The Master of Brass: A Deep Dive with Music Teacher Dr. James Chilton

Why Take Music Lessons with James?

• Over 20 years of experience teaching
• Can play almost every buzzing instrument, including conch shells and didgeridoos
• Has a passion for teaching that comes from his versatility
• Progress over perfection and progress guaranteed

Dr. James Chilton is an active performer, teacher, and music scholar. Before completing his doctorate at the University of British Columbia and moving to Toronto, he performed with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver's One Tonne Brass Quintet, and the Band of the Fifteenth Field Artillery Regiment.

In addition to teaching at the Cosmo School of Music, James teaches at band clinics and camps throughout Ontario. He also performs with various ensembles, including the WCI RedPlayers, Ontario Philharmonic, the Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra, and Euba, Toronto's premier tuba quartet. He was a featured soloist with the National Band of the Naval Reserve.

It’s the dark end of the musical spectrum that makes brass buzz for James Chilton. Especially when students get to play those truly dark bass-filled sounds that composers use in orchestras. Most of the time, it’s the trombone that shines through the darkness. If you are going to be a brass player, you are going to have to love the big and loud, but also cherish the intense dark of swelling metal. Think of the Imperial March.

At the early stages of his musical journey, James Chilton asked around looking for the “brass instrument that nobody plays.” Everyone said the euphonium and sure enough, he was the only one in the class that was brave enough to pick it up. By Grade 10, his class needed trombone players for the band, and he was quick to jump to the challenge.

It's worth noting here, not all brass players will be the same. But just like athletes competing at the highest level, there are similar qualities that all successful brass players share. Versatility is one of them, but it seems propensity for a challenge is another. Chilton took his passion for trombone and brass all the way through high school to post-secondary education. There he did his undergrad at the University of Western Ontario for Trombone. But he didn’t stop there. After that, he completed a masters in Alberta, and did his doctorate at UBC.

There is no academic challenge he hasn’t faced for brass, and you will be hard pressed to find another music teacher in Canada with more qualifications and accolades than James Chilton.