Introduction:

Thank you for including me in your project.  I was interviewed for a project such as this once in 2004 and twice in 2006.  Now it’s 10 years later; 10 years during which I have had the same orchestral job and a variety of teaching jobs, and my perspective has changed.  Please note that where applicable, I answered questions with the assumption that you know I have an orchestral job and are interested in the same.

1. Who are some musicians who have or had inspired you to become a musician yourself?

I grew up with music in my house from the piano practice and lessons of my older sisters.  I also started with the  piano and found private lessons to be engaging.  Certainly when in fourth grade I began the trombone and there were 3 students in the group lessons, it was more engaging than other classes where I would hide in the back row.  I was also more inspired by music because I got to hold something and do something (active learning), instead of just listening to a teacher give instructions (passive learning).  Later, thanks to my mother, I had private lessons with Dean Karahalis on Long Island where I would go hear his brass quintet (one of my favorite sounds); I fell in love with recordings of the Canadian Brass; and my high school band director Roger Geddes inspired me to practice and to increase that in college.  So there were a variety of influences on me including a team of people and a simple predisposition towards music, whether from my genetics or my environment.  I became self-motivated to enter the field rather than being inspired to do so by any specific musician.

2. What is the hardest part of your job?

Which job? 🙂  As a college instructor of Music Technology and Music Appreciation the hard part is the late nights preparing my courses, and changing them during each semester to best serve the particular group of students in the class.  As a private instructor of college students, I find it frustrating when students ignore assignments or do only part of the work diligently, instead of digging into practice as if it was more important than eating or sleeping, the way I did.  In teaching lessons to younger students, inspiring practice can be difficult and when students actually do practice, the technical challenges I find the hardest occur when a student has tension in their breath and/or difficulty expanding their range.  As an orchestral musician, colleagues do not always treat one another with respect and fairness, and management sometimes has the same problem.  This leads to caring less about the job and as a result, a harder time playing well if one is not careful.

3. Describe some auditions you have participated in.

I have crashed and burned many times, feeling as if I wasted so many hours practice and so much money only to succumb to performance anxiety.  However, there were those times when I was able to keep my cool (names have been changed to protect the innocent (myself) and to keep the gloating to a minimum).  Once as a finalist in XYZ, after my round the proctor asked if I studied with Joe since, “wow, you just really ran down those excerpts.”  I was not a regular student of Joe’s, and that audition resulted in my being runner-up.  Many years ago in WXY, I was being careful not to rush between the excerpts…advice I had received before.  But the committee was not so patient and loudly shuffled papers to move me along (that was another runner-up experience).  Twice I was a semi-finalist for one of the big ones, which was so interesting because it was for principal there and later, second…I am sure I was more comfortable the second time because of the approval I felt at the first audition.  Once I had to wait 5 months between rounds for a wonderful job while the orchestra did a conductor search.  After the 5 finalists played, 2 were called in to play again and the other 3 of us were not.  But the fates called one of us leftovers back in, and he won the job.  For another well-paid gig my number was called as advancing, then I was told it was a mistake and they meant the guy who already left the building.  I was gracious enough to chase him down out in the street to give him the good news that he would get to play again.  I have played auditions immediately after walking a flight of steps to the hall so the heart was already racing; had to perform auditions while able to hear other candidates loud-and-clear in their warm-up rooms; been stopped during my first breath to be told that the solo would be in the first round when it wasn’t posted that way; been led across the rafters of a theater under construction to enter the building while someone was performing their audition; it goes on and on.

4. Is it possible to live off of income as a performer?

Yes, absolutely.  My performer’s income? No.

5. What is some advice you wish you had taken?

When I was a Doctoral Student at Michigan State I won an audition for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.  I drove back and forth for one semester but decided that it was too hard to do both.  I would just build a life in Fort Wayne and shelve the doctorate, since I was doing it to either improve enough to win an audition or to finish the DMA and go for a college teaching job.  I now wish I suffered a little longer and finished the doctorate to get that additional degree.

6. Have you met many professional players who do not have an education degree?

Yes.  I recommend having a Plan B, or rather something else you like to do that can earn income but it certainly does not have to be education.

7. What is it about teaching that you like? Dislike?

In the classroom I enjoy being entertaining.  Offering humor to enhance a course.  Bringing music to non-majors.  I like how much I learn from my students.  I like watching our relationship move from teacher-student to colleagues.  I like how lessons often lead to helping students with other areas of their lives, such as organization and prioritization.  Although it is rare, I will mention that I don’t like being stood up.  That was quite forbidden when I was a student and I held the great performers with whom I studied in such high regard that it would never happen.  I don’t like when students try your idea once or twice between lessons and think that was going to change anything in their playing.  And I don’t like when there are blank stares in my classroom teaching that make me feel like Alex Trebek in the Celebrity Jeopardy skit from SNL.

8. Does college really prepare you for the professional working world?

Well, I haven’t been a college student in a very long time, but I would say that it depends on the teacher and the seriousness of the student.  A private instructor who has performance experience certainly can share that information, and pass along those things that you don’t typically learn in school.  And teachers are inspired to do so by how serious the student is, which they show through preparedness.  After all, when you come into lessons prepared on the basics, that gives us time to discuss matters of the next level.  That said, the truth is that most job training probably does occur on the job.  You just have to gain as much experience, through freelancing, summer festivals, and school, to sound confident by the time you get a job.  That’s the old Catch-22; you need experience to get experience.

