TPTV - Marie Speziale

Marie Speziale, the first woman to be appointed to a major orchestra trumpet position in the USA, studied with Arnold Jacobs from about 1986 to 1988, taking approximately ten lessons and recording them. In preparation for the interview, Ms. Speziale reviewed her lesson tapes and wrote down seven pages of notes to share with us. Her initial lessons largely focused on respiration. “Use as little effort as possible. … Focus on quantitative breathing. … Breathe to full capacity.” Ms. Speziale added that for someone of her height, that instruction was very important. She was 5’2” and had a lung capacity of slightly over 2-liters. And was in a brass section where some of men had 6 and 7 liters of air at their disposal so she had to learn to play efficiently. “Get used to knowing what full lungs feel like. … The air column should be thick to the lips. … Use ‘OH or AHH’ for thick air. … Practice breathing away from the instrument.” She added: That is a crucial admonition. It really is. You can get so much done away from the horn. “Focus on getting air in the cup of the mouthpiece, not in the mouth. … The diaphragm is the main vessel for lowering pressure in the body. … Keep the flow rate high and the [intra-oral] air pressure low.” Ms. Speziale described physical/medical issues that arose which negatively impacted her playing during the early 1980s. Meniere’s disease, hysterectomy, and an extremely dense and difficult performance/recording schedule with the Cincinnati Symphony Pops leading to overuse issues. All of that, as well as her own intrinsic pedagogical curiosity is what led her to contact Mr. Jacobs in 1986. Jacobs immediately realized Speziale was using too little air flow rate resulting in too high-pressure rate. Subconsciously the work effort had increased in order to avoid physical pain that had developed from the medical and overuse issues. Her mind had made physical accommodations to keep playing well. Jacobs guided her to increase the air flow facilitating a lower work effort, lower pressure inside the mouth. She credits Jacobs with extending her career.