Rex Richardson is a true international soloist, which means a lot of international travel. It also means some great stories! In the Bonus Room we talk about some cultural differences that Rex has learned from, and how those cultures influence styles of jazz.

An important part of Rex Richardson’s early career was playing with the group Rhythm and Brass, so we begin this part of our conversation talking about that time in Rex’s life. Most of Part 2 is a deep-dive into One Hundred Days of Trumpet Practice, Rex’s magnum opus. Every ten days in the book, Rex introduces a new topic, and we cover them all!

Called "One of the finest virtuosos of our time," Rex Richardson is equally comfortable in many diverse areas of music. He has recordings in the areas of both jazz and classical music and is very active in bringing new music into the repertoire. In addition to his international performing career, Rex is also a published composer. He is a dedicated teacher, and in addition to his position at Virginia Commonwealth University, he has given master classes around the world. His recently released book, One Hundred Days of Trumpet Practice, is a major addition to the trumpet literature.

In Part 1 of our conversation, I ask Rex about his beginnings as a trumpet player and how he overcame his bad habits as a student. We talk jazz, specifically improvisation, and get into the nuts and bolts of how he approaches the art of improvising as both a player and also as a teacher.

In the Bonus Room, our conversation turns towards Yolanda's teaching career, her approach to teaching, and why she will have students write a review of an imaginary concert they have given. We end our conversation by talking about balancing the life of a soloist with that of a wife and mother.

The music scene is quite different today from when Yolanda began her career, so we discuss some of the challenges facing a young musician today embarking on a solo career. A current project of Yolanda's is "Five Minutes for Earth," a series of pieces lasting five minutes which deal with environmental themes. Other subjects also discussed include the importance of Snickers during long recording sessions!

Yolanda Kondonassis is one of the world’s premier classical harpists, and is widely regarded as today’s most recorded classical harpist. She has won a Grammy Award for her recording of the Jennifer Higdon Harp Concerto (which she commissioned) and has appeared as a soloist with many top orchestras. In addition, she has published several books, including a children’s book. She is the head of the harp department at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

In Part 1, I first ask Yolanda to talk about her experience of soloing with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 18. We then discuss her beginnings as a musician and how she has managed her career through the years. To finish up Part 1, we use the Jennifer Higdon Harp Concerto commission as an example of how a major commission is brought to life.

In the Bonus Room we begin by talking about what auditions are like at Indiana University, and what John looks for in a student that is auditioning. We end our conversation by talking about John’s playing career.

We continue our discussion about teaching with John talking about the importance of sound and concept along with the importance of singing. I then ask John about the question, should the school be there for the student, or should the student be there for the school (spoiler alert: John sees this as a black and white question!).  We talk about why so few great trumpet players are great musicians, and what the quality is that makes a great trumpet player a great musician.

John Rommel is Professor of Trumpet at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Early in his playing career he was a member of the Nashville Symphony and principal trumpet of the Louisville Orchestra, and recently he has performed with both the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony. He is also known as one of the premier teachers in the U.S., and it was a pleasure to speak with him in depth about his philosophy on teaching.

We begin our conversation with my asking John to talk about how both students and also his teaching have changed over the 30 years he has been at the Jacobs School of Music. Drawing on a wide variety of influences, from his lessons with Bill Adam to an interview with Hall of Fame football player Walter Peyton to John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success, John discusses the problems facing music students in universities today, and how a student can strive to move forward in spite of difficulties and struggles.

In the Bonus Room, Thomas talks about how a voice student can best use his/her time to improve, the concept of singing naturally, aging and the voice, and finally, interpreting different styles of music.