Category: Blog
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How much should I practice?
How much should I practice? Developing the Right Mindset for Efficient, Effortless Trumpet Playing The word practice is an interesting one. In one sense, it’s time spent working out kinks and uncovering inefficiencies — what we do to improve the many skills required to play the trumpet well. In another sense, trumpet is our practice…
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Some thoughts on improving slurs after an embouchure change…
Going through an embouchure change can feel like a huge setback, and you may even doubt whether the change was the right decision. After all, if it feels and sounds worse than your old setup, how do you know you’re on the right path? In these situations, its critical that you start with something that…
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MARK GOULD Chats Music and Trumpet
Mark Gould chats with Chris Coletti and Canadian Brass trumpeters, Caleb Hudson and Brandon Ridenour in episode 2 of Quarantine Classes
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Q&A with Chris Coletti and Dr. Aaron Witek!
On Wednesday April 1st, 2020 Ithaca College Trumpet Professors Chris Coletti & Aaron Witek gave a Q&A webinar live on Facebook moderated by our Graduate Assistants, Shaun Rimkunas and Angela King. Questions addressed included: How to stay motivated How to develop a pure, full sound and eliminate any air in your tone How to balance…
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Podcast: Trumpet Chris, Daddy Chris: Life at Juilliard, How to Move Your Audience and Inside the Decision to Step Away From A Dream Gig
Topic highlights: Career aspirations as a young conservatory student…9:54 Life like as a student at Juilliard…12:38 To specialize, or not to specialize…17:40 The foolproof method of winning a job in an orchestra…21:47 Baptism by fire: first days in the Canadian Brass…30:10 How having a family shifted priorities as a musician and performer…34:10 And much more……
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Radio Interview: Chris Coletti on WLRH’s “Morning Blend” with Host Dorrie Nutt
Back on September 10th, 2019, I was interviewed by Host Dorrie Nutt of the “Morning Blend” show on WLRH public radio in advance of my second-to-last performance with Canadian Brass. She is a great interviewer, and, as you can probably tell by our rapport, we’ve been friends for many years—Dorrie only recently retired from the…
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Haydn Trumpet Concerto
I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss my video of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto (live performance with Maestro Paul Haas and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas) on YouTube. The concert was a lot of fun, and since the audience seemed to really enjoy my original cadenza, I decided to make it available for download here. Enjoy! Haydn Trumpet Concerto (live…
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Podcast: How to Get a Better Sound, Improve Your Endurance, and Play Your Best
Caleb Hudson and I recently sat down with Daniel Forsnabba of Trumpet Academy to discuss music, performance tips for fellow musicians. Topics covered include How to create a beautiful sound How to overcome stage fright (more on this subject here) How to memorize music Practice techniques and the official Practice App Watch the full interview here:…
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Chris Coletti New Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College in NY
I am thrilled to announce that in addition to performing with Canadian Brass, I have accepted the tenure-trackposition as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College of Music!I started this year teaching at IC under a one year contract, but now I will be here permanently :)Since this is such a new announcement, the deadline to…
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Mark Gould on Trumpets and Trumpeters
I had the extreme pleasure of studying with Mark Gould at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music. Those that studied with him came to expect lessons would always be inspiring, and if you were lucky, filled with stories. Mark has finally put these incredible stories to print in his newest book, Orchestra Confidential: A Survival Guide…
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Canadian Brass Trumpets, Chris Coletti & Caleb Hudson, Featured on “The Other Side of the Bell” Podcast
“Usually we get nervous because we’re focussed primarily on ourselves.” I recently had the pleasure of appearing along with Caleb Hudson on a very popular trumpet podcast: The Other Side of the Bell. We are interviewed by host, John Snell, and the podcast is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass.In this episode we discuss how you can…
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Podcast: Overcoming Stage-Fright & How to Perform Your Best WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
Podcast: Overcoming Stage-Fright & How to Perform Your Best WHEN IT MATTERS MOST “Usually we get nervous when we’re focussed primarily on ourselves.” I recently had the pleasure of appearing on Bryan Crisp’s fantastic podcast Music on Purpose.In this episode we discuss how you can easily overcome stage-fright, how to perform the best when it matters most, and…
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Breakthrough Music Podcast – Becoming a Top Performer (and dinosaur fossils, etc.)
