Staff Spotlight: David Thal
What's your main instrument & why?
Trumpet. Not only is it the voice of the brass section but it can fit into basically any genre of music. I’ve had the opportunity to play trumpet in classical, funk, rock, worship, and even rock contexts which is pretty neat.
What's your musical origin story? What lit the spark for you?
When I was a kid I tried the classic beginning instruments (i.e. piano, violin, etc) and liked the music just fine, until one day I saw the competitive marching band perform at my local high school and it blew my mind.
When I started middle school I knew I wanted to do band because you see, I am a big nerd. I was originally going to do percussion but there was a scheduling conflict so I begrudgingly agreed to do the beginning brass class and yada yada yada now I have a degree in trumpet. I wouldn’t say I chose to do music, I just really like band so I just kept doing it.
Can you share a good gig story?
Playing at Halfway to Everywhere festival was a blast. The show was great and the crowd was electric but also the festival fed us delicious Mexican cuisine.
What drew you to the Music House team?
I love the creative approach Music House takes to teaching and it’s a whole lot of good folks. When the window opened to teach here I jumped on it.
Tell us about your practice routine and share some practice tips.
It’s all about the sound, baby. If you’re practicing for 5 minutes or 3 hours, the reps only count if you’re making good sounds with good technique. It’s why no matter how long I’m practicing for, I make warming up properly a priority.
Also, listen to recordings. It’s the equivalent of your science teacher posting the answers to the test on YouTube.
Listen to David talk a little more about his approach to music and teaching:
