Over my 30+ year teaching career I have taken interviews for a number of positions ranging from junior high band director to professor of trumpet at a major university. During many of those interviews I have been asked to expound on my teaching philosophy. While it’s easy to toss out a terse prepared statement using the latest educational buzzwords to hopefully satisfy a over stressed interview committee, putting a useful and truthful statement of philosophy together can be a daunting endeavor.

I happened across a chapter in a book by Frank G. Campos, Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College. The book is titled “Trumpet Technique” and one of the final chapters is called “A Letter to My Students.” I can think of no better statement of teaching philosophy.

A Letter to My Students

Teaching the trumpet is a difficult task. The development and refinement of high-level psychomotor skill is a slow and frequently frustrating process. We teachers rely on our personal experience, training, and intuition to solve the problems that come into the studio each day. Every student has a unique pattern of physical and mental characteristics that must be explored and understood in order to properly prescribe workable solutions for the obstacles that halt forward progress. Not every ailment has an immediate solution, and a diagnosis may be a shot in the dark until more is known. For most situations, patience is the order of the day. The ability to demonstrate on your instrument the desired musical product, even without uttering a single word of instruction, is generally regarded as an extremely important qualification of a fine teacher, but not every artist can teach. How we choose to teach is every bit as important as what we teach. Noting that there are many different ways to teach successfully, I would like to explain some of the principles that are the foundation for the way I work. The wonderful teachers to whom I owe so much shared these ideas with me, and now I pass them on to you.

•“It is my job to help you to become the best musician you can be.” I am committed to helping you realize as much of your potential as possible during our time together. I will address your problems individually, giving each of you what you need to take the next step on your own path.

•“You are the only teacher you will ever have.” I am a coach, a guide, a resource, or any number of roles according to your needs, but you must spend the time in the practice room required to apply what we have discussed in the lesson. Knowing about the trumpet intellectually is not the same as knowing it as reflex in your muscles and nerves. I cannot teach you how to play—you must do it alone. There are no shortcuts.

•“We learn through a process of imitation and trial and error.” Musical expression is best learned through the imitation of that which we strive to become, so we must closely study the greatest practitioners of our art and apply the pertinent aspects of their lives and work. Experimentation with new techniques and ideas rarely leads to success immediately, so you must try over and over, modifying your approach until you succeed. Learning cannot occur without failure—there is no other way.

•“Repetition is the mother of all learning.” Complex psychomotor skill is acquired through repetition. One of the most important aspects of high-level skill is the ability to perform a task with no conscious mental effort. This is called automaticity, and it can only be gained through repetition. The most efficient and effective method of learning any physical task is by repeating it slowly and perfectly until it is automatic.

•“It is not the instrument we must master, but ourselves.” We must diligently address our areas of weakness and not blame any person, thing, or condition outside of ourselves for our inability to improve. Knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses is essential to growth, as this shows us where we need to direct our energies for maximum benefit.

•“I won’t take credit for your success or your failure.” I will play an important part in your growth, but you will do all the work and you are solely responsible for the outcome. I am proud of my students, but I will never claim credit for their successes, nor will I accept responsibility for their failures.

•“Take what you can use and leave the rest.” I do not have all the answers, but I ask that you make a good-faith effort to apply the suggestions we have discussed. If they don’t work for you, we’ll try something else. If you come across other ideas that are more effective, by all means use them, but running from one new thing to another without a sincere attempt at application will only lead to frustration.

•“Give without thought of reward.” We can never really thank those who have helped us become what we are today, but we can pass on, in the same spirit, all that they have shared. Do not think that you will be given reward, credit, or even gratitude for your work with a student. Do it with love. There is no greater way to honor your teachers.