Michael Pressel
Director of Enrollment
Private Lesson Offerings
Trumpet
Guitar - Beginner
Piano - Beginning Jazz Keyboard and Theory
Michael's Biography
Michael started his musical journey in 5th grade when he started playing trumpet in York County Pennsylvania. His love for the horn would lead him through a successful high school, collegiate, and professional playing career. Michael studied Jazz Studies and Music Industry at James Madison University. Currently, Michael plays trumpet full-time with The Judy Chops, sits in and records with many bands in the area, and enjoys developing his skills on guitar, keyboard, and voice. Outside of music, Michael enjoys cooking, chess, studying computer science, card, and board games, D&D, watching football, and listening to baseball.
At Susquehannock High School Michael was drum major in the marching band, lead trumpet in jazz band, principal trumpet in concert band, pit orchestra, and principal trumpet in the orchestra. In the surrounding community, Michael auditioned into Pennsylvania Region 5 Jazz Band and Pennsylvania District 7 Concert Band, won the principal trumpet seat in the York Youth Symphony Orchestra, was hired for a professional pit orchestra every summer, was part of a jazz combo that played throughout the community and was hired to play for special events at Stewartstown United Methodist Church.
Michael accepted a scholarship to attend James Madison University to study classical trumpet with Dr. Carrillo. He also studied classical and jazz trumpet with Dr. Taylor Barnett when he was pursuing his Ph.D. at JMU; Dr. Barnett is now the Director of Jazz Studies at VCU. Michael also studied jazz with powerhouse piano player and jazz educator, Bob Hallahan. At JMU, Michael was a member of the Marching Royal Dukes, Symphonic Band, Brass Band, Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble, and many jazz combos. JMU’s jazz studies program required years of rigorous music theory, ear training, arranging, improvisation classes, juries, and recitals.
Professionally, Michael has played and recorded with numerous groups over the years including The Judy Chops, Midnight Spaghetti, Cartoon Graveyard, The Steel Wheels, Southern Culture on the Skids, Dropping Julia, Free Union, Disco Risque, Lord Nelson, The Dawn Drapes, Jaguardini, The Seven Bends Band, Everyday People, The Vosbein McGee Big Band, and Maggie’s Last Shift. Playing with these groups fundamentally changed how Michael viewed musical performance by placing emphasis on learning songs by ear, communicating musical ideas, preparing for gigs as a professional, and developing the non-musical skills needed to get called back for gigs.
