Friday, June 1 - 5:00 p.m.

(photos below)

A large crowd gathered to hear the latest information from custom trumpet maker David Monette about his new innovations in instrument design and manufacture. Following the traditional ITG trumpet ensemble prelude by students from Drake University, Phil Snedecor introduced another trumpet ensemble playing one of his own compositions, Fanfare for David. Performing with Snedecor were fellow Monette players Charles Schlueter, Manny Laureano, and Patrick Hession, who wowed the audience with his white hot lead playing.

Dave Monette took the stage to welcome the audience and narrate a 45-minute multimedia presentation on "what we make, how we make it, and why." Beginning with mouthpieces, Monette explained how computer technology has revolutionized all aspects of manufacturing at his workshop. With the capability to reproduce precise measurements with astounding accuracy, more subtle customizations are now possible. To demonstrate these changes, the video showed trumpeter Adam Rapa playing identical passages three times, using a different Monette mouthpiece each time (lead, medium, and Flumpet-cup) with noticeable changes in sound. Another new concept is the graduated reduction in shank size for smaller trumpets to reduce gaps in the leadpipe receiver.

Monette trumpets are always custom built. The process begins with a lengthy consultation in person or on the phone (10 - 20 hours) including a questionnaire regarding each individual's personal preferences. Monette described his approach as reducing stress in the horn which then produces "a happier horn and a happier player," in other words, "the better the horn fits together, the better it plays." He then went on to detail how this approach is applied to all of the different components of the trumpet, beginning with the valve section.

After inviting those present to view information on specific trumpets on his web site (www.monette.net), he discussed them individually and showed a video of Manny Laureano playing the same passage on six different trumpets of varying weights to demonstrate the differences. Monette also discussed how his experiences with yoga and the Alexander Technique influenced his work; he detailed the importance of setting a constant pitch center on his instruments. The session ended with a survey of Monette's career and a gallery of some of his beautifully engraved presentation instruments.