About Me (quick summary)

After a very lucky upbringing and excellent K-12 education, I went to the University of Michigan and got two music degrees. As you can see below, I was a very busy musician during college, continuing after my Masters degree for 9 years, all while also doing a bunch of other things to make ends meet.

I then went back to Michigan for an MBA and worked for 30 years in Technology, before retiring in 2020 to do this!

I am now playing professionally in the Menlo Brass Quintet, Halkins Brass Quintet, and Symphony Parnassus, as well as freelancing, coaching in the schools, and building my Shulers.net site to share my thoughts on Music, Politics and Lifestyle. 

On the side, I am an avid cyclist, gardener, reader, and environmentalist. 

About Me (the Musician)

Education

  • Initial musical instruction on Piano in grades 3-12 under Elmer Mundt, and continuing at the U of Michigan. Recital performances included Gershwin “Rhapsody In Blue”, Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition”, Beethoven “Moonlight” and “Pathetique” Sonatas, Chopin Mazurkas, Nocturnes and Waltzes, and many more.
  • Foundational trumpet (cornet) instruction in grades 7-12 from Arnold Berndt.
  • Principal Cornet three years in a row in the All-State Intermediate and High School Bands and University Orchestra at Interlochen National Music Camp, where I studied with John Lindenau, Leon Rapier, Jerry Amend, and Mel Harsh. 
  • Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where I studied under Armando Ghitalla, Clifford Lillya, Byron Pearson, & Dennis Horton. Master class instruction with Adolf Herseth, Phil Smith, Donald McComas, Sam Kraus, Rob Roy MacGregor, Knudt Hovalt, Reynold Schilke, and Frank Kaderabek.
  • U of Michigan Symphony Band & Wind Ensemble (H. Robert Reynolds), Chamber Winds (Carl St. Clair), Symphony Orchestra (Gustav Meier), Philharmonia Orchestra (Uri Meyer), Chamber Orchestra (Paul Makanowitzky) and Marching Band (George Cavender)
  • Outside study during my performance career with Donald Green, Kevin Good, & Ramon Parcells.
  • Recent study with Charlie Porter

Performance

  • 10 years as Principal Trumpet and Soloist with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Brass Quintet, Lansing, Michigan. Gustav Meier, Music Director
  • Founder and Principal Trumpet of the University Brass Ensemble and Today’s Brass Quintet in Ann Arbor
  • 3 years as Principal Trumpet of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra (Kenneth Jean) and Brass Quintet
  • Associate Principal Trumpet of the Colorado Philharmonic Orchestra (Carl Topilow, Otto Werner Muller, William Smith)
  • Performed in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati and Sixten Ehrling, the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and the North Carolina Symphony under Gerhardt Zimmerman.
  • Performed in backup band for The Temptations and The Four Tops, as well as in various touring Broadway shows, recording studios, and jazz big bands
  • Performed in hundreds of weddings, church services, and metropolitan orchestra concerts throughout Michigan and North Carolina.
  • Multiple performances with Santa Cruz Symphony, San Francisco Wind Ensemble, Cambrian Symphony, Peninsula Symphony Brass, Redwood Symphony, and San Francisco Brass Band
  • Member, Menlo Brass Quintet (www.menlobrass.com), Halkins Brass Quintet, and Symphony Parnassus
Menlo Brass Quintet. Daniel Hallock, Randall Chase, Joel White, Brian Holmes, and me (the new guy).

Educator

  • 12 years as instructor of trumpet and brass for students of ages 9 to adult.
  • 2 years in Music Education track at University of Michigan. Studied horn, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, violin, cello, piano, percussion, and voice.
  • 1 year as trumpet section coach of Michigan Youth Band, resulting in Theodore Presser Award at U of Michigan for outstanding promise as a music educator
  • Adjunct Instructor of Brass at Ida Price MS (Catherine Lorigan), Leigh HS (Alex Christensen) and Branham HS (Chris Nalls) in San Jose CA

Students have gone on to achieve top honors in solo competitions, and success at the U of Michigan School of Music, the Berklee College of Music, Interlochen International Music Camp, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Academy.