“I feel there is certain uniqueness to the way I teach that is quite different from the other teachers. I have worked on it as my specialty. It is not like anything I say is not known or understood. All I say has been discovered already. However, what I have discovered is a way of structuring it so in its presentation, there is a logical step or direction. It is also knowing that when you hear som
ething wrong in your sound you must pay attention because it is telling you something. Avoid saying, ‘I like it or I do not like it’ and leave it at that. It is deeper than that. It is saying, ‘Alright, do you understand this? Are you ready to accept the sound and the limitations that come along with it?’
I would try any inductive way I know to stimulate thinking. New thinking. Then we trust that your body will try to carry the message out to achieve that new concept. If it does not work, then we try from another direction. I never go about changing someone’s way of playing from the standpoint of physiology. I like to start the musical imagination first so you are not thinking what muscle is doing what.”
Those are the words of the legendary trumpet teacher Vincent Cichowicz (1927 - 2006). “Studio 259” was his trumpet teaching studio at Northwestern University where he was on the faculty from 1959-1998. Today, his methods and ideas regarding air flow and the use of “flow studies” are considered classic American trumpet pedagogy. A student of Renold O. Schilke and Arnold Jacobs, Cichowicz career began early at age 17 when he became member of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. He was drafted into the Army during World War II and served with the Fifth Army Band. In 1952, Cichowicz became a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he remained for 23 years. He second trumpet to Adolph “Bud” Herseth, who helped hire him for the CSO in 1952 creating one of the most legendary 1-2 combinations in orchestral trumpet history! He performed with many of the world’s finest conductors performing under music directors Rafael Kubelík, Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, and Sir Georg Solti. He was also a member of the Chicago Symphony Brass Quintet and was a participant in the Grammy Award-winning recording of The Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli. But it was his teaching, that was his greatest accomplishment and where he touched so many! His calm relaxed approach to teaching with an emphasis on achieving a beautiful sound through air movement magically improved players. His footprint in the trumpet world is immense. The number of successful students he has reads like a who's who list in the trumpet world. Studio 259 Productions is dedicated preserving the Cichowicz legacy by publishing compilations of his various teaching materials. These are the core of his teaching method during his nearly 40 years at Northwestern. Many of these studies never been formally published before this. Previously these studies were shared as a photocopy from former students, now prominent teachers and orchestral musicians around the world. Compiled and edited by his son, trumpeter Michael L. Cichowicz and trumpeter Mark Dulin in association with Rob Roy MacGregor's Balquhidder Publishing in Los Angeles.
“These books include not only the Studies but also anecdotes from former students relating what my father discussed with them regarding the way to practice the exercises, what the benefits are and ways to get the most out of them when practiced correctly, says Mike Cichowicz. “My father believed in the ability of these studies to help to promote healthy playing habits for the trumpet student. We hope we have helped to preserve his philosophy and these exercises by compiling them in a brand-new format that will be clear and easy to read and hear as well.”
Studio 259 Productions is proud to present Vincent Cichowicz Flow Studies-Volume One, Flow Studies Volume Two with Russian Studies, and Vincent Cichowicz Long Tone Studies. These books are a staple in the library of any serious brass player. Watch in the future for new publications from Studio 259 Productions. There are several projects currently in development. Stay Tuned!
