Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2015 Straight Ahead: The Life, Pedagogy, and Influence of Dennis L. Schneider Louie Colton Sperry Eckhardt Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Eckhardt, Louie Colton Sperry, "Straight Ahead: The Life, Pedagogy, and Influence of Dennis L. Schneider" (2015). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1529. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1529 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. STRAIGHT AHEAD: THE LIFE, PEDAGOGY, AND INFLUENCE OF DENNIS L. SCHNEIDER A Monograph Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The College of Music and Dramatic Arts by Louie Colton Sperry Eckhardt B.M., Hastings College, 2005 M.M., The Pennsylvania State University, 2007 May 2015 © Copyright 2015 Louie Colton Sperry Eckhardt All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude for the many mentors to whom I have looked up all these years, especially Dr. Brian Shaw, who has served as an amazing mentor and colleague to me during my tenure at LSU. I have learned so much about the trumpet, music, and life from him, and I’m forever in his debt. He went to bat for me coming back to school in many ways, and I feel like he has been personally, as well as professionally, invested in my success. He has opened a world of new music, new relationships, and new outlooks on life. I would also like to thank Dr. Joseph Skillen for serving on my committee, and for being an enormous inspiration in my life. His guidance has influenced me professionally, musically, and personally. Professor Carlos Riazuelo has been a joy to play under and work with as a conducting teacher. He took me on as a conducting student of his after my minor professor departed from LSU, and it has been an honor to work with him. I also owe a deep debt of gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Daniel Schmidt. He is like a father to me, and my feelings about him are akin to the feelings that so many of Denny Schneider’s students expressed about their teacher. He created the love of music and the love of the trumpet in me, and I’m forever in his debt. Finally, I’m forever grateful for my family, especially my wife Kristen. She has always been my number one fan, and her love, help, and support have kept me going even during the darkest times. She is more important to me than anything, and the sacrifices that she has made for me to complete my doctorate are testament to the love we share. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………… iii LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………………. v ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………vi INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………1 BIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………...4 PEDAGOGY……………………………………………………………………………..41 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………….. 75 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………….. 77 APPENDIX A: TRANSCRIPTS OF SELECTED INTERVIEWS OF FORMER STUDENTS………………………………. 80 APPENDIX B: REFERENCES TO THE WORK OF DENNIS SCHNEIDER IN THE INTERNATIONAL TRUMPET GUILD JOURNAL, 1976-2012……………………………………………265 APPENDIX C: THE PINK SHEET…………………………………………………….270 VITA…………………………………………………………………………………….271 iv LIST OF FIGURES 1. Schneider and Roger Voisin, date unknown………………………………………….. 10 2. Schneider circa 1997………………………………………………………………….. 14 3. Schneider and Laurie Frink in his studio, early 1970s ……………...………………... 19 4. Schneider with Tim Andersen, circa 1981……………………………………………. 32 5. Schneider and the UNL Jazz Ensemble circa 1972…………………………………... 38 6. Allan Cox, Cecelia Norton, Michael Anderson, Elizabeth Hastreiter, and Grant Peters, accepting the ITG Award of Merit on Schneider’s behalf, 2012………………………....................................................................................40 7. Schneider after receiving ITG Award of Merit, 2012………………………………… 40 v ABSTRACT The career of Dennis L. ‘Denny’ Schneider, Professor of Trumpet at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1961-1996, was expansive. From small town Nebraska, Schneider graduated from the University of Nebraska and Indiana University. After serving in the USAF Strategic Air Command Band, and teaching public school music, Schneider began teaching at the University of Nebraska. He served as principal trumpet of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra for decades. Schneider also served as principal trumpet for the Cabrillo Summer Festival Orchestra, and performed and recorded with the Summit Brass. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Nebraska and the International Trumpet Guild Award of Merit. This project examines Schneider’s life, career as a trumpet player, and pedagogy. One of his former students pointed out that “his publications are his students themselves:” evidenced by the large number of successful professional trumpet players and teachers that studied with him. These include Tim Andersen, Michael Anderson, Allan Cox, Laurie Frink, Grant Peters, and Alan Wenger. Through a series of interviews with these and others, themes have been identified in his teaching, which show how he adapted his teaching style to the individual needs of each student. The appendix contains transcripts from the interviews, a listing of references to Schneider’s work in the International Trumpet Guild Journals between 1976 and 2012, and a copy of his infamous “Pink Sheet” trumpet practice routine. vi It is my hope that this project will help to preserve Denny Schneider’s legacy as a master teacher, world class trumpeter, and human being of the highest quality in the trumpet community and greater music world. vii INTRODUCTION The following study attempts to bring more notice to one of the unsung heroes of the music world, Dennis L. Schneider (b. 1931). Schneider taught trumpet at the University of Nebraska from 1961 to 1997. Although Schneider remained largely unpublished, and only left Nebraska for a short time to attend graduate school, he still left a lasting mark on the trumpet world through the number of successful students that he produced. Through them, his legacy has reached many trumpet players and other musicians. As one of his former students pointed out, “His publications are his students themselves.” Through a series of interviews with former students, colleagues, and family members, I have assembled a biography of Schneider’s life and identified recurring themes in his pedagogy. Through his character, artistry, and expert teaching, he inspired and educated at the highest level, and produced students that have become leaders in their field. Some of these students include: Tim Andersen, co-principal trumpet of the Dallas Wind Symphony and founding member of the Dallas Brass; Michael Anderson, Professor of Trumpet at Oklahoma City University; Allan Cox, longtime professor of trumpet at the University of Southern Mississippi and current professor of trumpet at Vanderbilt University; Steven Erickson, former principal trumpet of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra; Laurie Frink, freelance trumpet player in New York City and renowned brass pedagogue; David Hickman, international soloist and Regents Professor of Trumpet at Arizona State University; Lester Monts, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan; Grant Peters, Professor of Trumpet at Missouri State University; and Alan Wenger, Professor of Trumpet the University of Central Missouri. 1 Schneider existed for his students. A seemingly simple man, he engaged a complex system of specific pedagogy applied individually to each student—with students largely unaware of it, by his design. This paper does not attempt to understand his thinking, but instead pieces together his pedagogy and how he applied it, as recalled by his former students. Through a chronological biography, components that ultimately comprise this pedagogy become apparent. How This Study Came to Be On July 13, 2013, Laurie Frink died of cancer. Because much of the trumpet community remained unaware that she had been ill, her death came as somewhat of a shock. In a conversation with other trumpet players (including some of Frink’s former students), someone mentioned being grateful that she had published her methods, as many of the legends were dying and leaving their legacies undocumented. Immediately, I thought of Laurie’s teacher, Denny Schneider, with whom I had studied in college. (My undergraduate trumpet professor, Dan Schmidt, had studied with Denny and sent me to Lincoln for supplemental lessons.) I took approximately fifteen lessons from Schneider between 2000 and 2005, and his warmth, amazing playing, and expert teaching have always been an inspiration to me. I consider him my “trumpet grandpa,” and have always had affection for him. While trying to maintain objectivity in the body of this paper, I share some personal reflections in the conclusion. This project is also timely. Schneider is currently suffering from advanced stage dementia