I have played trumpet since I was about 10 years old. I started on a Holton Collegiate which my father, a wonderful French Hornist, bought me. Unfortunately, in sixth grade I knocked out my top middle tooth. I continued to play trumpet with a flipper denture until I was about 19 or 20. This impacted my ability to play high and it offset my embouchure to the right. Undaunted I continued playing all through high school in band, wind ensemble, big band, shows, and of course marching band. When I went to college at Va Tech I was in all the band programs I could handle including marching band. At this point I played on a Benge MLP which I loved. After college I played in the Casper Civic Band in Casper Wyoming for a couple of years. Then I had a period of a few years where I did not play much. When I returned to Virginia I joined the Fairfax City Band and have played in more than 20 community theater productions. Winning a small amount on the lottery I decided to purchase a new horn about 20 years ago. I got a Kanstul Besson MEHA. I had wanted the Schilke X3 but it was twice the cost. A few years later I did purchase the Schilke and I played both horns up until this year. In 2015 I bought the Schilke HC2 with a copper bell. While I loved all my other horns for their own character, so far this one is my favorite.