Adam students. I see most Adam students swapping students for graduate and post graduate work. Getting an entirely different perspective on trumpet playing is more important than doing the same thing with three different teachers. Maybe an Adam student will find that buzzing the mouthpiece gives them some benefits they hadn't had before. Nothing wrong with that.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that most of the scrutiny comes from the attitudes of some of his students and the fact that the sound mainly lends itself to commercial/jazz playing.
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DT

Bb-Bach 37
Piccolo-Scherzer 8111
Mouthpieces-Bach 1.5B, Purviance 8

[Babb9520]

We all have our different views and methods on playing and everything and we all know that there are incredible players that come from each. It is very false that Adam students are not plentiful in the classical field, I would agree though that they are more-so in the commercial. Mr. Adam definately produced trumpet players with the right sound if someone like Bob Platt, and Adam student was possibly the only American trumpet player in the Berlin Philharmonic.
I do not believe that Mr. Adam or any of his students teach their own concept of sound to their students. Instead, they aid in the development of the student's own concept of sound. The wonderful thing about Adam's teaching is about producing the sound you desire: your sound. There is never one way to sound on a trumpet, and this is not how his him or his students go about teaching. They have a simple point to get across to the students in order to improve them musically, psychologically, and physically.
Although buzzing the mouthpiece could possibly be beneficial to an Adam student, which yes, in rare cases it is, it would be best not to do this. Many times I have gone about things in 2 different directions, only to find my butt a little wet.

Charlie Babb

[MPWall1]

well said, charlie!

michael
_________________
Michael Patrick Wall, Ed.D.
Independent Researcher in Music Education

[Billy B]

On the classical side don't forget John Head, Susan Slaughter, Karl Sievers, Bob Baca. the list goes on. As far as the sound, that is dictated by the music you are playing. I certainly don't play my routine sound in a concert band setting. Listen to Chris Botti's sound, then listen to John Head, then Jerry Hey. Their sounds are quite different yet much the same. That is why it is important to play lots of music in addition to the routine. The reason popo didn't succeed was because he didn't 100% buy into the approach. He even states this in his post. Do we believe this is the best way to play the trumpet, you better believe it. So why would we even entertain any other approach? You can call this closed minded, I prefer the term single minded. The only reason the Adam approach doen't work for some is that they continue to incorporate the teachings of others and will not totally accept his teachings. The idea that what works for one but not the other is simply not true. The problem lies not in the approach but rather the student.
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Bill Bergren