When I meet people and tell them my story of how I went from being a professional trumpet player to the creator of a product and subsequently a business owner, I am often asked, “Do you still play?” My standard answer is, “Yes, but not as much,” and I go on to explain how much time it takes to run the business properly.
The fact is I have tried to “retire” from playing over the last several years – on more than one occasion. Those “retirements” simply became extended breaks, the longest hiatus lasting three months or so. Apparently, my services are still valued in the Indianapolis musical community as the calls continued to come – even when I said “No, thank you.” I finally realized that music and the trumpet are still a huge part of who I am and an integral part of my business narrative as well. Still, balancing two very demanding areas of “work” have required me to find a way to stay in shape trumpet-wise in as short a time as possible.
The playing I do, while less in terms of quantity, still requires me to play at the very highest level when called upon. My practice is based on something I call “The Wave.” My approach borrows heavily from sports training ideas. If you would like to learn more, a detailed explanation of the concept can be found here: (pdf here)