Katie Emily

I am a trumpet teacher with 10 years of education experience and students of all ages. I have been playing trumpet for over 17 years and specialize in teaching advanced technique, improvisation, and music theory. My first love will always be jazz, but I also enjoy playing pop, R&B/soul, and classical trumpet pieces.

I was self-taught for two years and then took advanced classical trumpet lessons at W.O. Smith Music School, which afforded me the opportunity to perform with the opening act for Lady A at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. I studied at the Nashville Jazz Workshop for three years and was accepted into Vanderbilt Blair School of Music's Pre-College Program at the age of 14. I auditioned for MTSBOA as a 9th grader and was honored to be ranked #1 out of 163 other middle and high school trumpet players in the Middle Tennessee area.

I have been blessed to study with some of the best trumpet teachers in the world, including Chris Botti and Ingrid Jensen, and I love passing on their advice, tips, and technique secrets to my students.

I hold an Associate's Degree in General Studies from Volunteer State Community College. I hope to enroll in a bachelor's degree program within the year!

My teaching style centers on communication and student goals. I always have more than one way to explain something! If a student struggles mentally or physically with an initial idea or technique, I employ metaphors or analogies to aid their understanding. We will work together until it is easy!

I also place a lot of importance on understanding music theory and song structure, always related to the student's current goals and skill level. Students need to know why things work, not just that they do work. For example, I may teach major and minor scale formulas to advance their understanding of scales. If the student has a greater conceptual knowledge of something, they will remember it easily. 

Depending on the student's goals and abilities, I like to incorporate three ideas throughout the lesson: what is easily achievable that day for the student, taking time to go over homework or questions for the week, and introducing something new. This way, the student isn't overwhelmed by too much new information but is continually pushed to greater understanding and ability.