Matthew Burrows - Trombone he/him/his In the Boston Area performing and teaching trombone all the way to Seventh position and back!

Find out more about Matt

• When did you first develop a passion for music and your favorite instrument?

  I started out when I was 3 years old in church and other choirs throughout the Chicagoland area. I took piano and voice lessons, quickly dropping piano lessons in 4th grade where I started with Tuba. Eventually, my band director asked for a person with large lungs to play baritone which transitioned to euphonium. In high school, I first picked up a trombone over a camping weekend for jazz auditions the following Monday. I continued playing euphonium and trombone together until my junior year of high school when I decided I wanted to know music and how to become an expert in it. I decided to do trombone at that time due to it being more 'fun" and more versatile than the euphonium. At the University of Iowa, I studied trombone performance, communications minor, and arts entrepreneurship. Being so "green" still at the trombone, I spent hours practicing fundamentals and stayed an extra semester but I have graduated and perform on both euphonium and trombone today in the Army Band Reserves band 484 (currently) and I am working on lots of projects. One of those projects is my Didgeridoo initiative, I aim to advance curing sleep apnea through the didgeridoo and its characteristic technique of circular breathing. I am working with sleep apnea experts to gain new students to help. Music at the end of the day is communication. When you do not have the words to say, you can play it or feel it while playing.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Well, to be honest as a musician it is quite hard to pick just one type or one artist. But as a certified trombone nerd...I am part of trombone-focused Facebook groups, and I can never tire of hearing Jorgen van Rijen play the trombone. For modern rap, Dax gets all his emotions out in a clear and concise way that has very cool instrumentals and the last one is bass voices singing like Tim Foust or Geoff Castellucci.

• Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  All of my students know that they need to understand the theory behind the music they play and I come with an expectation of knowing what every word on a page means. Because of this, I believe that learning for the first time how to read music is one of the most rewarding lessons to teach because every time there is a "lightbulb moment." I like equipping my students with the tools they need to be successful in order to become proud of what they are playing/doing.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  I truly believe every instrument has its own challenges. However having said that, my hands are quite large and I am unable to play any string instrument thus far. I love the cello and upright bass but I just cannot seem to do anything with them. it baffles me and I am always very impressed. The following link is a piece I wrote for cello and didgeridoo.

• What are your keys to success?

  My keys to success are simple: Focus on S.I.P., be nice to others, show up on time, and always do your best. Sometimes it is not 100% but I will always give 100% of what I have for that moment. S.I.P refers to focusing not on negatives or what you are doing wrong, it is a concept of focusing on successes, impedances to those successes, and proficiency being the ultimate goal all around. proficiency is the goal because once you are proficient, you do not stand out negatively ever. Then, you develop your 'successes" more and more to create distinction from others.

• Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favorite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Well, fun fact but I am also a trained mixologist so I would want to meet LP Paylor O'Brien who was the winner of S1 Ultimate drinks master to pick her brain and try one of her drinks. I closed a bar down with Jorgen at the International Trombone Festival a while back, and would definitely do it again. Lastly, I would like to meet Jacob Collier because of how cool his music always is. I want to just chat, jam, and see what happens all while sipping on a NY Whiskey Sour.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  I forgot my time for juries in my 3rd year at school. I was not late, however, I used my resources (studio mates) and cobbled together an ensemble of ill-fitting recital attire. From now on, I always have a way to make an outfit performable/have an extra outfit and I live by my calendar - color codes and all.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I think the number one thing is I customize everything to my students and really do my best to learn their style of learning. Another thing is that I write out music, warm-ups, worksheets, etc for my students. In addition, I stay overtime without charging extra if a student really is into what we are learning because that is so awesome. Lastly, for every three lessons I teach, that I store lessons away in a "bank" of free lessons for those passionate but unable to fund their lessons themselves because I believe privilege does not own music.