Testimonials
A fine player, teacher and friend.
Sincerely,
Claude Gordon
1st Trumpet CBS Hollywood, 11 years
Hollywood studio musician and conductor, 35 years
Virtuoso trumpet player
World famous brass teacher
Author of 11 books on brass playing
Instrument designer
Take a lesson with Bruce!!!! You'll get over 30 years of experience and a real mentor. Bruce has played with all the great ones: Split-lead for Stan Kenton, and even for Elvis! Years in Las Vegas, when it was the place to be for brass players, puts Bruce next to many of the great players of our time. Claude Gordon was Bruce’s biggest influence and teacher for over 15 years. I've known and played with Bruce for nearly 25 years, and can vouch for his abilities as a jazz, lead and legit player. He demonstrates great compassion, understanding and insight with each of his students. His high ethical standards and trustworthiness contribute to his long years of success as a teacher and player.
D. Larry Miller, MD, FAAP
Professional Trumpet Player and teacher
Fellow American Academy of Sports Medicine
Founding Director Paradise Sports Medicine Research and Treatment Clinic
Former member of Loma Linda University Heart Surgery Team
Author of several articles on the physiology of Brass Playing
20 year student of Claude Gordon
Bruce Haag is one of the premier players and disciples of the Claude Gordon systematic approach to daily practice; he has used his years of playing and teaching experience to further more young players than anyone I know. His students excel because of his firm grasp and understanding of how to use Claude's teaching methods. Bruce is a fine musician and teacher; it is always a pleasure to work with him.
Larry Souza
Currently 1st trumpet, American Musical Theatre in San Jose, CA
1st trumpet, San Francisco theatres and shows
Co-owner and Repairman of Hornucopia, San Carlos, CA
My name is Ron Michaels. I am a professional trumpet player who did study with Claude Gordon for a time, but I had to leave California to go back home to New Jersey because my father needed help in the family store. So I missed some important information from Mr. Claude Gordon.
I was having problems with my tonguing, sound, and accuracy, but I didn’t know what the trouble was. What I did next was to call Claude Gordon on the phone, but I found my teacher sick and unable to explain to me what I was doing wrong, so he directed me to Bruce Haag, one of his best students who also teaches his method. Not only did Bruce diagnose the problem over the phone, but he also explained how to fix the problem I had. He checked with me from time to time and made sure I understood his instructions to the letter.
The rest is history. I now play better than I ever have. I even do the Aleve commercial on TV that went nationally, in which I played “The Flight of the Bumble Bee.”
All I can say to Bruce is “thank you!” and that would never be enough. He literally saved my career. I am glad that he has started teaching online and I'll be taking some more lessons. What more can I say except that he is the best!
Musically yours,
Ron Michaels
Professional Trumpet Player and Teacher
Brass Clinician
Leader and Soloist, Harry James Tribute Orchestra
"After retiring I decided to dedicate myself to learning to play the trumpet the right way in order to build range and endurance. A 34 year career in electronics and raising a family did not afford me the luxury of progressing on the horn. I looked around Silicon Valley for the available trumpet instructors. In the meantime I had also done some study of the methods and there are many of them. Bruce Haag was the first to reply to my emails to several instructors. His reply was informative and he emphasized his long relationship with Claude Gordon himself and that he was a certified teacher of Gordon’s method.
I have been taking lessons now over two years and have made important strides in the right direction. My range was stuck at high Eb, I was playing incorrectly and had a thin tone. Now I am able to play correctly up to F# or G in my daily practice. Also I can now survive a two hour big band gig playing second trumpet whereas before I was wiped out after 30 or 40 minutes.
The best part is working with Bruce’s teaching style which is relaxed, to the point, patient and encouraging. I would recommend Bruce to anyone wanting to learn or improve themselves on this most difficult instrument, the trumpet.
