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The Brass Junkies

The Brass Junkies, hosted by former Boston Brass tuba player Andrew Hitz and a rotating cast of characters, features interviews with the best and brightest brass players in the world. Subject matter includes everything from the serious to the ridiculous, just like the music business.
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Now displaying: August, 2018
Aug 21, 2018

TBJ92: Jason Ayoub, Principal Horn in The US Navy Band on Dallas Brass, playing with Charlie Vernon and meeting a moose

Chief Musician Jason Ayoub is the Principal Horn in the Navy Band and teaches at Towson University.

Chief Musician Jason Ayoub, a native of El Paso, Texas, joined the Navy Band in 2006. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Texas (UNT), where he studied with William Scharnberg. During his final year at UNT, he joined the nationally acclaimed Dallas Brass. For four years he toured extensively with the ensemble throughout the United States and gave more than 300 performances and master classes. He has been a featured clinician and soloist at The Midwest Clinic as well as numerous Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) regional and national conferences.


Ayoub served as third horn with the Waco Symphony from 2001-2003 and third horn with the Delaware Symphony from 2003-2007 and has performed regularly with the Kennett and Baltimore Symphonies. He has also been a guest soloist with the Jackson, Scranton, Louisville and Utah Symphonies. He is featured as the solo horn on Ståle Kleiberg's "Requiem for the Victims of Nazi Persecution", recorded at Washington National Cathedral.

In this fun and lively episode, we cover:

  • How 19 years have passed since Andy, I mean Andrew was in Dallas Brass with Jason
  • Bladder control
  • Navy Band bus seating
  • Dallas Brass
  • Joining the Navy Band in 2006
  • The joys of basic training
  • Studied at North Texas
  • Traveling and playing gigs
  • "I learned a lot from you, even."
  • New Albany Tennessee
  • Best Dallas Brass gigs over the years
  • Hot springs in Alaska
  • Meeting a moose
  • Playing with Charlie Vernon
  • Navy Band audition process
  • Brass player name-dropping
  • American Band College
  • Dan Hostetler
  • Trying to learn drum kit
  • A typical day in the Navy Band
  • Touring with the Navy Band
  • Teaching at Towson State University
  • How he spends his crazy long commute
  • Playing with Tage Larsen
  • Jason's wife with the typical bassoon, ukulele, accordion doubling

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

  • Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
  • Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
  • Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
  • Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

Aug 7, 2018

Canadian Tubist Jarrett McCourt is the Acting Principal Tuba of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Tubist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to this, Jarrett was the Tuba Fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. Jarrett’s playing has been called “magnificent” by the Palm Beach Daily News and “warm, romantic and seamless” by the South Florida Classical Review. Jarrett has performed with a number of different high-level ensembles, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Flint Symphony Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed as Acting Principal Tuba with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Additionally, Jarrett has performed under classical conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Robert Spano, James Gaffigan, Susanna Mälkki and Leonard Slatkin, as well as alongside jazz heavyweights such as Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Bergeron, and Nicholas Payton.

In this fun and lively (and sometimes powerful and moving) conversation, we cover:

  • "Warm, romantic and seamless"
  • Chicago, playing with the Civic Orchestra
  • Moving from Miami and driving from Florida to Illinois
  • Playing with New World Symphony
  • Playing with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
  • Exit interview with NWS CEO, Howard Herring
  • The new concert hall for NWS, live projection of performances on the side of the building
  • The differences in culture between New World and Civic and Winnipeg
  • MTTs advice as a newbie in NWS
  • His suggestions to NWS addressing mental health initiatives
  • Mental health person on staff at U of Michigan School of Music
  • Pressures on professional musicians
  • Working for a suicide hotline for two years as an undergrad
  • Basic self-care tactics (food, sleep, hydration, etc.)
  • Connecting with audiences in more personal and genuine ways
  • Developing coping skills
  • Active listening, acknowledge realistically and offer concrete advice
  • If you suspect something, express something
  • His suggestions for systemic changes in educational and professional environments
  • Help others feel comfortable
  • Noa Kageyama
  • Meditation
  • Personal highlight reel
  • Achievement/Gratitude journaling
  • Baby steps
  • Taking every day as it comes

LINKS:

Want to help the show? Here are some ways:

  • Help others find the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes.
  • Show us some love on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Help us pay the bills (and get regular bonus episodes!) by becoming a Patreon patron.
  • Show some love to our sponsors: The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University and Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
  • Tell your friends!

Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.

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