Erik MartinezENG-101Modest-Trumpet PlayerIf one were to go to a symphonic concert, she/he would see a variety of characters being portrayed amongst the instruments-the civilized and proper woodwinds, the uniform violinist and violists, the emotional cellists, he jokers, the french horns and trombones. And aside from the confident conductor, one would most likely see the confident and arrogant trumpet players, walking with the most prideful march. Trumpet players have the reputation of being the most egotistical players out there. Thankfully, Id like to say I am a trumpet player who isnt arrogant or egotistical. I can be a confident trumpet player and musician without fitting the trumpet player stereotype.Throughout my short musical career, Ive met a countless number of cocky trumpet players. I thought all trumpet players were like that. To me the only modest trumpet players were really good jazz trumpet players. There was always a trumpet player who was one of my classmates. His name was Brandon, and he fit this stereotype very well. He found it necessary to put me down whenever I was playing. Even if I was playing correctly, he would point something wrong. Ill admit, at the time he was superior than I ever thought I would be, and therefore I decided to listen to his advice. Little did he know he was helping me surpass him. The way he treated me made me very angry. Thats the only reason I decided to practice and get better on trumpet. When I finally surpassed him, I never gloated, however, life has a way of doing it on its own. Freshman would come up to me and ask for advice and tell me I was the best trumpet player at Badger, my high school. I would thank them for the compliment but tell them hard work pays off and they could easily surpass me. It felt good to receive those death glares from my classmate, not because I was better, but because it was that very attitude that motivated me and wanted to prove to others that you could be a trumpet player without being cocky. Thankfully the world isnt filled with cocky trumpet players. Ive had the opportunity to play with some laid back trumpet players. Theres a cool cat in Milwaukee whos currently a junior in high school, but at the time a freshman going into his sophomore year, who could easily play better than me any day. His name is Travis Drow. He has some iron chops, yet he never made anyone feel inferior to him on purpose. He would always give advice to anyone who asked for it. He would say it in such a friendly way that made you thirsted for more. He was confident in his playing but knew if he wanted to learn he had to open up to everyone, which brings me to my next point.Because trumpet players are extremely confident, it makes it hard for them to listen to anyone else. They think they cant learn from anybody; but themselves and the most talented musicians. The irony is that the best musicians always tell students that they can learn from anybody. This goes back to my earlier story in which my classmate was giving me a hard time, I know that if I wanted to get better, I would have to listen to everything that anyone especially anything someone better than me, would tell me. Sadly, even after I surpassed him, he never listened to a word I would tell him. I tried to give him constructive criticism, but it would only make him mad. To make things worse, my band director would tell me to give him a few lessons to further help him to develop. It wasnt meant as an insult, but he thought I was mocking him, and that only made him dislike me even more. This continued for three years. Thankfully last year he decided to finally listen to me, and he ended up getting a lot better, and was able to play some music better than me. Although, hell never admit it, I know I was able to give him some advice. He continued to listen to me but gave me terrible attitude. I still continue to listen to any advice anyone gives me because I know it will only make me better. Thats a lesson I learned from Travis. I knew he understood this concept and it was a reason for his success. The way he listened to me whenever I had something to say not only made me feel important, but he would try to dissect every word and learn something new. I still struggle with that because, ironically, I worry too much about trying to improve. A reason trumpet players dont listen to others advice is simply because trumpet players can be extremely rude and obnoxious.I think Ive seen some of the most absurd trumpet payers. Ive seen some trumpet players who are plain disgusting and others who dont respect other musicians, and even one trumpet player who didnt respect our director. My freshman year, my section leader, Robert, was the definition of disgusting. He would belch as loud as he would play his trumpet. He would fart in class and he would shove classmates to his armpits so they would get a whiff of his horrific body odor. This showed me that he had no respect for the environment of the band and his classmates. He was a bully and thought he could get away with it because he was better than all of us and because of it we had to listen to him. I also got to know a trumpet player by the name of Amanda. She had so much talent. Sadly, if the director ever said something she didnt like she would scream at him. She would tell him how stupid things were and didnt respect anything he would say. She would yell at him for being stupid because she showed no respect for him, and because of this attitude, I know she wont get far in her career, and she taught me that I have to respect everyone in order to become the trumpet player I want to become.Theres no doubt I want to be the very best trumpet player ever; however, Ive learned that there are some important steps I have to take. First I have to learn to be modest at all times and never let myself get a head. Next, I have to learn that I can learn from anyone. It doesnt matter if they are better or worse than me. I can learn anything from anyone. Finally, I have to respect all my peers and those above me. I cant argue with anyone simply because I disagree. I understand that I can be a confident player without fitting the stereotype of being a cocky trumpet player.