The trumpet, along with the French horn, trombone, tuba, and baritone, is classified as a brass instrument. The trumpet can be found in orchestras, bands, marching bands, jazz ensembles, and Mariachi bands, unlike some other musical instruments that have very specific ensemble identifications. A trumpet teacher is someone who has had enough experience playing the trumpet and has a good enough understanding of music pedagogy to be able to teach others how to play the trumpet.
A trumpet teacher may work primarily as a music teacher or as a performer, teaching group lessons in a school, private lessons at school or at home, or a combination of the two. Trumpet instructors can be elementary or secondary school teachers, college professors, or members of symphony orchestras, military bands, or other musical ensembles. They could also work in a completely different field while also teaching trumpet.
A beginner trumpet teacher will frequently use a set of published materials to introduce the student to both music theory and trumpet playing. This is true regardless of the age of the new player. Companies like Alfred Publishing, Hal Leonard Corp., and Neil A Kjos Music Company publish materials for young beginners. Carl Fischer Music publishes Arban’s, an instructional method for older students. Mel Bay is another trumpet method book publisher. Many of these instructional materials are labeled with the names of both instruments and are designed to work seamlessly for a Cornet in B-flat.
There are some aspects of trumpet playing that must be mastered and executed with precision. Assembling, disassembling, and cleaning the trumpet, as well as the proper trumpet embouchure, holding the instrument, and fingering are all things that a trumpet teacher will teach a beginning student. A trumpet teacher in a school setting will also begin early work on ensemble skills, assisting students in learning to listen to one another and play in unison.
Reading music is something that any beginning instrumental teacher, including a trumpet teacher, will have to deal with on a regular basis. Because trumpet music is written in the treble clef, instruction will most likely focus on that. Because students are learning on a B-flat trumpet, music for beginners will be prepared in keys that are simple to play with the trumpet’s transposition. Other trumpets in the keys of C, D, and E-flat are available, but they are usually not introduced until a student has mastered the B-flat trumpet, and even then only if there is a specific reason for the student to know them.