Nick has been a mentor to me over the past ten years, seeing me through auditions, two Conservatoire degrees and study in France. To have him as a constant throughout this time of transition has been invaluable. On my most recent visit I was looking for a new daily practice routine in which I could efficiently cover all areas of technique and fit in around my playing commitments. Nick gave me highly practical advice of a routine that he collated and uses himself. I took this away with me on tour and found it was of huge benefit to my playing; I was on top form each night for the shows and my technique work was covered every day. Nick has always given me honest and impartial advice, drawing on his vast experiences as a musician. He always takes a practical approach by playing in lessons- something fantastic in its own right- and offers effective solutions based on his wide knowledge of trumpet pedagogy in conjunction with his own expertise.

"When I first meet Nicholas, I was in a moment of my career entirely focus on fundamentals, breathing, and all the technical stuff, which is good. But he came with an absolutely different approach to the trumpet, always thinking of making music interesting, demanding the best quality from the moment I take the trumpet out of the case. I change my mind after this lessons, trying to remember his words in every practice sessions, make the music exciting, and, on the top of everything, "play good, don´t play bad".

I went for a lesson with Nick to go through some repertoire before an orchestra trial period. It was mostly classical repertoire that I knew he had played many times before, and I wanted to get some ideas of shapes and phrasing. Secretly I was also worried about splitting notes, of course, and I wondered if he would share this worry, or if he had any solutions. I can't thank him enough for the change in my mindset that he provoked in that one lesson."