The Art of Trumpet Teaching

Book excerpt: Keith Johnson retired in 2014 from the University of North Texas, where he was Regents Professor of Trumpet and was honored with the Distinguished Teaching Professor award. Acclaimed for his pedagogy, Johnson wrote more than thirty articles, two pedagogical texts, and two method books. During his career, he presented masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa. Johnson’s former students hold positions in universities, orchestras, and military ensembles in over a dozen countries. He would modestly say, “I just pick the right people and they make me look good,” but his students tell a different story. In The Art of Trumpet Teaching, Johnson’s former students from his early years at the University of Northern Iowa to his last student after retirement from the University of North Texas describe his teaching approach and tireless work to help each person succeed. These stories also highlight the warm and humorous side of his nature and provide an insight into what Johnson called “the art of teaching.” Along with Johnson’s biography and studio stories, Leigh Anne Hunsaker presents an extensive collection of pedagogical concepts from Johnson’s six decades of teaching. Also included are some of his later expositions on the value of music in education, motivation, and the idea of “music as metaphor.” Johnson’s hallmark pedagogical tenets, along with much practical advice given to his UNT students, provide a teaching and reference handbook for a new generation of teachers and players.