Trumpet and trombone lessons

at Seattle Jazz Academy

Learning a brass instrument—such as trumpet, trombone, or euphonium—opens the door to rhythm, expression, and a deep connection to jazz tradition. At Seattle Jazz Academy, students of all ages receive focused brass instruction from professional jazz musicians who are active performers and dedicated educators.

Our brass lessons emphasize strong fundamentals: tone production, technique, reading, rhythm, and harmonic understanding. Students learn how these skills come together in real music, developing confidence through guided improvisation and ensemble playing. Each Practice Room is structured, supportive, and grounded in the language of jazz.

Whether you are new to brass or returning with years of experience, our trumpet and trombone programs are designed to meet you where you are and help you progress with intention. Beyond private lessons, students are invited into ensembles, jam sessions, and a vibrant jazz community where learning happens through collaboration and listening.

Audrey Strangland

Trumpet and Trombone Lessons

Audrey is a top-call trombonist in the greater Seattle area. As daughter of two band directors, she was immersed in music from a very early age and played an array of different instruments before finding her voice through the trombone. She was heavily influenced by the duets of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, as well as Louis Prima and his band.

Audrey studied bass trombone at Central Washington University, and held positions in CWU Jazz 1 as both bass and lead trombonist. She is currently gigging, recording and teaching all around the Pacific Northwest. She teaches private lessons, gives clinics to local middle school and high school jazz bands, runs the Femme Ellington Big Band at Seattle JazzED as well as leading a music class for babies and toddlers.

Audrey is currently busy playing trombone with a variety of groups such as Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Orquesta Nueva Era, The Pazific, the Alex Dugdale Big Band, Banda Vagos. She is also gaining attention as a wonderful singer as she leads her own jazz trio, and her R&B group “Audrey and the Stangs.”

Carrie Jennings

Trumpet Lessons

Carrie Jennings is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist based in Seattle, WA. She has been performing and teaching music for over a decade, sharing her love of the arts with audiences and students across the West Coast.

Born and raised in Nevada, Carrie was involved in the performing arts from a young age as both a musician and a dancer. Her passion for performing took her to Colorado where she received a BM in Classical Performance from the University of Denver. While spending ten years immersed in the Denver music scene and touring the West Coast with indie-soul band Mama Magnolia and soul-R&B artist Wes Watkins, Carrie has been honored to open for acclaimed artists including The California Honeydrops, Snarky Puppy, and Booker T. Jones. She’s performed at notable venues including Mission Ballroom, Coors Field, Mishawaka Amphitheatre and at festivals including South by Southwest, Bumbershoot, and Sawtooth Valley Gathering. She also founded a North Indian classical dance school with her mentor Dr. Sarah Morelli and danced professionally with Leela Dance Collective. After moving to Seattle in 2022, Carrie launched her solo career as a singer-songwriter and released her debut EP “Good Tension” in October of 2023. Since then, she has been performing her own original music with her husband, Thomas Jennings, and her new band, Queen of Hearts, throughout the Pacific Northwest.

As both an artist and educator, Carrie believes that art is an essential component of our human experience, and that time devoted to any type of creative practice represents a deep investment in ourselves. She believes that this type of self-exploration cultivates awareness, joy, connection, and transformation. This fuels her desire to be a teacher. She is passionate about goal-oriented learning, leading by example, and mentorship, and is thrilled to be a part of the Seattle Jazz Academy community.

Beserat Tafesse

Trombone Lessons

Born to Ethiopian immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, Beserat Tafesse grew up with a wide array of musical and cultural influences. Traditional Ethio Jazz, the great Stevie Wonder, and his parents favorites were all mixed up and strewn together; each uniquely informing and penetrating his mind with a diverse soundscape from an early age. As he grew older, Beserat went to Central Washington University to pursue a degree in Classical Euphonium Performance, unintentionally cementing his love for jazz trombone instead. From there he attended the Manhattan School of Music, studying Jazz Trombone with some of the greats, and shedding nightly with many of New York’s living legends. You may have seen him playing with acts such as the Mambo Legends Jazz Orchestra, The Birdland Big Band, or blasting away with Slavic Soul Party. You may also have heard his work on the Grammy Nominated album Art of the Arrangement, by Doug Beavers, one of many projects he gladly lent his horn playing to.

After playing for years around town with bands such as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and traveling the globe with groups such as Kings Kaleidoscope, Beserat decided it was finally time to return home to Seattle, to spend time with his friends and family who helped raise him. Although he currently spends most of his time in Seattle, he still very much is a part of the national scene, traveling to and from his home as he sees fit. While in Seattle, Beserat continues to collaborate with world class musicians and teach at Cornish College of the Arts as well as work on his own debut solo project.