[Dixielandjazz] Little Thomas Wiggins / needs Trombone mentor

[Dixiejazzdata]

Steve just posted Why Teach Music.

Last week I posted some youtube links of a kid named Thomas Wiggins, who is already playing Jazz trombone far beyond his 8 years of age capability.   His mother has approached several Excellent Trombonist in Germany and the UK and they refuse to take him for private lessons simply because he does not read notes very well yet.

Now that I find to be totally atrocious and certainly an elitist attitude if I have ever seen one.  He will eventually get better at reading, but to hold him back at this age with his natural talent and love for Jazz is just sinful.     

How many of our Legendary Jazz  heros did not read music ????

I have siad it many times before and gotten flack from some on this list about the Academic Musicians and our Schools of music.    Those who Can Play do and those who can't Teach others how to do what they can't or never did.     This kids own father is a Music Teacher, but he does not play jazz and does not understand how to teach the kid probably because he was brainwashed into just playing the charts in front of him his entire life as a musician and can't swing, and has no Feeling for Jazz.

One of those youtubes shows the kid to be a very quick learner as he learns and improvises a song live on stage with Trombone Shorty in New Orleans,  and he played well with another group at the Mint as well.

There are alternative ways to learning to play an instrument and many of the most successful ones in Jazz and other genres of music have proven so.

This kid currently live in Germany but goes back to London frequently where his grandparents Live, Any of you Trombone players living in Europe that would be interested in helping coach this kid let me know and I will pass it on to his mum.   I say he should not be forced to read at this age but coached slowly into developing it as he already has other skills that many sight reading players will never have.

Thanks,

Tom Wiggins
Who was also self taught and wishes somebody would have taken the time to help me learn to read music.  It has never stopped me from making a good living and traveling around the world to play the same Jazz Festivals successfully with the biggest names in Jazz, many with PHDs in Music.