The Trumpet By Thomas Maskell, 7N

How the trumpet works You blow into the mouth piece to make the noise. To adjust the pitch of the trumpet you use the three valves to make it go higher or lower. The sound travels around the trumpet and comes out of the bell . When your finished you empty the spit out off the water key.

History of the Trumpet The first trumpets were probably sticks that had been hollowed out by insects. Numerous early cultures, such as those in Africa and Australia, developed hollow, straight tubes for use as megaphones in religious rites. These early "trumpets" were made from the horns or tusks of animals, or cane. By 1400 B.C. the Egyptians had developed trumpets made from bronze and silver, with a wide bell. People in India, China, and Tibet also created trumpets, which were usually long and telescoped. Some, like Alpine horns, rested their bells on the ground. Assyrians, Israelites, Greeks, Etruscans, Romans, Celts, and Teutonic tribes all had some form of horn, and many were decorated. These instruments, which produced low, powerful notes, were mainly used in battle or during ceremonies. They were not usually considered to be musical instruments. To make these trumpets, the lost- wax method was used. In this process, wax was placed in a cavity that was in the shape of a trumpet. This mould was then heated so that the wax melted away, and in its place molten bronze was poured, producing a thick-walled instrument.

Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo or pops, was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and one of the pivotal and most influential figures in jazz music. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing.

Well done Thomas B A Really nice presentation with lots of interesting information. I liked that you looked at what sort of people play the trumpet. Maybe next time you could extend this and talk about what styles of music use the trumpet. Mr Yeates