1% Trumpet ProgramReviews of toot-your-own-horn.com

My Review of Jesse Gracias’ 1% Trumpet Master Class Training with Jesse Gracia for a full year has transformed my trumpet playing more than all my previous years combined. His 1% Trumpet Program is built on the simple but life‑changing idea of making small, consistent improvements every day. Those 1% changes have reshaped my habits, my technique, and my confidence. When I joined the program, I came in with serious embouchure problems. I had played from elementary school through college, but years of blasting at football games in high school damaged my chops. In college I was always stuck on second or third parts, constantly struggling in the upper register, and never able to break through. This past year changed everything. My embouchure is now secure, stable, and consistent. I’m no longer jamming the horn into my face. My lips are vibrating freely at a higher frequency, giving me relief and freedom in the upper register. My airflow is supporting my sound instead of fighting it. My range has expanded. I can play lead parts—something I never imagined at this stage of my life. I still need to keep building endurance, but that’s simply a matter of scheduling practice time and applying what I’ve learned. Jesse’s program has been a tremendous blessing. At 53, I prayed that I would be able to enjoy my trumpet playing well into my older years. Now that dream is becoming reality. The path is in front of me, and it’s up to me to keep pressing forward with the tools Jesse has given me. I also want to honor Jesse personally. During my time in the program, he walked through the heartbreaking loss of his wife. Yet even in that season of deep pain, he continued teaching, encouraging, and pressing forward with strength that only God can give. His perseverance inspired me as much as his instruction. To Jesse and the entire teaching staff: thank you. Your program doesn’t offer quick fixes—it offers real, honest change for those willing to work. I highly recommend the 1% Trumpet Program to anyone who wants to grow, rebuild, or finally achieve the musical goals they’ve carried for years. God bless you all. Nelson Sandoval A trumpet player who happens to be a Pastor

Although the classroom-type sessions are group participation, the individual private sessions help each participant address our personal needs, as well. Jesse and the mentors are playing professionals who are fully equipped to assist and guide us. We support each other and share info and personal experiences. We are family. Anyone who wants to improve their playing will benefit immensely. 1% is the mantra. Success is the result.

My experience has been amazing. I’ve grown leaps and bounds on my trumpet playing. From range to attack, all parts of my trumpet has improved. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested.

Jesse has created a masterful approach to analyzing the myriad aspects of playing the trumpet and presents his strategies in a way that is easy to understand. There is no question that he sincerely cares about each player's progress. His expertise and enthusiasm make this course a completely positive experience!

I have been in the 1% Trumpet Program for about two years. What I have gotten most out of the program is that I have able to organize my practice in a way that I am able monitor improvement - or if something has not worked - very closely and quickly. In addition, Jesse has a lot of knowledge on the trumpet embochure, how it works and it has helped me discover things about that I did not know prior to joining the program. Currently, I am working on that in various ways. I am very happy with the results so far, as I contine to improve on my trumpet journey.

I’ve played trumpet for many (<50) years. A 15 year gap in the ‘80s and 90s. No lessons since high school. I’ve just played in local community bands. I started with the 1% program about 2 years ago because I was frustrated with my lack of endurance. From the very beginning I was impressed with Jesse’s attention to detail in all aspects of playing. We have worked on embouchure position, embouchure strengthening, breath support, tongue position, and posture. We’ve looked at practice techniques, length of practice, rest times, and indicators of the need to rest. He has taught me free buzzing. I learned about the CTS pressure gauge. So many of these aspects of playing were new to me. My endurance has improved and my practice routine is more goal directed. Jesse is focused on measurable results. He understands the struggles players like me experience. He’s an excellent instructor. The program has mostly group lessons and one on one lessons. Playing trumpet is hard, and many of us have bad habits which can be a challenge to break. He understands this fact and has techniques to break these habits. If you’re willing to put in the time and commitment, the 1% program with Jesse is a great choice.

As an older player, until recently I had accepted that I'd have to live with declines in trumpet sound, stamina and overall playing. However, through this masterful program I've learned to (finally) observe the real issues holding me back and fix bad habits to get where I want to be -- playing with a full sound, crisp attacks, confidence to hit notes, endurance and most of all the enjoyment I once had. This program is not a magic bullet and takes focus, patience and determination. It is like being given a mirror to see "where we are at" and make improvements with a combination of Jesse's expertise and our own intuition. And it is not a quick fix -- for example I had to radically alter my former embouchure while correcting overblowing and upper body tension and that has taken me 100+ days to settle into and I am liking it. As for online resources and self-learning, Jesse has pulled together an incredible trumpet knowledge base of hundreds of articles, links, and insightful teaching videos available to the group 24x7, and he's constantly adding to it. If you are willing to incorporate solid practice, identify and drop old habits, carefully log your progress, and put in focus time, the program is very much worthwhile and a great investment.

Jesse is intense! a good intense. I have learned many new things about the way to play. From mind set to physical. Wish I knew all of this when I first started out.