Kathleen Black, Canandaigua Academy
By: Maureen McGuire
Updated: June 14, 2011
Kathleen's been playing trumpet since she was 8 years old. She thought it would be easy. It turned out to be a beautiful challenge. Why? "Well, there's probably a million different things you have to do at the same time, but it's just creating a buzzing with your lips inside the mouthpiece and there's articulation with your tongue. Every time you push down a valve it changes the setup in between, the air flows through different pipes and creates different pitches."
Kathleen takes part in everything from the school concert band to the wind ensemble. She's taken private lessons from some of the best local trumpeters around. Her teachers love to hear her play. Greg Kane says, "She's very mindful. She doesn't just play and throw something out there. She plays and what comes out of her instrument is what she intends to have come out of her instrument, which makes her an outstanding ensemble player and a really exceptional soloist as well. She tells the instrument what she wants to do."
Kathleen is well on her way to becoming a pro. Classical trumpet is her calling.


