Today we’d like to introduce you to Myles Twitty
Hi Myles, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began playing trumpet when I was six years old after my dad, Terry Twitty, brought several instruments home from one of his band classes for me to try. I remember wanting to play the trombone because that’s the instrument my dad plays, but it was too big for me at the time. Naturally, this led me to pick the closest thing to a trombone that could fit into my hands. I mostly played around the house because there was no band program at my school, but once I went to a school where that was available I started to develop my love for making music with others. At this point, it was mostly classical, but that all changed when I went to Walnut Hills High School.
Up until the age of 13, I’d only ever played in concert bands where we primarily studied European Classical music. Even though I loved playing it, there was a sound I was chasing that I couldn’t find in my classical studies. My dad listened to and played all kinds of music when I was growing up, but the two styles that stood out to me the most were Funk and Jazz. When the opportunity arose for me to join my high school’s Jazz ensemble, I jumped at the chance to learn more about the music I’d been hearing for most of my life. At first, it was very intimidating joining this group because I was the youngest and least experienced player in the band, but my love for the music kept me motivated and eventually, with the help of my teachers and mentors, things started to click. I played in the Jazz ensemble through the rest of my time in high school and developed some lifelong friends that I still perform with today.
From there, I attended the University of Cincinnati – College Conservatory of Music (UC-CCM) and graduated with my B.M. in Jazz Studies and a minor in Entrepreneurship in 2022. I’ve also been fortunate to study and/or perform with some of the best musicians in my field including: Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Printup, Carla Cook, Camille Thurman, Bruce Harris, Walter Blanding, Kurt Elling, Marc Cary and others. All of these things have led me to where I am now as a professional musician and educator.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve been more fortunate than many because I grew up in a situation where my dad was a professional musician and music educator. Having constant and immediate access to a professional musician in the field I was pursuing was an invaluable resource that put me in a unique position next to my peers. Although I would never complain about these advantages, I can point out that they were a sort of double-edged sword. Because of these advantages I put tremendous pressure on my self to be great right away which I can now see was not the right way to approach this art form.
When I originally joined my school’s Jazz ensemble, I always felt like I was a let down. Whether it was true or not, I felt like everyone expected me to excel immediately and so every time I missed a note, rhythm or chord change my world began to crumble around me. Even as I developed and improved, there was a stretch of time where I battled with something called “imposter syndrome” where I was worried that I could never live up to the expectations that others had for me and that I had for myself. Thankfully, I’ve more or less moved past these feelings with the help of my mentors and deep self-reflection.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a full-time trumpet player, composer, arranger and bandleader. I respect all genres, but I love and specialize in Jazz. I’ve been leading my own groups in various forms for 4+ years at this point and working as a sideman in other peoples’ bands and projects for even longer. I’m proud to be a bandleader as it has put me on the path I am now, but I’m most proud of my work with students as both a teacher and mentor.
Just as much as playing, teaching is a very important part of my life and is one of the most essential parts of keeping a music scene thriving. I’ve been teaching private trumpet lessons at the Cincinnati Jazz Academy, founded by Dr. Isidore Rudnick, since I started college in 2018. Upon graduating, I became the Assistant Director of this same program. In this role, I have been fortunate enough to work with dozens of students of varying skill levels and see in real time how they develop from week to week. As a mentor, I’ve been able to have some exceptional students play shows with my band while giving them the tools they need to lead their own groups when they’re ready. Mentorship is something that I feel is missing from the Jazz scenes of today. I think that my attempts to undo that trend is something that sets me apart from my peers.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
One of the most effective ways to learn and develop anything is to fail. If used correctly, one failure can teach you a myriad of lessons both within the specific subject and in other aspects of your life. Too often, I see student musicians so afraid of making one mistake that they outright refuse to try. Please encourage young musicians to take every failure as a learning opportunity and to use those lessons to improve themselves and those around them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mylestwittymusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myles.twitty/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070105023349&ref=page_internal
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-lABGFCtHsngn6hV__-Rw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/mylestwittymusic
