Whole Class Instrumental Teaching
Haringey Young Musicians, The School House, Inderwick Road, London N8 9JU
Tel: 020 8489 8960 | Email HMS@Haringey.gov.uk | Twitter @HaringeyYMusic
Looking after your trumpet
As long as you look after your trumpet, it should need very little maintenance. Keep it clean and dry, store it in the case provided and avoid putting anything extra in your case unless there is a special space for it. Foreign objects can easily get lodged in the instrument and cause problems.
Sticky valves
If your valves become stuck you should take it to your teacher at the start of your next lesson and they will use valve oil to get things moving again. You should not attempt to do this yourself as putting the valves back can be tricky and you should not try to use any other type of oil as this can make things worse.
My mouthpiece is stuck!
This can happen if you have been hitting or tapping on the mouthpiece as the seal is very tight. You will need to bring your trumpet into school as safely as possible (sometimes it will no longer fit into the case). Your teacher may have a special tool called a mouthpiece extractor. If not, you might have to leave your instrument at school for a few days to allow someone from Haringey Music Service to visit and sort it out for you.
Don’t panic!
The bottom line is not to panic. Many problems are easily fixed and your teacher is the best person to help you sort out your issue or point you in the right direction. It may be that there is nothing wrong with the instrument at all and they will be able to help you fix your technical problems as well.