9. Is it wise to get a secondary degree in a non musical study?

As with the previous question, my answer to this is mixed.  Regarding music ed, I was in a masterclass with Glenn Dodson where he said not to major in music ed if you don’t really want to teach.  “We have enough unhappy teachers.”  And it takes away from practicing.  Practicing and studying the vast array of music in the many possible ways is all-consuming.  If I remember correctly, Doug Yeo said that it requires a “singular focus.”  There is so much to learn that a musician never has nothing to do, and the competition is practicing their butts off.  To be competitive at auditions you have to spend a good span of time “all-in,” trying your hardest at this one thing.

But to your question, because of that very competition, yes, it would be wise to have something else you can market for yourself.  And, having another interest can bring balance to your life that makes you more secure and less nervous at auditions.  It’s just that if you want to win an audition, practicing comes first – home for holidays, vacations, busy days, lots of school work – you probably need to take time out of your sleep schedule to never miss covering all the bases every day in your practice.  Excuses don’t help you.

11. What do you wish you did more of in music?

Rather than wishing, I initiate what I want to happen.  I just built a music studio in my basement where I can learn  variety music technologies for track recording, videos, jazz improv, and more.  I manage chamber groups with whom I want to play.  I maintain this website.  I will say that I love brass quintet but this deep into my career it can be hard to find the time and 5 great players with a schedule to meet and play music for fun.

12. How many auditions do you look into yearly?

Naturally that number depends upon how many auditions are happening.  I keep an eye on the union paper but I can only really take those that pay enough to move a whole family of people who are comfortable where they are, so I take less auditions now than I used to.

13. How much do you spend on instruments and music and other accessories for said instrument?

When I want a new instrument or mouthpiece or something I tend to buy one and recover most of the funds by selling the old one.  There’s usually some investment but I slowly improve and increase my equipment collection that way.

14. What is the best advice for a freshman studying music performance?

For orchestral players, practice jazz etudes for the jazz and commercial rhythms that you WILL see in a symphony job.  Become a nimble reader and sound great on the excerpts, but don’t get locked in as an excerpt jock who can’t play anything else.  I see many players far too old to have this problem but they really can’t read beyond quarter notes as well as they should.  That used to be me to some degree, but no more.

15. What do you practice and for how long?

I like recording myself on one duet part and playing with the other.  You really can learn how good your rhythm is.  Voxman’s Selected Duets and Tom Ervin’s counterparts for these are nice.  I like playing from Aharoni’s New Method for the Modern Bass Trombone, the LaFosse studies, the old Practice with the Experts book by many players, and playing some jazz with irealpro.  I don’t get in the time that I wish I did but things change with 2 small kids!  The lesson here is to put in your time in college and don’t let any slip away.  Having kids really changes things if you want to be a dedicated parent.

16. Did you ever doubt if music was going to work out or not?

Oh, yes.  And not even so long ago!

17. Where has music taken you?

All over Italy with the Festival of Two Worlds, Charleston with the Spoleto Festival, Breckenridge with the NRO, Tanglewood, the U.P. of Wisconsin with the Pine Mountain Festival, Maine with the New England Music Camp, freelancing for fun in Florida while living in Ohio, Traverse City and all over the rest of Michigan freelancing, and many great places for auditions.

18. What are some things you wish you knew early on about music and school?

I would have liked to follow my heart and get more into improvisation at a younger age…it would have been worth the time studying with an improv teacher.  I would read Don Greene’s books earlier.  Ear training, singing, and recording for intonation (and everything else) are all of utmost importance.  As you get into the more competitive festivals and music schools, your colleagues will be your brethren across other orchestras throughout the nation.  Attitude is important; this is supposed to be fun, but the kind of fun that comes from doing it well.

This was the end of the interview, but the student wrote back with this follow up question:

Mr. Begel, 

I have read through your responses and again would like to thank you for participating in this interview. I do have one more question that I just found out is required for this project and it is, “What is it about your life that resonates with your soul?” and if you would please answer this one, I believe that it would conclude the interview. Thank you again!

That is a very interesting question.  I find it interesting that it is required for the project, since the “soul” is a debatable concept.  How do you know there is one, when there is no evidence?

I can answer with what is most important to me, and that is my wife and children.  Trombone is the thing I am driven to do each day, and it has taught me a great deal, giving me tools to learn most other things.  But I can live without the trombone.  On a desert island, I’d rather have my family than my horn.

As an addendum, I was thinking about your questionnaire during tonight’s concert.  It caused me to mentally list some old accomplishments that I have not thought about for some time.  And a new thought occurred to me.  I no longer need to pursue accomplishments the same as those I have already achieved, as it would merely amount to resume-building.  At my stage of life I am less interested in what I can accomplish in this life and more interested in what I can contribute to it.  So thank you for asking me to do your survey.  It has planted a seed in me that will result in new, good things in the world.

Interview 10/27/2016, revised for the web 12/27/2016