Steve S. says, "I have been taking weekly online flugelhorn lessons with Michael since August 2025, and he has been excellent. I came back to brass playing after a 30+ year hiatus and decided to focus exclusively on flugelhorn this time around. Michael teaches both trumpet and flugelhorn, which matters because flugelhorn instruction at this level is genuinely hard to find, and it's a very different instrument from the trumpet in terms of how you approach and play it.
I play for enjoyment. I listen to a lot of jazz trumpet and flugelhorn, and I want what comes out of the bell to sound like something I actually want to hear. Michael built the lesson plan around that. He tailored exercises specifically to develop my tone and upper range, not so I can hit a double high C, but so my tone stays consistent, dark, and fluffy when I'm above the staff.
What separates him from other instructors is his diagnostic ability. My tone was getting thin as I moved up the staff. I came to a lesson with a list of things I had been trying to fix, some of which had merit. Michael listened, asked the right questions, and identified the root cause as my embouchure. We are now working on that. A less experienced teacher would have layered more exercises on top of the symptom and missed the underlying problem.
He is patient, technical, and clear. The online format has been great. If you are looking for thoughtful, personalized instruction on trumpet or flugelhorn, I recommend him without reservation." Read more
