Andrew McAnsh

• Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet
• Technical Studies For The Cornet by Herbert L. Clarke
• Marcel Bitsch Vingt Études
• A Comprehensive Pratice Routine for the Aspiring Brass Player by Don E. Johnson
• Vincent Chicowicz Flow Studies Volume 1
• W.M Smith Top Tones For The Trumpeter
• Max Schlossberg Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trumpet
• Melodious Etudes for Trumpet Selected Vocalises of Marco Borgdoni
• Théo Chariler 36 Études Transcentdantes
• The Carmine Caruso Method
• Claude Gordon Tongue Level Exercises
• The James Stamp Method
• Lip Flexibilities For All Brass Instruments Bai Lin

The goal was to use these tried and true methods in order to create the most beautiful and expressive trumpet sound possible. For jazz studies programs, Brian, Al and soon after Sean Jones embedded the importance of these studies and their practical applications for all musical purposes.

I completed a Masters Degree from Berklee College of Music on a full-tuition scholarship which has led the way to an extensive performing career (Esperanza Spalding, Danilo Perez, Larnell Lewis) and ample recording/producing experience of almost 20 years. This experience fundamentally changed my worldview on music education and the responsibility it has in society. Since graduating in 2017, I have had the distinct honour of being invited to perform and teach in Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Chile, Ghana, Trinidad, Jamaica, Brazil, USA, Europe and Japan deepening my understanding of the interconnections between these cultures and their music. . This experience and education taught me skills beyond the technical – including discipline and team building, creativity and imagination, as well as forming and delivering on a vision.

Here in Canada, before switching to trumpet, my musical journey began as a drummer. Rhythm is deeply embedded in all human beings which is why it is the central theme to my musicianship.

But before I studied various cultural rhythms at Berklee, I received a profound education on Harmony and Melody from Humber College. Having studied ear training with Shannon Gunn and Jane Fair, improvisation with Pat LaBarbera, Nancy Walker and Kirk MacDonald, composition/arranging with Shelly Berger and Mike Downes, and later hired to record with Brian Dickinson of his own music paying tribute to the late Canadian trumpeter/composer Kenny Wheeler. My understanding of chord-scale relationships and harmonic functions became well developed at a young age. This allowed me the technical freedom to express my ideas and subsequently be recognized by world-class artists and audiences. My harmonic aptitude also helped me be a mentor to my classmates at Berklee as their formative harmonic education was pale in comparison to my Humber education here in Canada.

I truly believe in the power of active mentorship, and using the universal experience of music to affect positive social change. The future of music education in Canada is in a fragile state, and I want to contribute to an evolving program that is moving toward a more equitable future. It is our younger people’s ideas that change the world, and we have a responsibility to allow our students to guide us into this next era of higher education. It would truly be my honour to give back to a community that lifted me into my own potential.

My teaching style includes a variety of pedagogical approaches across composition, improvisation, ear training, theoretical analysis of melody, harmony and rhythm, artistry of performance, social activism, music history, and of course, brass pedagogy. Music education is not a “one size fits all”, and I specialize in developing personalized teaching material based on the needs of the students and mandates of the institution.

Below, I have outlined some highlights of my recent work.

During my time at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute in Boston, I committed myself to the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society. Under the leadership of BGJI’s Artistic Director Danilo Pérez (UNESCO Artist for Peace, Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival), I created my graduate thesis project, entitled “Music of the Great Lakes – A Songbook for the Canadian Indigenous”. I premiered this 5-part Suite (one musical movement per each Great Lake), in a TED-style lecture in 2017 speaking to members of the Berklee’s elite network of trustees and program directors, raising awareness of injustices forced upon Indigenous peoples on this side of the border. The musical material was derived from Indigenous tribal melodies gathered by my own field research and interviews, birds calls native to each lake region, the rhythm and intonation of Anishinabek language, and the interdisciplinary study of Indigenous visual art, particularly of Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau (Order of Canada). This is the first time I’ve been able to delve deeper into the Indigenous side of my Sicilian - Métis heritage to begin my own personal journey of understanding and reconciliation.

Internationally, I have been a founding member on faculty at the Festival De Musica Guaranda. This is an annual festival in the remote Indigenous community of Guaranda, Ecuador as well as the Jazz Por La Paz Festival in Chile. I was originally connected to these organization prior to their inception, through my outreach work for Berklee at the Panama Jazz Festival in 2017 and 2024. My work here evolved from a general trumpet teacher into being a key advisor in their curriculum development. My focus is to bridge the gap between their current European Classical “El Sistema” approach focused on reading printed score, to a more comprehensive understanding of music, where students can learn how to play anything they hear in their inner voice. I do this by highlighting the fundamentals of global rhythm, melody, harmony (scales, intervals, tonality) and composition, i.e. the “science” of music, in order to create art. Furthermore, I encourage them to embrace their regional Indigenous music and storytelling style, since my role as an educator is rooted in their self- discovery. Ultimately, I focus on character traits like sensitivity and compassion to guide their development as an improviser and overall human being. In the words of the great Wayne Shorter, “Your humanity is your instrument”.

Here in Canada, I am currently a director on the board of Humber Music’s Program Advisory Committee and now formally JPEC (Jazz Performance and Education Centre), a non- profit organization based in Toronto. We focused on programming live and online events, developing school education outreach programs in marginalized communities, and creating scholarships for young talented musicians. I am the youngest on any boards (by about 30 years) and I have been slowly working on expanding the scope of what jazz and music education means to the in Canada. I am proudly responsible for programming JPECS first Indigenous act, bringing in more women, persons of colour, and younger talent as well as reviving Humber’s “Music in Schools” program.

My sincere dedication to my craft, humility to the unknown, compassionate nature, combined with my confidence, team-building initiative, and excellent verbal communication skills, allow me to resonate deeply with where the program has been, and where we can take it in the future.

My past and present artistic collaborations include:

• Esperanza Spalding
• Danilo Pérez
• John Patitucci
• Brian Blade
• Bill Dobbins
• Joy Lapps
• Larnell Lewis
• John MacLeod
• Terri Lyne Carrington
• Brian Dickinson
• George Garzone
• Pat LaBarbera
• Hilario Duran
• Bobby Shew
• Jack DeJohnette
• Chris Potter
• Joe Lovano
• Dave Holland
• Terence Blanchard
• Googoosh
• New York Voices