Teaching Artist Statement

Music is one of the most incredibly powerful and moving things in the entire world, and above all, I wish for students to enjoy playing and experiencing this wonderful gift. The trombone is merely a means to an end in this regard; yet its rich, powerful, and versatile sound is what particularly draws me to it. My fundamental approach to playing is simple: producing the greatest sound on every note, as easily as possible. I think it is necessary to have the greatest sound that you can possibly make on the trombone in ones head from the very beginning, and to this end, I strive to play as much as possible for and along with students so that they may develop their own ideal sound concept. I couple this with instruction on all the other fundamentals of playing and music making such as scales, rhythms, intonation, and proper proper breathing. But never forget that the goal is to play music with and for others, and that making a statement with the music we play, in a way expressing our deepest emotions, is what this is truly about.

Teaching Bio

Grant currently teaches trombone and low brass lessons at Music Center of the Northwest, privately in the Seattle area, and also coaches young low brass players at a number of schools through the Seattle Youth Symphony's Endangered Instruments Program (EIP). He has lead sectionals and given masterclasses for the Tacoma, Seattle, Cascade, and Bellevue youth symphonies. He has also coached at The People's Music School, a community music school in Chicago. Grant holds a Master of Music degree in trombone performance from Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in trombone performance, as well as a Performer's Certificate, from the Eastman School of Music. His primary teachers have been Michael Mulcahy (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Dr. John Marcellus (Eastman School of Music), David Ritt (Seattle Symphony), and Stan Jeffs.

Performance Bio

In addition to being a music educator, Grant is an active performer and has played with numerous orchestras across the country. He is a regular member of the trombone section of Symphony Tacoma, and has appeared as an extra musician on numerous occasions with the Seattle Symphony and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared with the orchestras of the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet, as well as the Spokane Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Auburn Symphony, Northwest Sinfonietta, West Michigan Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and has been a member of Seattle's Thalia Symphony. Grant is an alumnus of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.