When Bruce announced he was moving to Ohio, I thought I would need to find another trumpet teacher. But he had a solution in mind. I now am able to continue my lessons with Bruce on the webcam and it’s working very well. I am not going to claim it’s the same as being in the same room as Bruce but it comes very close…..and I don’t have to drive to a lesson….I just have it in my own home in my computer room."
Mike Bottini
Saratoga, CA
When I first took up the French horn in the 7th grade, it was emphatically recommended that I study with Bruce Haag. This was when he was still living in California. Even though Bruce was not a specialist in the French horn, it did not stop him from being a phenomenal teacher. His techniques and methods apply to all brass instruments, and I know they helped me improve exponentially during my studies with him.
As a high school student, I became principal horn player not only at my school, but also in prestigious Bay Area bands and orchestras. I was playing with greater ease than other kids who had played French horn for more years. This was due in no small part to Bruce's breathing exercises and musical daily routines.
I also bought my Conn 8D French horn through Bruce at a discounted rate, a purchase with which I was completely satisfied. In short, Bruce is not limited to the trumpet. Do not hesitate to call him for instruction or purchases regarding other brass instruments, because you won't be disappointed.
Connie Sung
Saratoga High School Wind Ensemble Principal 1st Horn
Saratoga High School Orchestra Principal 1st Horn
Santa Clara County Honor Band Principal 1st Horn
California Youth Symphony Principle 1st Horn
I have had the good fortune of studying trumpet with Bruce Haag for nearly 3 years now. Before that time some serious health issues had forced me to quit playing for many years. When I came back I tried lessons with a number of top players in the area but I found none of them to be effective teachers. Now with Bruce’s help and lots of good practice I am back playing better than ever! I studied with Claude Gordon back in the 80’s and I am grateful that Bruce is carrying on his teaching tradition so faithfully.
My lessons are online now and it is working great. I would happily recommend Bruce to any brass player who wants to learn to play correctly and easily.
Perry DeVincentis
San Jose, California
I have known Bruce Haag for over 30 years. I first knew of Bruce when he came back to the San Francisco Bay Area from Las Vegas where he had been a great player at many of the hotels and had toured with Elvis Presley. I then played next to Bruce for over 25 years in various big bands in the Bay Area. That is how I learned to play a lead trumpet. He had a sound that was brilliant over the band. His accuracy was perfect and his phrasing was an education to all.
Both Bruce and I took lessons from the great Claude Gordon for many years. I was the director of the Claude Gordon Brass Camps for 12 years and Bruce was on staff for 9 of those years. Bruce practiced faithfully under Claude Gordon's tutelage and understood everything that Claude taught. Bruce has taken that knowledge from Claude and has taught and produced many excellent brass players over the years.
Tom Brozene
Freelance Trumpet
Music Educator
Band leader
Though at first skeptical about taking trumpet lessons online, I soon realized that it works great for Bruce Haag’s systematic approach to teaching. The skills he has taught me by way of the Claude Gordon method have noticeably increased my playing abilities and have challenged me to view the music I read from a whole different perspective. Using the web-cam has proven to be just as effective as when I was taking lessons with Bruce live. Anyone who is intent on being a good musician should consider taking lessons with him.
David Creel
Boston Festival of Gold Honor Band 2006 (First Chair)
ACSI Honor Orchestra 2006 (Principal trumpet)
Santa Clara County Honor Band 2006 (First Chair)
Bruce Haag introduced me to the Claude Gordon method of brass playing. It has opened up a whole new understanding of making music for me. I majored in tuba/euphonium in college and now I am playing trumpet full time since Bruce got me started with the Gordon method. The approach to daily practice laid out in this program has kept me motivated and most importantly excited about playing. Bruce also has a complete line of brass products for your every need. Mouthpieces, instruments, method books, and any other accessory. Bruce has taught many of my public school band students as well with terrific results.
