Trumpet Player James Justice of
Jacksonville, Florida

Trumpet Player James Justice of Jacksonville, Florida actually grew up in Hudson Florida. James started playing the trumpet in the sixth grade at Hudson Middle School, under the direction of Mr. John Keon. At Hudson Middle, James was a member of the Jazz Ensemble, which performed over 40 public concerts per year, including the Down Beat Jazz Festival and Walt Disney World. Mr. Keon and this program ultimately provided James with an early interest in music, particularly jazz. James attended Ridgewood High School and was in the band under the direction of Mr. Dean Donataccio. Here, James continued to perform in the jazz, concert and marching bands. As a high school student, James became a member of the North End Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Patrick Mc Dermott. This community based group was comprised of exceptional high school and college students from around Florida. With this group, James had the privilege of performing all over the state of Florida, including the Lakeside Jazz Festival in Port Orange. Here, James was awarded the lead trumpet position in the honors band two years consecutively. With this group, James also had the privilege of recording two-Full Length CDs.

During his time with this group, James was exposed to many trumpet influences, but one of the most prominent for James was the Legendary Maynard Ferguson. Listening to Maynard play on recordings with Stan Kenton, like his feature piece called "Maynard Ferguson" completely changed the way James viewed and approached the trumpet. From that time on, James was determined to learn how to play proficiently in the upper register.

At this time, James began working with several method books and playing along with recordings of both Maynard and Doc Severinsen. James spent hours playing along with the CDs and attempting to match the sounds of these two great trumpet players. At first it was of course a terrible noise, but to everyone�s surprise, James returned to band camp his senior year of High school with solid command of a double C. For the remainder of his days in high school, James was featured with Ridgewood as well as North End on tunes from the Maynard Ferguson Library, such as Blue Birdland and MacArthur Park.

The next greatest expansion of James playing was during college at The University of North Florida in Jacksonville. James studied with Professors J.B Scott and Dr. Randall Tinnin. As the lead trumpet player for UNFs Jazz Ensemble One, James was able to learn from outstanding faculty members, but also from a plethora of guest artists. James was able to take the skill of high note trumpet playing and couple it with an understanding of lead trumpet styling, articulation and approach. In effect, James education at the University of North Florida refined his chops and made them a useable commodity. It was at the University of North Florida that James was able to learn from and share a stage with performers such as: Doc Severinsen, Diane Schuur, Chris Vadala, Tim Hagans, Dan Miller, Ernie Watts, Ed Calle, Jimmy Cobb, John Pizzarelli, Dave Douglas, and Maria Schneider. While a student at The University of North Florida in Jacksonville, assisted in the coordination of the Great American Jazz Series. Throughout his career, James has performed with the Northend Jazz Ensemble, the Lakeland Jazz Ensemble, the Seebring Jazz Ensemble and the River City Jazz Ensemble. In 2004-2005, James performed for The Walt Disney Corporation in the Magic Kingdom, serving in a lead and solo capacity in addition to holding the position of student leader. Following work for Disney, James was asked to lead an Ensemble for Movie Park, in Bottrop, Germany. In 2009, James received a B.A. in Music Performance and Art History under the study of professors J.B. Scott and Dr. Randall Tinnin at The University of North Florida. In addition to an active performing commitment, James has maintained a firm hand in Floridas Educational System as an instructor to schools in Duval, Pasco, and Hillsborough Countys. As both a private trumpet instructor and teacher at the secondary level, James aims to provide students with an enriching background of knowledge to help them better succeed in the their endeavors as young musicians. In 2008, James participated in The Great American Teach as a guest speaker and clinician.

Trumpet Player James Justice of Jacksonville, Florida primarily taught himself how to succeed in the upper register of the trumpet with trial and error and the help of several method books. Exploring the Trumpets Upper Register, by Jay Zorn and A New Approach to Altissimo Trumpet Playing, by John Lynch were two books James used. James states, "My foundation for proper technique should be attributed to many hours with a copy of Arbans Complete Conservatory Method and my earliest trumpet instructor, Mark Fenderson. Without this solid starting point it is unlikely I would have had the stability needed to delve into the more extreme reaches of the trumpet in the way that I have. Dan Miller has provided me with a wealth of information on proper breathing, which can make all the difference. Personally, in my teaching ... I believe in developing or even over developing the chops and creating that solid foundation to build upon. From here, anything is possible if you have a clear idea of the direction that you would like to go in. I believe and have always believed that exercises and warm ups are a very personal thing. I have a variety of things that work well for me and make me comfortable, but this is not necessarily the direction I would send someone else in. With my students, I recommend things that I feel will help to solve issues that they are personally having, in the same manner I would for myself. Everyone is different.