Beginner's Mind

Armando Ghitalla came to WVU in 1979 to do a masterclass. That evening at a party I found myself sitting beside him on a sofa. I asked him for advice. Ghitalla said to me, "Every morning when I pick up the trumpet to start practicing, I'm a beginner."

July 11

"Every morning when I pick up the horn, I'm a beginner."

Armando Ghitalla

In 1979, Ghitalla came to WVU for a masterclass. I remember playing the Hindemith Trumpet Sonata for him in the afternoon. That night we had a party for him at my teacher's house. Everyone was afraid to talk with him. He was on one side of the room and all the students were on the other side. I sat down on the sofa and started telling him that I was was leaving WVU soon and going to Boston to study at Berklee (down the street from the Boston Symphony Hall). He was extremely warm and kind. I asked him for some advice and he quoted the statement above.