Darren Webb
Music Teacher & Band Director
Sunman Dearborn Intermediate School
West Harrison, Indiana
Last Monday the 9th of April marked two successful years of weekly trumpet lessons with Mr. Haag, two years in which I have grown remarkably as a trumpet player and as an individual. As a freshman at Archbishop Mitty High School, enrolled in both the concert band and the jazz band, two friends of mine recommended me to Bruce; I had been struggling to adapt to the competition Mitty had to offer, and, despite what I had been told by previous teachers, I knew that my poor technique was holding me back from becoming a better player.
My first meeting with Bruce at his studio in Campbell proved to be a breath of fresh air: not only was he a qualified musician, having studied with such virtuosos as Claude Gordon and played with legends like Stan Kenton, from the get-go Bruce was receptive and attentive to my needs as a trumpet player. Bruce essentially re-taught me how to play, introducing me to Claude Gordon’s philosophy in Brass Playing is No Harder than Deep Breathing as well as carefully prescribing practice materials, from flexibility studies to range studies to tonguing studies to technical studies to breathing exercises, citing such sources as Claude Gordon’s Physical Approach to Elementary Brass Playing, Daily Trumpet Routines, and Systematic Approach to Daily Practice for Trumpet; Herbert L. Clarke’s Technical Studies for the Cornet; Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet; Earl D. Irons’ Twenty-Seven Groups of Exercises for Cornet and Trumpet; and Walter M. Smith’s Lip Flexibility on the Trumpet.
In November of 2005 I was heartbroken and frustrated to discover that Bruce and his family would be moving to Ohio, two thousand miles away: after six months of lessons my hard work was just beginning to pay off, and I was anxious to continue my lessons with Bruce. Fortunately, a colleague informed him that online web cam lessons through MSN Messenger had given favorable results. I’m pleased to say that interfacing online has had no significant impact on the quality of our lessons: although we can’t easily play duets together, and despite the occasional internet hiccup every few months, Bruce to this day is still able to uncannily pinpoint subtle problems in my technique, embouchure, and sound, and provide a complementary practice regimen guide my technical development. Furthermore, the convenience of online lessons has saved me gas money as well as time during my busy school schedule. Since that first lesson, my skill as a trumpet player has grown considerably: my range has expanded from a strained A or Bb above the staff to strong high C’s and D’s (and sometimes even E’s and F’s); my endurance has increased immeasurably; and my flexibility and accuracy has allowed me to play difficult music cleanly and articulately. I’ve also learned to appreciate the style and technique of many of the great trumpet virtuosos and famous classical and jazz trumpeters, such as Arturo Sandoval, Miles Davis, Maurice André, Clark Terry, Claude Gordon, Rafael Mendez, and Wayne Bergeron. Most of all, my improved technique has given me the confidence and the ability to compete with the top trumpet players in my high school, and I look forward to playing lead trumpet in jazz band next year as a senior.
My development as a trumpet player aside, Bruce has proved not only to be an encouraging, receptive, and experienced teacher, but also an inspiring mentor, a warmhearted and compassionate friend, and a devoted Christian, husband, and father. His cheerfulness, sincerity, and enthusiasm have made every lesson worth looking forward to. It has truly been my pleasure to know and study with Bruce Haag, and I look forward to many more lessons in the years to come.
Scott Cauble, 17
Saratoga, California
April 11, 2007
I am a guitar player who decided that I wanted to play trumpet so I bought one and started blowing. I soon found out it wasn't as easy as it looked !! So I asked around for a good teacher and Bruce Haag came highly recommended. I started taking lessons from Bruce and found that his breathing and technique exercises made a startling difference in my tone and technique. I play many gigs now on trumpet and I do it comfortably and with ease. Not only do I have the advantage of his excellent teaching, but I also have bought several instruments from him at great rates. He's a super teacher and a great guy.
Jack Herschkorn
San Jose, California
Jazz Trumpet
Guitar, vocalist, arranger
(A note from Bruce: Jack served our country with distinction as a USAF pilot in WW ll, Korea and Vietnam. Thank you Jack!! He’s also a “ball dude” for the San Francisco Giants!)
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