Ethan Chilton
About
Hey there!! I'm a professional trumpeter in Los Angeles, CA with a Master's Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California. My experience includes touring around the world, playing with some of the most prolific jazz musicians in LA, several recording credits, and composing my own music. I've also taught many local students from age 6 to 26 over the past few years!
My emphasis is in jazz trumpet; I perform regularly in the LA scene with different bands, as well as my own groups. Most recently, as a USC student, I won the 2022 Keep an Eye International Jazz Competition in Amsterdam, NL. I was also a semi-finalist in the National Trumpet Competition in 2020. During my undergraduate studies, I was a Merit Award Winner in YoungArts Los Angeles, chosen to perform with the Telluride All-Stars in Colorado in 2017, and studied abroad in Amsterdam in 2019. I toured the US, Canada, and Europe with rock legend John Fogerty in 2018.
Jazz musicians I've performed with professionally include John Beasley, Remy Le Boeuf, Teri-Lynne Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Sara Gazarek, Mic Gillete, Bob Mintzer, Louis Cole, Logan Kane, Alex Han, Aaron Serfaty, and more. I've performed small-group jazz, big-band jazz, R&B, Afrocuban and Salsa music, rock, rap, and more. Some of my biggest influences on the trumpet include Louis Armstrong, Rafael Mendez, Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, and Ambrose Akinmusire.
I'm also a composer, with two albums out under my name; most recently, "The Planets," featuring nine original pieces for mixed jazz and classical ensembles. I studied composition with multiple-Grammy-winner Vince Mendoza for three years, and received 2nd place in the Irwin Kostal Orchestration Competition in 2020 for my string quartet. I recently performed with a 16-piece ensemble called Novel Utopia at the Troubadour, one of LA's most historic venues, opening for Thumpasaurus and Genevieve Artadi (of the band KNOWER).
Finally, I love to teach! Teaching keeps my mind sharp and lets me continually focus on the fundamentals; you never stop learning, and students always ask the deepest questions. I look forward to meeting you and helping you work on your goals with this incredible instrument.
I'm very flexible to the needs of a wide range of students! I've taught young children, where the focus is on keeping them entertained and creating fun musical games for them. With students in middle school, high school, and above, I tend to focus on music they're playing at school or the music they are interested in learning how to play. I always begin students with the fundamentals of the instrument; how do we make a beautiful sound on the trumpet? How do we use our air? How do we build our range?
For beginners, we will also cover basic music theory and how to read sheet music in the context of real songs (music shouldn't feel like math!!)
Perhaps most importantly, I custom write exercises for every student based on what they're struggling with and work systematically to identify the technical barriers and how to overcome them through a specific practice schedule. At the end of the day, however, music should be fun. I like to end my lessons by sharing a piece of music with students that I've been enjoying lately, or that I think they might enjoy.
-Taught trumpet, piano, sectionals, "Jazz in the Classroom", and "Meet the Instruments" for 3 years at a wide variety of elementary, middle, and high schools in the Los Angeles City School District
-Continue to teach several students in my private studio
This depends on the age and goals of the student. I recommend most beginner students purchase the Rubank Elementary Method for Trumpet (in a physical copy, not a digital version) and more intermediate to advanced students get the Arban's Method for Trumpet. Depending on a student's interests (improvisation, classical, salsa/afrocuban music, etc.), I'll recommend a variety of other books!
However, as mentioned above, I do not have a fixed curriculum. I will write custom exercises for each new student, in addition to the books mentioned above.