Question: How can I make practice sessions more enjoyable and have them be beneficial at the same time?

Answer: Whether or not you have talent, a good private teacher, etc, you need to practice to become a good trumpet player. I know, "well duh," that's nothing profound. But seriously, a lot of people have a hard time enjoying practice sessions. That can lead them to put it off, and in the long run, you won't practice as much as you should, thus you won't improve quite as much. I used to have a hard time making myself practice. So my mom would yell at me and make me do at least 30 minutes before I could watch TV. But after a while, I started figuring it out. I had to structure my practicing sessions to make them enjoyable. For instance, I told myself that if I played through an etude until it sounded good (taking about 20-30 minutes) I would indulge in sight reading stuff for the next 30 minutes, etc. After a while I realized that those etudes got so much better when I wasn't just reading through them once a day. Then, I felt better about my playing. And it made me want to play more. It's kind of a cycle you go through. So make a schedule for yourself but still let yourself have fun with it. Trust me, it will pay off.
-Joe
joe@trumpetboredom.com