Lertkiat Chongjirajitra is the principal trumpet of the Bangkok Symphony, a trumpet/brass lecturer for the Silpakorn University Faculty of Music, the director of the Bangkok Silpakorn Wind Orchestra, and a Yamaha Artist.
He’s also a fervent SmartMusic advocate who recently demonstrated SmartMusic on Thailand’s national television. You can watch his demonstration, including English subtitles he kindly provided, here.
Curious how this appearance came about, I e-mailed Lertkiat, and was delighted by his enthusiasm to talk about SmartMusic.
Scott Yoho: Thank you so much for demonstrating SmartMusic on Thailand’s national television. How did that opportunity occur? Did someone from the network contact you because of your work with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and knew you to be interested in music technology?
Lertkiat Chongjirajitra: I came to their attention though my talks about classical music on the radio channel. We then became friends on Facebook and Twitter, where they saw my work through the social networks. Later, we talked about technology in music, and they expressed interest in having me appear on the show.
SY: When did you first discover SmartMusic? What was your initial reaction?
LC: I first heard about SmartMusic maybe ten years ago. I believe it was through the magazine the Instrumentalist. Then in 2005 I saw Professor James Thompson (from the Eastman School of Music) using SmartMusic in his teaching and it was awesome! By 2007 I had become a serious SmartMusic user.
SY: What do you like best about SmartMusic?
LC: I like the accompaniment feature! Also the metronome and tuner functions.
SY: Do you personally use SmartMusic when you practice? If so, can you tell me what specific repertoire or features you use?
LC: Yes! I make great use of the accompaniment feature. My students and I have entered some of my personal music in Finale and saved this as SmartMusic accompaniments. I also use the Bordogni Etudes, practicing them with the mouthpiece. It really helps me and my students to become better trumpet players.
SY: Is there anything you’d like to say to other SmartMusic users or to music students in our audience?
LC: I think every student who has a personal computer should have SmartMusic. It’s so inexpensive compared to what you will get!
With great testimonials like that, from such highly regarded performers, who needs a marketing department? No, wait, scratch that!
I’m very grateful to Lertkiat for his time and wonderfully positive attitude, which is also in evidence on his Facebook page and website, and in his playing, which you can hear and see in videos listed here.