Douglas Detrick is available to teach music to students of all levels and all ages.  With many years of experience teaching music in a variety of settings, he is a capable and effective educator.   Contact Douglas Detrick about music education here.


Detrick specializes in teaching the trumpet to school-age students.  His approach emphasizes fundamentals of physical trumpet playing, creativity, mental skills and technique.  He tailors his musical curriculum to suit his students in every area from classical to jazz and everything in between and helps them to meet goals at whatever level they are interested.  Detrick also teaches composition, music theory and general music appreciation. 


Douglas Detrick can meet you at your home

in the New York City area.


The first lesson is always free.

$60 per hour.

Discounts available for pre-payment.


Detrick’s approach to teaching features an emphasis on unlocking and developing the student’s creativity.  Improvisation is a part of musical lessons from the start so that the student never feels uncomfortable being creative.  Students are encouraged to invent their own ways of learning technique in a way that makes sense to them and is suited to their goals. 


Douglas Detrick holds a Master’s in Music in Jazz Composition from the University of Oregon, a Bachelor’s in Music degree from Lawrence University of Appleton, Wisconsin, where he studied trumpet with John Daniel.  He served two years as a Graduate Teaching Fellow in which he taught jazz to large and small ensembles as well as classroom based jazz theory and improvisation.  Detrick also studied trumpet with Brian McWhorter at the University of Oregon.  Many of Detrick’s teaching ideas are drawn from McWhorter’s approach which he describes in detail in this article originally printed in the International Trumpet Guild’s newsletter. 

Music Instruction

by Douglas Detrick

Trumpet, Composition, Theory