Elliot West
About
I performed in the Rose Bowl Parade multiple times and toured nationwide for two years as a trumpet soloist for the Santa Clara Vanguard. I've participated with many different groups ranging from rock bands to church choirs and concert orchestras. I played principal trumpet and sang solos for several years with Mariachi Cielo Azul, and I now specialize in jazz and music education. I've served as the lead music instructor in a performing arts studio for multiple years now, and several of my former students have earned advanced music degrees and are engaged in full-time music careers. My former students have ranged in age all the way from 5 to 68.
Teaching Style
I work with students using musical language appropriate for their skill level and age. I start by identifying their prior musical knowledge and abilities, and then teach from there according to their interests. Regardless of instrument or genre, I meet students at their current skill level and then provide guidance to further develop their instrumental proficiency and ear-training. I find ways to help develop these skills no matter what the student's musical interests are. We work together to set and meet specific goals of interest to the student.
Curriculum
Guitar: The New Complete Guitarist Revised Edition (Richard Chapman)
Piano: Faber Series, Alfred Series
Trumpet: Essential Elements for Band, B-flat Trumpet Book 1 (published by Hal Leonard), Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet
Vocals: The Contemporary Singer 2nd Edition Elements of Vocal Technique (Anne Peckham)
Credentials & Affiliations
I earned placements as a Texas All-State musician in 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A classifications throughout high school. I was awarded first chair in the Texas All-State trumpet competition during my sophomore year. The next year, I was also named the Distinguished Soloist at Texas All-State Solo and Ensemble.
While studying at The University of Texas at Austin, I performed as lead trumpet and trumpet soloist for The Santa Clara Vanguard in venues including The Rose Bowl Parade, Stanford University, the Alamo Dome, the Georgia Dome, MetLife Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, and more. Several of these performances were broadcast internationally. I toured cross-country with The Santa Clara Vanguard in 2015 and 2017, culminating with a silver medal at the Drum Corps International World Championships in Indianapolis. I also co-founded and performed with Mariachi Cielo Azul around central Texas, in venues such as the Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Butler School of Music, the Austin Book Festival, among others. In Mariachi Cielo Azul, I learned to hone my voice and went on to perform vocal solos for traditional Mexican folk music in addition to playing trumpet.
Since moving from Austin, I have become the lead music instructor at New Creations Dance and Performing Arts Studio in Palestine, TX. Although trumpet is my primary instrument, I have also developed my skills in jazz and solo improvisation on a variety of instruments including piano, drum kit, and vocals. I can play along to anything by ear alone, although I'm also fluent in music theory and sight-reading.
Some of my former lesson students became Texas All-State musicians themselves in high school. One former student of mine is pursuing his master’s degree in trumpet performance at West Texas A&M and another became a full-time music director after graduating with his bachelor’s in music education. Several of the students I worked with have gone on to perform gigs, teach their own music lessons, or produce their own music. I continue to teach music and perform on a regular basis, and some of my current music students are preparing for their first public performances through our community orchestra.