This is going to start out kind of weird, but bare with me.
There's something I've gotta get off my chest...
If you've reached out to me over the past several years inquiring about taking lessons, or just asking for advice in general, all I can say is: I'm sorry. Chances are I never saw the message.
In all honesty, avoiding the feeling of overwhelm is a constant struggle for me, so I stay far away from social media almost all the time. And there's just no room in my life right now for responding to requests for technical advice, or teaching private lessons, especially online. Heck, I can barely handle my own to-do list. However...
I've created this page to compile my educational videos, and I'll also add new material from time to time.
Everything here is free. A lot of it can also be found on YouTube or Facebook, but only if you go digging. Having everything organized on this page is way more convenient for anyone interested in my teaching.
Let's start with my new video series:
for Trumpet Playing
Up Your Mental & Emotional Game
My team and I have created a series of 18 videos taken from a live Q & A, each covering a different topic, anywhere from 2 to 13 minutes long. In total, there's just over 90 minutes of footage, and the entire series is available for free here on AdamRapa.com and on YouTube (although it's organized better here).
Every topic is something I consider essential for attaining some aspect of mastery. We'll be going much deeper than simply discussing technique, although there is some of that here too. You'll get the maximum benefit by taking each topic to heart and giving them all the necessary thought and practice-time to fully develop.
If you find these videos really helpful, please share them with your friends and colleagues. Most of this info is applicable to all types of musicians as well, not just trumpet players. Enjoy!
Click on a Title to Open the Video
Here is a collection of videos loaded with valuable information.
It's one thing to watch them, and another thing altogether to apply these principles and practices into your life.
I encourage the latter. You won't regret it.
Here's a great video where I discuss "Superhero Posture" with Marcus Printup. If you're not already doing this, it's time to step it up. The benefits are profound. (3:49)
For many players, this subject & these recommendations can be the missing link needed to unlock a lot more of your potential for playing high notes. (5:22)
This video speaks to the importance of how you feel while playing, the benefits of focusing on bringing joy to (and/or connecting with) others, not paying your ego any mind, and how helpful it can be for the overall quality of your playing. (3:45)
If everybody started learning to play the trumpet this way... Please, oh please, show this to your students! Maybe before they've even played their first note. (7:00)
After quickly covering my early years, we dive right into pedagogical gold — a lot of topics that I cover in my masterclasses: *Developing super methodical, systematic practice habits, patience & planning long-game; *Celebrating the many, many small victories which add up to mastery; *Programming clean muscle memory by adhering to a zero-tolerance policy for physical strain; *Ways of cultivating greater harmonic fluency, and more. And this is also a rare gem in that the production value is great. Many thanks to Jānis Porietis! (36:41)
This video focuses on some of the deep emotional work essential to cultivating true mastery; using the trumpet as a path of self improvement, training your mind to resist fear-based self-sabotage, and making music a more honest expression of your true nature. Not the highest marks for production value here, and there are pauses for Portuguese translation, but nonetheless it's very much with your time. (25:18)
With Ashlin Parker at an outdoor cafe in Paris discussing how musical learning happens best when it's a social activity. Practice partners, group learning, pooling ideas and lifting each other up. In a Covid world, this is an especially important subject. What can you do to maintain and contribute to your trumpet (and musical) community?
Same video with Portuguese subtitles, courtesy of JTF.
Here's one from a masterclass in Poland offering various helpful tips on the subject of articulation. (6:02)
In case you missed it on the VIDEO Page,
CLICK HERE to read my article about:
Expanding Your Musical Vocabulary
with the Rhythmic Language of
the Chacarera
Which also contains a transcription of my melody & solo on "Solo Por Hoy"
If you've found any of this educational material really helpful,
please consider supporting my efforts
with a small donation through:
