The Musician

The Musician

First Chair

I never wanted to be good. I wanted to be first.

The trumpet is where I first met my ear. I could mimic anything I heard, even great-quality sound, and once I knew that, I wanted to be great at it. Not good. The best. First the best Black trumpet player in my school, then the city, then the state. The world was too big; I never dreamed that far. That obsession with first chair is still the engine under everything I build: listen closely, practice in private, never settle for almost.

• Excellence
• Ear
• Ambition