Jay Shuler, Trumpets

Jay Shuler grew up in the Detroit area, attended Interlochen, received three degrees from the University of Michigan, including two in Music and an MBA, spent 13 years as a professional musician and teacher, the next 30 years in High Tech Marketing, and since early 2020 is back in Music as a performer and coach of young brass musicians. Jay is married with two adult children, is an avid environmentalist, an avid road cyclist (whose exploits can be viewed on Strava), and is writing a “Trumpet Training Bible” which will soon be published on the web.

Jay received two degrees in Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan. He spent two years on the Music Education track, studying violin, cello, piano, voice, saxophone, horn, clarinet, oboe, and percussion, and winning the Theodore Presser Award for Outstanding Promise as a Music Educator, but he became so successful as a player — in the U of M Symphony Band and Wind Ensemble (H. Robert Reynolds, director) the University Philharmonia (Uri Meyer) and Symphony Orchestras (Gustav Meier), Chamber Orchestra (Paul Makanowitzky), and University Brass Ensemble, and winning the Principal Trumpet positions in both the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra — that he decided to focus his energy on Trumpet Performance. Jay studied with Byron Pearson and Clifford Lillya during his Bachelor degree program and with Armando Ghitalla during his Masters, during which he also won the co-principal trumpet position in the National Repertory Orchestra.

Jay spent 9 years in Ann Arbor after school, playing in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and Brass Quintet, in the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra Brass Quintet, and Today’s Brass Quintet; teaching private lessons; and running a live recording business. He was privileged to perform in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and most of the regional orchestras in Michigan, in the backup band for the Temptations and Four Tops, and continued his studies with Donald Green and Ramon Parcells of the Detroit Symphony.

In 1988, Jay decided to go back to Michigan for an MBA in Marketing, graduating with honors. He was hired by Northern Telecom (Nortel Networks) in Research Triangle Park, NC, and spent the next 17 years in broadband and data Networking, eight at Nortel and the remainder as Director and VP Marketing at a series of small and startup companies, including AFC and Mariposa Technology in Petaluma, Luminous Networks in Cupertino, Terawave Communications in Hayward, and Carrier Access Corporation.

Starting in 2007, Jay began a new 13-year career in LED lighting, networked lighting controls, and IoT at (Philips) Lumileds, Xeralux/Sensity Systems, and Xicato. At Xeralux/Sensity, Jay defined a concept of smart city and smart campus technology that is deployed in hundreds of thousands of nodes across North America. As Director of Marketing at Xicato, he received a patent for sensor-activated wireless beacons, and saw his LED lighting and controls products deployed in such prestigious locations as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the SF MOMA, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and dozens of other world-famous museums and public venues.

The acquisition of Sensity in 2016 by Verizon enabled Jay to retire in 2020, whereupon he decided to rebuild his chops and share his knowledge and love of music with young musicians in the local public schools as a brass coach. Jay now plays with the Menlo Brass Quintet and the Symphony Parnassus, and has performed with the Mission Peak Brass Band, San Francisco Wind Ensemble, San Francisco Brass Band, Ohlone Community Band, and Cambrian and Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestras.

Jay's Trumpet Training Bible is published at  music.shulers.net

Jay joined the Menlo Brass in August 2022.

Email:   jshuler@menlobrass.com

Equipment:

Bb trumpet - Lotus "Universal Max"
Mouthpiece - Lotus 1XL2 B HC, or Bach 3E (for jazz)

C Trumpet - Blackburn
Mouthpiece - Lotus 1XL2 B HC

D/Eb trumpet - Yamaha
Mouthpiece - Lotus 1XL2 B HC

Bb cornet - Getzen 800DLX “Etterna Deluxe”
Mouthpiece - Denis Wick 2B

Bb Fluegelhorn - Bach Stradivarius Model 183
Mouthpiece - Bach 1-1/4CFL

A/Bb piccolo trumpet - Schilke P5-4
Mouthpiece - Bach 7E

 

Dan Hallock, trumpets
Jay Shuler, trumpets
Brian Holmes, horn
Randall Chase, trombone
Joel White, tuba