Meet Ryan Buchanan

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Buchanan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?

I truly believe that one’s optimism is something that is a defined characteristic trait in their DNA. I have always felt optimistic about music and where this career path may take me one day. This crazy idea of becoming a professional trumpet player started when I was 12 years old and ever since then I have been determined to make sure that all of my dreams come true.

I think that it is important not to allow your inner ego to hijack your optimism. We all have an ego to some extent, but as you mature and grow older, I believe that it is necessary to bury your ego and not to let that get in the way of achieving what it is you want in life. There are countless examples of egotistical people in this world who may achieve what they sought after in life, but become a turn off to everyone around them. I feel that it is absolutely crucial to be your authentic self if you want to experience high levels of success.

I take great inspiration from the late Kobe Bryant who left us with a blueprint of how to take charge and attain excellence in all levels of life. Kobe always believed that “if you love what you do and it’s making you happy, all the hard work and perseverance will pay off”. Without a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication to your craft, I do not believe that it is possible to win at the highest level. In order to remain optimistic about your future, there needs to be a mix of talent, passion, and hard work. If you are missing any of these three key ingredients, then you may fall short.

When I was 12 years old, I placed first chair in my Junior High School District Honor Band as a 7th grader. At that point in my life, I had no idea where the trumpet would take me. I hope that when I look back at where I am now years down the line that I can say the same thing once again. What I did know for certain at that point in time is that I loved music and I wanted to give it my all and dive into this new passion that I had sparked. If I didn’t have a love for playing the trumpet, there is no way I would be able to make this into a career going forward.

Now that I am at a point in my life where I have finished college and graduated with my Masters Degree, the next step is going to require a new level of concentration. I will have to hold myself accountable at all times in order to meet all of my professional goals and dreams. There will be a new level of selfishness that I will have to bring to my craft, even if that means spending less time doing some of the other things that I love in life temporarily to get there. The path to being a professional musician in today’s world may feel impossible, but if you put your mind to complete and total dedication to the music, all of those dreams will start to come true.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Currently, I am living as a freelance trumpet player in Los Angeles. I just finished my time at California State University, Northridge with a Masters in Music (Trumpet Performance) and Bachelors in Music (Jazz Studies). I am working as the Jazz Band Director and Marching Band Brass Coach at Valencia High School as well as the Professor of Trumpet at College of the Canyons. Working at both of these schools has been such a learning experience for me as a teacher and musician. It helps play a pivotal role in the way I approach working with my private students and bringing new teaching strategies to the table in our lessons together,

As a performer, studio sessions and shows have fortunately kept me busy. Most notably, I have been performing alongside Phat Cat Swinger at Disneyland’s California Adventure park for their Festival of Holidays and Food and Wine Festival. I am also a member of the Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective based out of Billings, Montana. Recently I have been looking to expand my role as a performer at Disneyland and have been auditioning for their various groups with the hopes of soon becoming a member of both the Disneyland Band and Toy Soldiers. Continuing to work alongside such talented cast-members at the park on a weekly basis would definitely be a dream come true.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

When looking back over the last few years, I feel that the most important skills that I have picked up from working as a professional musician would have to consist of my time management skills, networking abilities, and overall professionalism while on the job. Being a working musician in LA would feel impossible without having a good system of time management skills. I love to use the reminders app on my phone to keep my calendar up to date with all of the gigs and rehearsals that I have on a weekly basis. A rule that I strive to live by is the rule that to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable. In the music world, it is inexcusable to show up late to a gig or a rehearsal. Consistently showing up early to everything will always leave you in a great position to continue getting more work.

In my opinion, one’s ability to network well can completely determine their future in the music scene. I have seen countless musicians decide to give up on their dreams of being a musician because they didn’t enjoy being social and refused to promote themselves on social media. It is sad to see this affect so many young musicians, but it is simply the nature of the music world. Networking is a constant goal of mine when I am hired for new work. I go into a gig with the mindset that I will make multiple new connections every time. This can be with members of the band I am playing with or even audience members. You never know who you might meet and what connections they may have. Staying heavily active on social media is also essential in today’s world. We live in an online world; if you are not present on social media, then you will simply be forgotten more often than not when someone is looking to make that call.

Maintaining professionalism at all times is of the highest importance in the music industry. Even if a gig may not seem important to you at the time, you never know who is watching you while you are working. It is best to maintain a persistent level of professionalism no matter where you are. This is something that younger musicians often have to learn the hard way when they are coming into the scene for the first time. All it takes is one simple mistake or miscommunication to get fired, but it is a lesson that must be learned.

My advice to younger musicians with aspirations of doing this for a living is to work hard at your craft and to practice as much as you can while in school. It is extremely important to surround yourself with the music you enjoy playing as much as possible. Listening to the music you love and attending live shows when manageable will highly benefit you. Studying with a great private lesson instructor will make a tremendous improvement to your goals as a musician as well. I believe that playing with others who are more experienced than you is the fastest way to learn and grow as an artist.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

In any profession, I believe that being surrounded by your loved ones, family, and friends is essential to success. These are the people in all of our lives that we can always count on for love and support during the good times and the bad times. I have always been very lucky to have such an amazing family and close friends that have been there for me when it comes to anything personal in my life. However, when battling with problems on a professional level in the music world, I have always gone to my mentors for advice.

I have always felt very lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing mentors throughout my career. Some of which are my trumpet heroes. One of the first names that always comes to mind is Dontae Winslow. Dontae was one of my first trumpet teachers that helped mold me at a young age into the trumpet player that I am today. Dontae is always there to respond to a text no matter what time of the day and no matter how busy he may be. The other mentors of mine that I always reach out to for trumpet related questions and advice consist of my other former teachers and heroes like Wayne Bergeron, Erick Jovel, and Rick Baptist. All of these men have inspired me to be a better version of myself and a better musician in all settings.

Recently I was called for a studio session with Disney for a latin Disney + show and immediately after getting the call I sent a text out to all four of them just to see what advice I could get from some of the world’s finest musicians. I got four individual pep talks to prepare me for what lied ahead at the session and everything went well thanks to their guidance. I really believe that getting to work with mentors that have achieved all of your future goals and aspirations can be a benefit like no other. Surrounding myself with musicians of their caliber will be always benefit me in ways I’ll never forget. I am so thankful for everything they have given to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hornsnhalos11.wixsite.com/ryan-buchanan-music
• Instagram: @hornsnhalos11
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005693266316
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRuX8zUm9cyuAaTTYaHWBNQ
• Other: Private Lesson Rate: $60 per hour

Image Credits

Jennifer Buchanan, Matthew Valencia