The first is Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. The Big Phat Band is an amzaing collection of Los Angeles studio Musicians that take Goodwin's songs and bring them to life with incredible energy and precision. Wayne Bergeron leads the trumpet section.

Another terrific band is The Ed Palermo Big Band. Palermo has taken many original Frank Zappa tunes and made new arrangements of them for his big band.

Check out both of these great bands!

In The Practice Revolution, Johnston discusses the idea of focusing on mastery of a particular skill in a practice session rather than time and suggests that teachers can help their students progress faster by assigning a task to master each day rather than the usual 30 minutes of practice time.

There are many other excellent tips in Johnston's book which is a great read for both students and teachers alike.

Many of the camps are geared to older students, but several are designed for very young musicians as well. Music camp is a great way to keep your playing skills sharp over the summer break. Find one in your area and give it a try!

Buzzing allows the player to hear the actual pitch that he or she is playing, before it is altered by the instrument. In many cases, a player may be playing the wrong pitch into the mouthpiece, but the trumpet is "moving" that wrong pitch to play the "right" note. The pitch will not be centered however, and the sound will not be good.

Buzzing should be part of every student trumpet player's practice routine. It will make a big difference in a player's overall tone.

The Texas School Music Project has a great article on their site about playing the trumpet in tune. It describes the pitch tendencies of the different valve combinations and when to push out each slide. It also discusses the effects of temperature on pitch. This information should be taught to students early on so that they make a habit of controlling their intonation whenever they play.

He goes on to discuss video games, trumpet practice and how difficult it is for today's student trumpet players to turn off the electronics and pick up their horns.

One of the best ways to get students on track is through the use of a digital tuner. To use a digital tuner, the student simply turns it on and plays. The tuner is able to determine what the note is that is being played and whether it is sharp, flat, or right on. The student can then adjust the trumpet and/or his or her own embouchure.

There are a number of good models available such as the Korg Chromatic Tuner or the Boss Chromatic Tuner.

It's important to remember though, that the ultimate goal is for the student to play in tune with the band, not the tuner. Working with a digital tuner will provide a great foundation for the player to build on with his or her own band.