Paul Lowry

Paul Lowry is passionate about advancing the field of trumpet pedagogy. Mr. Lowry impresses upon all of his students equally the importance of having a deep understanding of the literature written by such former pedagogues as Arban, Stamp, Schlossberg, Clarke and Vizutti to name a few. Mr. Lowry believes that a student’s sound on the trumpet can teach them everything they are doing correctly and everything they are doing incorrectly. Teaching his students how to “read” their sound is a necessary component to heighten each student’s awareness during self-guided practice. Mr. Lowry works diligently to understand the unique personality traits of each student and enjoys the challenge of communicating the fundamentals of playing the trumpet to the highest standard in a way that is meaningful to each individual student.

A native of Cartersville, Ga., Paul Lowry currently lives in Chicago where he enjoys a very active career as a freelance trumpet player and teacher. Mr. Lowry received his Bachelor of Music degree from West Virginia University in trumpet performance where he studied with Dr. John Winkler. He continued his studies at Florida State University, receiving his master's degree in trumpet performance where he studied with Dr. Christopher Moore and Bryan Goff. Mr. Lowry has also studied with Stephen Burns, Mark Niehaus and Barbara Butler.

Mr. Lowry has won numerous solo competitions including 1st prize at the National Music Teachers Association (NMTA) national brass competition and as a finalist, finishing as runner-up in the 2004 National Trumpet Competition. Mr. Lowry has performed with several orchestras in the Chicagoland area including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Ballet. Mr. Lowry is also very involved as a chamber musician and recitalist performing concerts throughout North America.

In addition to teaching trumpet at DePaul University, Mr. Lowry is also on faculty at North Central College (Naperville, Ill.) and the Merit School of Music where he serves as the chair of the brass department and the Tom and Sue Pick trumpet chair. A member of the Merit School of Music since 2008, Mr. Lowry’s students have received many awards and honors including the $10,000 Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship for talented, low-income high school musicians. At the 2015 National Trumpet Competition, the Merit School of Music Honors trumpet ensemble, under the direction of Mr. Lowry, was the first high school group to ever advance to the semi-finals earning them an invitation to perform at that year's opening concert in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Mr. Lowry’s students have also performed on NPR radio shows and the PBS television program, "From the Top" with host Christopher O’Riley. Mr. Lowry’s students consistently gain acceptance into some of the nations top music conservatories and universities such as the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Lawrence Conservatory of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, University of Illinois and DePaul University.