When I was growing up I was fortunate enough to be able to study with a private trumpet instructor, Wally made me do music theory work out of the Ott book as well as performance responsibilities. While I always wanted to go to Interlochen my parents weren’t going to put out the money for me to attend. I was unaware of scholarships and other avenues to attend such a camp. However, as an adult I can afford to go study with icons in the music industry and that is what I like to do with my summers, how I spend my summer vacations. I started by going to SummerKeys a camp (I prefer to refer to them as workshops) in Lubec, Maine. I was hooked, Robert Stibler the trumpet instructor, a player who has had a long and successful career in both classical performance in orchestral and chamber groups. He is the trumpet professor at the University of New Hampshire. We worked on orchestral excerpts, warm-ups, for example what kind of warm up are you going to do on an audition day? What should you play on the stage when you can blow a few notes to get a feel for the the room and the judges are sitting on the other side of the screen? Relaxed warm-ups followed by a stroll down to get some coffee and then to sit and watch the sea creatures like seals and dolphins play in the beautiful bay. You can throw a rock across the bay and hit Canada, FDR’s summer home is across that bay. I stayed in a tiny house located in the front of a storage facility. I loved it, I could practice all night long, no one around but me and the the porcupines. The finale is a concert at the church where you can perform whatever you feel like. A beautiful town, kind people, if you like the great outdoors this is a great place to go. I hope to go again, one of the best vacations I have ever had. My favorite things I picked up from this camp would be the various warm up options I was given for different situations, resources for performance that have been the most valuable to me, along with overall performance approach.
