The Musical Trequartista

Adrian B. Sims is an accomplished composer, conductor, educator, and trombonist. His music has been performed at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, new music reading sessions across the country, and include selections on the Bandworld Top 100 List. Many of his pieces appear on the J.W. Pepper Editor’s Choice List. Adrian's works have won the Maryland Music Educators Association Young Compo...

Joe Jaxson is a composer whose music challenges the familiar and connects with his audience while pursuing versatility in writing in numerous styles and genres ranging from Contemporary Classical to Cinematic Screen Scoring. Recent premieres include “Within the Flux” (2023) for Sax Quartet and Percussion, “Treeflowers” (2023) performed by the Sandbox Percussion Quartet, “Persevering” (2022) for Ch...

Quinn Mason is a composer and conductor of Western Art Music. He has received numerous awards and honors from such organizations as the American Composers Forum, Voices of Change, Texas A&M University, ASCAP, the Dallas Foundation, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, National Flute Association, International Clarinet Association, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, the Philadelphia Yout...

Brian Meixner is an active euphonium soloist, conductor, and educator, currently Associate Professor of Music at High Point University where he serves as the Director of Instrumental Studies, Director of Bands, teaches studio low brass, and conducts the HPU Community Orchestra and HPU Brass Ensemble. Brian is the Founder, Music Director, and President of the North Carolina Brass Band, has held the...

The Euphonium Ambassador Adam Frey travels the globe sharing his talents as a performer and advocate for live music where he solos with orchestras and bands the world over. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Adam Frey received his musical training at the University of Georgia, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the University of Salford. Adam has more than one hundred and twenty works that h...

Dr. Mike Vecchio is a lecturer of Music Education at the University of Illinois. While completing his doctorate at University of Michigan, he taught and assisted with courses throughout the undergraduate music education curriculum, pursued a cognate in wind conducting, and served as the assistant conductor of the Michigan Youth Symphonic Band and the University of Michigan Band Alumni Association...

Hiram Diaz is an educator euphonium player, bandsman, and multi-instrumentalist with the President's Own United States Marine Band. A second generation Cuban American, he grew up in Miami, surrounded by rich expressions of Latin-American art. He studied at Miami’s New World School of the Arts, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the University of North Texas. He also pe...

Dr. Chris Dickey has earned a reputation as a performer, teacher, and adjudicator throughout the United States, South America, and Asia. Currently, they are Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium in the Washington State University School of Music. Dr. Dickey has received the WSU President’s Distinguished Teaching Award, a system-wide award given annually to a faculty member who epitomizes the h...

Dr. Gail Robertson has a distinguished reputation as a euphonium artist and teacher, soloist, and clinician. She has also garnered worldwide attention for leadership, her work as composer/arranger, and as a musical talent. Robertson serves as Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Central Arkansas. She is the former head of the jazz area where she coordinated jazz events an...

Lance LaDuke is an internationally known educator, writer, speaker and performer who teaches at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Lance is a former member of international touring quintet Boston Brass, the United States Air Force Band in Washington DC, the Brass BAnd of Battle Creek, and the River City Brass Band—the only full time professional brass band in the country. He contributed...

In this episode I talk about what I've been up to this summer, what I've learned, some things it made me think about, and why there weren't any episodes in August. 

The phrase "Lead by example" has been corporatized, marked, and perverted into a cliche that people put on resumes because they think it will help them fit in in the business world. In reality it is one of the most important, difficult, humble, and brave things you can pursue.  In this episode I reflect on what it takes to be the change that you want to see, where to look for inspiration, and...

Doctor Brendan Ige, a native of Pearl City, Hawaii, is the instructor of tuba and euphonium at Eastern Michigan University's School of Music & Dance. Brendan earned his master’s degrees in tuba performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, and his undergraduate degree at Bowling Green State University. Brendan performs regularly on tuba and euphonium, composes, and teaches low...

As I assessed my commitments going into this summer I made the critical error of assuming I had more time than I did--or rather that I could do more in less time. It's funny, but it all comes back to priorities. Just because you have a goal doesn't mean you have the bandwidth to start right now. What would it look like to really take things one step at a time? Can being so focused on taking one st...

This last weekend I attended the Midwest Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference at University of Kentucky in Lexington. It was one of the best conferences I've ever been to! I met so many incredible musicians, reconnected with some friends, and made a load of new ones. The recitals and masterclasses were of the highest calibre and consistency I've ever seen at a tuba conference. It was sensational...

On May 1st 2022 I said some tearful goodbyes to an immense teacher and a number of amazing colleagues. Before our final concert together I reflected on the power of one of my favorite composers, and how, when he passed away in 2017, I wasn't capable of grieving in an emotionally accessible way, but this performance allowed me a second chance. In this episode I reflect on the power of emotional con...

On March 14th I sustained a sports injury that would have hospitalized most people. When I recorded this episode just 16 days later, I'm almost back to 100% fitness with no pain and minimal discomfort. In this episode I reflect on the context of my injury, explore the anatomy and physiology of injury recovery, break down the factors that led to my fast recovery, explain how these pillars contribut...

Taking Care of Yourself is Underrated In order to develop true relentless progression, it is essential that we invest the entirety of ourselves into to the project/process. This is impossible if we don’t take care of ourselves. If you neglect care for the mechanism you should expect diminishing returns. It doesn’t matter if it’s your car, your kitchen knives, your instrument, or—especially—your bo...

Taking projects one at a time is underrated. Living in a “go, go, go“ mentality is taxing, and it’s important to make sure our output is sustainable when we want it to be. What does that look like? How can we implement that? What does a relentless lifestyle feel like? Ironically, literally taking one thing at a time isn’t always the case. In this episode Andrew discusses how taking projects one at...

Sustainability is Underrated. There’s a problem with the implementation of the “New year, New me“ philosophy. Almost everything about it is based around a quick fix. The unfortunate truth is that anything you hope to achieve and then maintain only comes after a long journey, but when you make that commitment to sustained change, you can watch your life flourish before your eyes. This episode serve...

The Musical Trequartista is Changing! After some serious reflection I've realized that I'm not happy with where the Podcast is at. It just has too much of a "let me tell you how much I know" feeling rather than being an avenue for me to share the things about the universe that fascinate me, so there are changes coming. I'm planning to do more interviews, interview reflections, overviews of the pro...

Seasonal Affective Disorder is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “a type of depression that is related to changes in the seasons and begins and ends around the same time every year—typically in the fall and winter months,” and it impacts the lives of millions of people every year. Studies of S.A.D. has indicated that much of its impact comes from the disruption of our social and biological rhythms as...

Starting on a new journey in our lives can be frustrating. Often we get so much information before we start—or not enough—and get frustrated because things seem impossible because we have too much or too little understanding of them without realistic expectations. Sustainable practice is what will carry you to the promised land of “good.“ It isn't so much about prating for hours and hours a day, b...

On October 17th I ran the Des Plaines River Marathon. This journey was at times depressing and others exhilarating. After running 22 half marathons in 22 weeks during the summer of 2020 I was sidelined with a hamstring strain that kept me out of commission for six weeks. After finishing my time at physical therapy, I was back to half marathon fitness—in an infinitely more sustainable way—after jus...

Hydration is one of the most important factors in elite level performance--because H2O is essential to life on Earth! An optimally hydrated mind is more agile and an optimally hydrated body is more capable of performing at its best with ease. Your hydration level effects everything from your mood, to your attention, to your gross and fine level motor execution. In this entry Andrew adds to the fir...