Axiom Brass wins Prize at the 6th Jeju City International Brass Competition in South Korea.

On August 20th the Axiom Brass was awarded Second Prize at the 6th Jeju City International Brass Competition on Jeju Island, South Korea, becoming the first American ensemble to win an award in the 10 years since the competition was established. This win comes just weeks after Axiom became the first ensemble to capture the Fischoff Educators Award. The Jeju City Brass Competition is the largest one of its kind, involving more than 200 competitors from 16 different countries.

The Music Institute of Chicago and the Axiom Brass are please to announce their new summer chamber music program for brass players.

Students will participate in daily brass choir rehearsals, brass quintet coachings, masterclasses, and technique classes with the Axiom Brass, an Ensemble-in-Residence at the Music Institute of Chicago. The Academy will feature exciting masterclasses such as “It is in the Air”, “Bring Your Best to the Stage”, and “The Art of Practicing”. These classes will provide invaluable skills, including organizing, planning, and executing practice techniques, overcoming performance anxiety, and bringing music to life. This fun and intensive one-week course will also explore individual brass techniques, solo ensemble repertoire, all-state audition preparation, and musicianship skills.

Organize your practicing! Before you pick up your instrument, write down your goals for that specific practicing session. Try to be as clear as possible with what you want to accomplish. After you decide what you want, plan how to achieve these goals. For instance, if you are working on a solo, before you start practicing the solo for the day, figure out what sections need your attention, and what kind of work they need. Finally, map out the way to best work on these sections. Don't forget to be very patient while you are executing your plan. As Vincent DiMartino once told me, there are two Ps for successful practicing. Planning and Patience.