PEYDEN SHELTON

My teaching is centered on helping students become independent musicians who can think critically, solve problems creatively, and build sustainable careers in a changing profession. While technical development is an essential part of trumpet study, I want students to leave the University of Utah with more than the ability to play the instrument well. They should understand how to prepare efficiently, communicate with colleagues, respond to professional expectations, and make thoughtful artistic decisions without always relying on a teacher for the answer.

Because every student arrives with different strengths, experiences, and goals, I approach teaching as an individualized and collaborative process. In lessons, we work to establish a dependable technical foundation while developing the student’s own musical voice. I encourage students to understand why a particular approach works rather than simply asking them to imitate it. This process requires honest feedback, patience, and a willingness to adapt. It also creates an environment in which students can take artistic risks, learn from setbacks, and recognize their own progress.

My professional work directly informs what happens in the trumpet studio. Performances with the Utah Symphony, Ballet West, chamber ensembles, and commercial recording studios allow me to bring current professional expectations into lessons and studio classes. My solo performances, commissions, recordings, and work with contemporary and electro-acoustic music similarly expose students to the many directions a career in music can take. Students learn orchestral excerpts, solo and chamber repertoire, historical performance practices, recording techniques, and strategies for working with conductors and composers. Just as importantly, we discuss the less visible parts of the profession: preparation, reliability, communication, resilience, and the ability to contribute positively to an ensemble.

A major priority of my teaching has been the continued growth of the University of Utah Trumpet Studio. Through sustained recruitment, outreach, audition preparation, and relationship-building with music educators, I have worked to attract talented students from Utah and beyond. Growth, however, is meaningful only when students feel supported after they arrive. I have therefore worked to create a studio culture in which undergraduate and graduate students learn from one another, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and understand that the success of the studio is a shared responsibility. The involvement of Professor Paul Torrisi, Second Trumpet of the Utah Symphony, further strengthens this environment by giving students access to multiple professional perspectives and approaches to trumpet playing.

I also want students to view performance as a form of research and to understand that they can contribute knowledge to the field. Graduate students regularly participate in collaborative projects involving repertoire, pedagogy, performance practice, and professional preparation. At the 2026 Utah Music Educators Association Conference, five graduate trumpet students joined me in presenting a session on developing a unified trumpet-section sound within middle and high school bands. Through live demonstrations of wind-band excerpts, the students identified common ensemble challenges and presented practical approaches to balance, blend, articulation, and style. Experiences such as this require students to move beyond performing accurately. They must analyze musical problems, explain their ideas clearly, and translate advanced performance knowledge into strategies that educators can immediately use in their classrooms.

Students also benefit from engagement with guest artists, conferences, and professional organizations. Hosting the 2025 International Trumpet Guild Conference at the University of Utah gave our students direct access to internationally recognized performers, teachers, composers, and industry professionals. It also allowed them to participate in a major professional event on their own campus and to see firsthand the preparation, collaboration, and service required to support the trumpet profession. These experiences help students develop professional networks and begin to imagine their own place within the field.

Ultimately, I measure my effectiveness as a teacher by the growth and independence of my students. Their successes may include winning an audition, entering graduate study, presenting at a conference, performing a new work, becoming a music educator, or discovering a professional path they had not previously considered. My responsibility is to provide them with the technical skills, artistic curiosity, professional awareness, and personal confidence needed to pursue those paths. I want every student to leave the University of Utah knowing not only how to perform at a high level, but also how to continue learning, contribute to their communities, and build a meaningful life in music.