ITG Review: Technology in the Trumpet Studio
“Technology is the “wave of the present” and can extend the experience of students far beyond the time and space limita- tions of conventional materials. More and more teachers are finding that technology has become central to their teaching and professionalization. It is an exciting time to be a music educator!” – Raquel Rodriquez | ITG Journal
When I launched qPress in the summer of 2010 the mission was very simple. I wanted to create a website that would connect composers and trumpet players to facilitate to spread of quality new music to the trumpet community. The more great music we can get our hands on, the more great music gets performed, and the audience for our art form grows.
Fast forward four years and the mission hasn’t changed at all. I still make contact with composers on a regular basis, review new works, and try to get them online and ready to be performed as soon as possible. If anything, the mission has grown in ways that I did not originally anticipate. Early in development of the original qPress site, I partnered with Colin Music Publications to help bring digital editions of their books to a new audience. As the next crop of trumpet players are coming of age they are hoping to find literature that will help with their development but are more eager to buy digital editions than lug around heavy traditional scores. This is where qPress Editions are a great way to build up a digital library…
What Does it Mean to Support New Music?
This is such an interesting question and it something that I have thought a lot about over the last few years. When qPress begin in 2010 with the mission of connecting composers of new music to trumpeters and, ultimately, to audiences, it seemed like a fairly simple proposition. Of course, there are many factors that go into music’s ability to spread beyond the inner circle of the composer, and it has a lot to do with market forces and audience/consumer demand. Simply put for composers, if you make something available it won’t necessarily be played. Conversely for musicians, wanting to find great new music that matches your own taste can become a long term personal project of discovery.
We Really do Mean Anywhere!
Name any major book retailer. Amazon. Apple. Barnes & Noble. They are massive companies, selling billions of dollars worth of books to customers all over the world. Why in the world would someone create a small niche bookstore in a market with such huge players already established? The reason is choice. And I don’t just mean the choice for customers to shop where they choose. I mean the choice to do whatever they want with their own music. Sheet Music is a completely different ball game than novels and non fiction, and the rights restrictions put on by the biggest companies put a stranglehold on the most basic actions you take with your traditional print music.
