Photo by Erin Nelson.
McKay Thunnell, 16, a trumpet player at Hewitt-Trussville High School, practices at his home in Trussville on April 9.
Since picking up the trumpet for the first time when he was in the sixth grade, Hewitt-Trussville High School junior McKay Thunnell has made memories playing the instrument across the country.
But his best memory yet, he said, happened just a few months ago.
He traveled to Brigham Young University in Utah for a three-day trumpet festival. After a weekend filled with master classes and jam sessions from trumpeters who Thunnell looks up to, the event ended Feb. 1 with a high school competition.
Thunnell was the first to compete out of 26 other high school students. He played “Piece de Concours,” a French composition by Guillaume Balay — and he won second place.
“I was surprised,” he said. “I had heard some of the other kids playing, too, and they were really good.”
Thunnell said he remembers walking up on the stage as he won second place and seeing his dad’s face in the crowd.
“He was the only one there with me, and he was really impressed,” he said. “It was a big deal, and I wasn’t expecting to get anything super big out of it.”
Thunnell comes from a musical family. His mom plays piano, and both Thunnell’s parents sing in their church’s choir. One of his sisters plays the string bass, and all three of his sisters sing.
Thunnell said he knew he wanted to be musical, too, but he wanted to do something different from the rest of his family.
He had four different instruments to choose from in his sixth-grade band class: trumpet, trombone, clarinet or flute. Thunnell picked up the trumpet with plans to switch to percussion after a year.
“But then I just fell in love with the trumpet,” he said. “It’s interesting, and it has a lot of fun parts in the band. The biggest impacts are always the trumpets.”
He laughed and said he realized percussion wasn’t meant for him after day one of percussion camp.
“I went to the first day, and it was a week-long event,” he said. “And I hated it. So, I left.”
He continued playing trumpet and saw himself improving.
“I’ve kind of tried harder than everyone else, I feel like,” he said. “Even in sixth grade, there were still people who could barely play a note, and my director was helping me learn solos. I just started off strong and with a good work ethic.”
He said he put in the effort because music is a big deal in his life. Some have called him a prodigy, but Thunnell said he felt like he had to work hard. He said he really started pushing himself when he hired a tough private instructor the summer before seventh grade.
“He challenged me,” he said. “He never complimented me ever, which I loved. It gave me a challenge every time.... He definitely gave me a hard time, but I learned the most I’ve ever learned then.”
Between practicing at school, at home and with private instructors, he now spends at least three hours each day playing the trumpet with no days off.
“You have to start with a warm up,” he said. “Warm up alone takes like 45 minutes. That’s just the basics. So, like in track, you try to run a mile every day — that’s like the mile for trumpet players.”
To warm up, he said he plays notes and holds them out for a while. This warms up his lungs and his lips.
“Your lips are a muscle,” he said. “You have to warm it up just like anything else.”
Thunnell said he hopes to study the trumpet more in college. After winning second place in February, Thunnell said he is now considering BYU for college.
For those who want to make a career out of music, Thunnell said it doesn’t come easy. He said if the opportunity presents itself, take advantage of it.
“For most people, it’s hard work,” he said. “Especially if you’re starting out young, it’s good to get in good habits while you’re that young. Keep those habits and push as you get better.”
