Please The Ears And Touch The Heart

I started my life in music learning to play the trumpet in primary school. One of my earliest memories is from a small incident at a music workshop. Just three of us, probably around eight years old, sat in a row with our trumpets. The teacher asked each of us to play and hold a different note, forming a major triad.

Now, in reality, it was probably horrendously out of tune. More like a broken car horn than a chord. But to me, it sent goosebumps down my neck. I could barely stop my lips from breaking embouchure to form a grin. The thrill and magic of making that sound with two of my mates was profound.

I had many moments like that in the years that followed. Being part of a large ensemble, building toward a rousing climax, was like nothing else. Maybe it’s the vibrations and how they resonate in your body. Maybe it’s the feeling of unity. Dozens of people syncing up. Many voices merging into one. Live music is often much more than the sum of its parts.

And then there’s the audience. The applause. No, it’s not about ego or the spotlight. Applause is an exchange of energy. Ask any professional athlete. The roar of the crowd gives you a bigger boost than any sports drink. Artists who play to packed venues will tell you the same. It’s actually addictive. That immediate wave of acknowledgment for the work you’ve put in can feel more rewarding than the money that comes with it.

Eventually, I left that world behind and became a music producer. I’ll admit, I miss those moments. For years, I’d go to shows that featured my tracks, just to feel that audience energy again, living vicariously through the performers on stage.

Composition and performance are completely different beasts. Composition has the creative, meditative quality of painting or writing a book. Performance, on the other hand, demands a very different skillset, physical discipline, and a particular kind of stamina. Sometimes the two worlds collide (Jacob Collier’s crowd choir moments come to mind) but most of the time, they live in parallel.

These days, my rewards come from my clients' success. From knowing my work is being appreciated and heard around the world. From the freedom my craft has given me. The creative life. Food on the table. The incredible people I’ve met. The travel it’s brought.

Still, those early experiences….the goosebumps, the butterflies…ignited a lifelong love affair with music. And while that world may be behind me, those feelings remain my compass. They guide everything I create. My mission now is simple. To ignite those same feelings in as many people as I can.