Jubilate Conservatory of Music, supported by Kiwanis of Carefree, is happy to welcome trumpeter, recorder player, percussionist, and computer musician, Cordi DeDecker, to their faculty. DeDecker instructed the ‘Band of Crabs Drum Core’ and the ‘Seaweed Recorder Ensemble’ at the very successful JCM Children’s Summer Musical, “School of Musical Fish”, which was held June 17-20th in Carefree. This fall he will instruct percussion and recorder classes on Tuesdays at Desert Foothills Library in Cave Creek and lead the Fourth Sunday Sundial Drum Circle events in Carefree beginning in September.
A graduate of ASU with a master’s degree in Trumpet Performance he has won awards from the National Trumpet Competition, International Trumpet Guild, and International Women’s Brass Conference. He was invited to perform at the prestigious Girolamo Fantini International Competition in Italy as a soloist which was a high point in his career. As a chamber musician he regularly performs in Broadway Musical pits as well as regional orchestras.
His favorite part of teaching is providing a space to help students find their voice and to explore sound-based creativity. One of the concepts DeDecker prioritizes is connecting students with their breath. As a wind instrumentalist, the skill of measuring your air capacity is important for producing a beautiful tone. He has seen firsthand that teaching students how to cooperate with their breathing gives them more confidence. Through dancing, clapping, and using sticks/mallets, students are able to develop an abstract concept into a physical understanding of rhythm. “Fostering these skills is achieved by strengthening the body-mind connection” says DeDecker.
For more information about classes visit jubilateconservatoryofmusic.org or contact Laya Field at [email protected] or text/phone number 480-993-6147.
