We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Bibbs a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My parents sacrificially and unconditionally poured into me and my career path. They never forced me onto a path that they wanted for me, it was always “if this makes you happy, we support you”. My father worked extremely hard to financially support our family and provide me with the miscellaneous things I needed, like mutes, scores, lessons, etc. My mother ensured I was promptly at all the places I needed to be like school, rehearsals and auditions. I’m grateful that my decision to play trumpet at such an early age was never shamed. I hear so many disheartening stories of people who’s parents or family members were extremely discouraging, meeting them with projections of failure.
While I was in high school, I started to take trumpet seriously, knowing this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I want to go to school for this. In a season of discouragement, I started to second guess myself and my ability to continue. My mother recognized this low point I was having and immediately found a way to email Wynton Marsalis, to set up a lesson for me. She emailed, coordinated to schedule the lesson and took me to meet him. As she sat in on all of my lessons and rehearsals up to this point, this was different. She changed my life that day, as did he. This inspiring lesson and my mothers unconditional support, gave me all the strength I needed in that moment to continue playing trumpet. I was able to experience the unremarkable talent and selflessness of my idol because of my mother.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Laura Bibbs and I am a freelance trumpet player, vocalist and composer. I’ve had the opportunity to tour and perform with artists including Harry Styles and Mumford & Sons. Both tours have taken me around the world, playing in notable venues including Wembley Stadium, the Sydney Opera House, and Madison Square Garden. Beyond pop and touring, I’m passionate about contemporary and classical musics. When I am not on the road, I often teach and work on my own creative projects with my partner.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is connecting through sound and helping people experience emotion through sound. You never know who is sitting in your audience or what emotions they are carrying coming to a show. Whether it’s in a stadium or in an intimate chamber setting, it is our obligation as artists to lift the audience and hopefully leave them in a better spirit than when they came. Music has always allowed me to be myself while simultaneously bringing me closer to my community.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Art is often treated like a luxury but it is a lifeline for culture, mental health, and connection. In order to support all creatives and foster thriving creative ecosystems there must be ongoing tangible action. Supporting artists means investing in arts education, donating if and when you can, calling your child’s school board if they are contemplating slashing the budget. It’s also supporting local venues, showing up to shows, paying artists what they are worth and what they deserve because exposure does not pay bills. Supporting artists is buying tickets, buying their physical merchandise. To have a thriving creative ecosystem, we have to uplift one another, share your peers stories, their art, their music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laurabtrumpet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurabtrumpet/
Image Credits
Mark Elzey, Alfredo Colon, Deanie Chen