Over the past thirty years jazz trumpeter & bass trumpeter Rich Willey has been a clinician/guest artist many times in several of these United States.
Some of the topics he can address with your students include brass embouchure troubleshooting, arranging, music notation/copywork, jazz combo work and thriving as a musician in the 21st century.
Rich also conducts Finale notation and music engraving workshops. He designed and taught a course in just that at UNC-Asheville, NC.
As a motivational speaker, he can help inspire students to work hard and enjoy the fruits of hard work and clean living. Any of his 30+ books can also be the center of a masterclass — the possibilities are endless.
Reviews and posts about Rich Willey as Clinician and/or Guest Artist
From Northern Brass Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, August 9–10, 2002.
“Rich Willey, a fine trumpet player and Maynard Ferguson Band Alumni Member, was one of the featured consultants at the clinic. He conducted sessions with players in attendance with regard to big band techniques and bebop configurations.
“Of special interest were his publications on sale at the clinic. A new book “Home Cookin’ fer Young ‘Uns” is a 2002 offering that features 24 dixie-jazz duets. Rich has taken some popular jazz tunes and used the chord structures to create the duets in the books. And to help players get a grasp on how to relate chord symbols with written notes, those chord symbols are clearly indicated within the duets. To me, that is a wonderful way to learn improvisation techniques.
“Another set of books is Rich’s “I’d Rather Be Boppin’” publications. They are structured similarly to the books described above, but there are three different volumes for this Boppin’ series.
“I had fun playing some of the duets with Rich and Bill Mirrielees, one of the co-hosts of the clinic.
“If you want a fun way to teach chords, reading, and improvisation for yourself and/or students, you might consider looking into these materials.” — Lex Grantham, trumpeter
“Rich Willey was a great addition to the Clinic. I learned a lot, in just a couple of sessions with Rich. His approach to jazz improvisation is one that has finally put me on track. Coming from a classical background, it’s not as easy to learn improvisation. I do believe that a lot of it is feel, but having the right tools to get there is really
important. Rich has an open invitation to participate any time, with my Clinics.” — Bruce Lee, Northern Brass, trumpeter
“Thanks, Rich, for doing a masterful job with these books. Your assistance, personality and skill at the clinic were top-notch. Sincerely, your new friend and supporter,” — Tom Turner, trumpeter
“Rich’s clinic was fantastic. Tons of fundamental advice presented extremely well. He is s wonderful messenger. For an hour and a half, he had the total attention of 35 of us. He then gave up his break time following the group session to give individual attention to students. He also left us some great routines that my students (and me) will be using. If you have any chop issues and live in NC (even if you don’t) go see Rich Willey. He is an excellent teacher.” — Pricilla King (trumpeter, instructor at PiCK Music, York, PA)
“Both the chops and improvisation sessions were great. Rich did an amazing job of taking a group with an extremely wide range of experience (beginners to very advanced players) and creating an environment where all learned. I would highly recommend other groups getting Rich in for a workshop.” — Kent J. (trumpeter, PiCK Music clinic)
“Rich Willey is a true ‘chop doc’ pointing out problems, rather than preaching the same song and dance that we hear from many other teachers.” — Willard Gray (trumpeter, New Orleans, LA)