Breakthrough Music Podcast – Becoming a Top Performer (and dinosaur fossils, etc.) “Humans are very easily influenced by the things we watch and the people we’re around. Choose to be around people you admire.” — Chris Coletti on Breakthrough Music PodcastI recently had the pleasure of appearing on Kevin Mecchella’s fantastic Breakthrough Music Podcast. His show is designed…
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How to Build Your Network: 5 Action Steps
Are you frustrated with your music career? Have you dedicated most of your life to practicing your instrument or voice with little to no income to show for it? Or do you simply want to grow your freelancing career and start getting called for higher level gigs? Enter Seth Hanes. Seth has helped countless freelancers grow their careers via his…
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Effective Networking, Passive Income & How to Get More Gigs
“Just as it’s your responsibility to be good at what you do, it’s your job to be known as a top performer that’s enjoyable to work with.” Written by Chris Coletti, Interview by Seth Hanes It can be frustrating to find yourself struggling to survive as a freelancer after spending most of your life perfecting your craft.…
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7 Tips To Overcome Nervousness (aka Stage Fright / Performance Anxiety) & Become a Confident Performer
Written by Chris Coletti Professional and amateur performers alike have to deal with performance anxiety all the time. Some claim they eventually overcome it, some never experience it, but some of the best in the business get nervous before every single performance but still perform their best. Some get so nervous that they get violently ill…
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Best Trumpet Methods: 7 Method Books Every Trumpet Player Should Own-
34 Studies (Based on Orchestral Motives) by Vassily Brandt This book if one of my favorites: nearly every etude in this Brandt – 34 Studies book is a musical gem. They are each based on famous orchestral repertoire which makes these ideal for preparing for orchetral concerts and orchestral excerpts and developing an orchestral style sound. Difficulty: medium/hard Focus: musicality/phrasing,…
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How to Wrap Headphones for Ultralight Travel (No Tangle Method)
I love packing light. When traveling, every little doodad can add weight and clutter to your bag and to your mind. This simple technique eliminates the need for a headphone case and still keeps your headphones neat and organized. Once wrapped up this way they can be thrown into a bag or pocket without getting…
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Brooklyn Life | Studying with Chris at Brooklyn College Conservatory
Ever considered studying with me in NYC? Check out Brooklyn College Conservatory’s website and audition requirements and see if Brooklyn College is a good fit for you. The school is fantastic, the campus is beautiful and Brooklyn is famous for it’s coolness.Click here for audition requirements and click here for the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music homepage. You can…
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MUST-HAVE Sheet Music (with links!!)
If you’re a trumpeter and don’t yet own any of these books, do yourself a favor and BUY THEM NOW. For your convenience, I’ve supplied the links below, all you have to do is click each image to be taken to Amazon.PS If there is something you are having trouble finding on the internet, just send an…
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They Call Him the “Accidental Millionaire.” Here’s His Advice…
Have you ever heard of an indie musician getting rich by accident? It’s not common, and it doesn’t happen to just anybody.But one man is the musician who famously became a millionaire accidentally by creating a website that was so useful it grew faster than he ever hoped.The website was simple: it gave unsigned musicians a place to sell their CD’s…
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10 Rules for Students – John Cage
These 10 rules were popularized by the famously experimental composer, John Cage. Get the most out of your education (which is not, by any means, limited to school!!). Let me know what you think: RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for a while.RULE TWO: General duties of a student:…
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Best Brass Warm Up
This is the short version of the routine I go through every day. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think. I have yet to meet someone who did this simple routine and didn’t experience noticeable improvement within a week. Sheet music to accompany the timer is here! Sign up below I will…






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