UTC Trumpet Studio

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DR. SCHAFER’S VIRTUAL STUDIO

Contact me for a free initial lesson! Erika-Schafer@utc.edu

ESSENTIAL METHOD BOOKS:

• Embouchure Builder
  by Lowell Little
• Complete Conservatory Method
  by J.B. Arban
• Technical Studies
  by H.L. Clarke
• Daily Drills and Technical Studies
  by Max Schlossberg

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Dr. Schafer’s former students have been accepted into trumpet performance programs at the Royal College of Music in London, the Peabody Institute, and the University of Louisville. She has been teaching trumpet performance for 30 years. Dr. Schafer’s teaching is informed primarily through knowledge of the physics of the trumpet and aligning it with human physiology to make trumpet performance as easy as possible for the long term. Her teaching is also greatly informed by knowledge of how the brain best learns including the research of Gabriele Wulf regarding the affect of focus of attention on motor skill learning. Her teaching has been largely shaped by long term study with Jan Kagarice and Landon Gray of Musician’s Wellness of North America. She is certified as a Suzuki Method teacher for brass, unit 1. She has a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Dr. Schafer creates a nurturing, nonjudgmental atmosphere in the trumpet studio where everyone’s unique voice is encouraged and valued. She prioritizes growth and tailors her teaching to each student’s distinctive learning styles, strengths, passions, and goals. Study of psychology plays an important role in Dr. Schafer’s teaching as she uses research in emotions, how the brain works, and mental health to guide students to maximum learning and fulfillment.

As a performer, Dr. Schafer performs with the Chattanooga Symphony and performed with the Fountain City Brass Band at the 2023 Brass in Concert festival in Gateshead, England. She has visited Chile to present masterclasses at the University of Chile and Catholic University of Chile. She has been a guest artist and performed recitals at Kansas State University, The University of Arizona, and Eastern Illinois University. Dr. Schafer was a founding member of the cutting-edge Fuze Trio with Ronda Benson Ford, flute, and Jenny Parker, piano. The group performed commissioned world premieres and was an Ensemble-in-Residence as part of the North Carolina NewMusic Initiative at East Carolina University.

Dr. Schafer was the recipient of the 2024 University of Tennessee Alumni Association Public Service award, one of two recipients chosen from across five campuses. She was the host of the 2014 Trumpet Festival of the Southeast which featured guest artists Allan Dean and Tito Carrillo. Other guest artists she has hosted have included Jan Kagarice, Senior Clinician of Musician’s Wellness of North America, Thomas Hooten, principal trumpet of the L.A. Philharmonic, Anthony Plog, composer of solo trumpet and brass chamber music, and Douglas Hedwig, retired trumpeter from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Prior to her position at UTC, Dr. Schafer was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. where she was a featured soloist and performed with several chamber ensembles including the U.S. Navy Band Brass Quartet and the Joint Services Brass Quintet. She was the first female trumpeter in the U.S. Navy Band Concert Band. She was also active in several orchestras in the D.C. area including the McLean Symphony Orchestra, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, the Folger Consort, and the Orchestra of the 17th Century. She has performed under major conductors such as David Zinman and Michael Tilson Thomas. She is a former student of the Aspen Music Festival and School. Her primary teachers include Jan Kagarice, Landon Gray, Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, Allan Dean, Louis Ranger, and Walter Chesnut.