Kellin Hanas Trumpet Interview
Welcome to the show notes for Episode #154 of The Other Side of the Bell – A Trumpet Podcast. This episode features trumpeter, composer and comedian Kellin Hanas.
Listen to or download the episode below:
About Kellin Hanas
Hailed in the International Trumpet Guild Journal as “one of the best up and coming jazz musicians on the globe”, 24 year old Kellin Hanas is a trumpeter, composer, educator and comedian based out of New York City and Chicago.
A recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, she has studied under legendary trumpeters such as Ingrid Jensen and Scott Wendholt. Kellin can currently be seen on tour with her own band, as well as The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Ensemble, the Grace Fox Big Band, Ted Nash Big Band, and actor and fashion legend Isaac Mizrahi.
Kellin is also thrilled to be holding the trumpet chair for Heathers The Musical in NYC at New World Stages, and occasionally you can see her at Broadway’s Just In Time as well. She is the recipient of the 2024 Laurie Frink Career Grant, and was also the 1st place winner of the 2024 ITG Ryan Anthony Memorial Jazz Improvisation Competition.
Since 2022, Hanas has been the leader of her own band, the Kellin Hanas Quintet, which debuted in the upstairs of the iconic Birdland Jazz Club. Since then, she has taken her band to many venues and festivals, as well as colleges and universities around the US. An accomplished composer and arranger, her music has been performed across the country.
She has also performed with celebrities such as Darren Criss, Titus Burgess, the Manhattan Transfer, and Michael Feinstein. As a side-woman, Hanas has shared the stage with many jazz legends, such as Sean Jones, Christian McBride, Melissa Aldana, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chad LB, Ted Nash and Arturo Sandoval. Kellin was also a musician in the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with Jonathan Groff and the Just In Time Band.
As an educator, Hanas has been invited to several colleges, universities and festivals to perform and teach. Some past visits include Ohio State University, Louisiana State University, Kennesaw State University and University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, as well as regional Essentially Ellington festivals. As of 2026, Hanas has released 3 books and 1 video course with Jazz Lesson Videos, and continues to create educational content with them.
As of January 2026, Hanas has amassed a following of over 250k fans online, from her musical and comedic content. She hopes to use her platform to inspire, connect with others, and spread laughter and joy.
Hanas is a Bach and Conn-Selmer endorsed artist.
Kellin Hanas episode links
Upcoming Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces Events
- Metropolitan Music, April 10-11, Seattle, WA
https://calendly.com/bobreevesbrass/metropolitan-music-valve-alignment-appointment - International Trumpet Guild, Washington Chapter, April 12, Bellingham, WA
Valve alignments: First come, first served! - Arkansas Trumpet Day, April 18th, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR
Valve alignments: First come, first served!
Podcast Credits
- “A Room with a View“ – composed and performed by Howie Shear
- Audio Engineer – Ted Cragg
- Cover Photo Credit – Courtesy Kellin Hanas
- Podcast Host – John Snell
Transcript
Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. It may contain spelling and other errors. If you would like to assist us in editing or translating this transcript, please let us know at info@bobreeves.com.
JOHN SNELL: Hello and welcome to The Other Side of the Bell, a podcast dedicated to everything trumpet brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. We’ll help you take your trumpet playing to the next level. I’m John Snell, trumpet specialist here at Bob Reeves Brass, and I’ll be your host for this episode.
Joining me today is trumpeter Kellin Hanas.
We’ll get to Kellin’s interview here in a moment after a word from our sponsor and some trumpet news.
[00:01:00]
JOHN SNELL: Happy springtime, everybody. I just got back from Iowa City. Uh, huge congratulations to all of the winners and competitors, at the National Trumpet Competition. Uh, it was a wonderful event. We had, uh, sold [00:02:00] out of valve alignments as always, and a lot of, uh, fine. Young trumpet players came by the booth to try equipment and maybe get a new case or a new mute or a new mouthpiece.
but it was always inspiring going to NTC. there’s so many great, jazz and classical players, the trumpet ensembles, the things these players put on. And once again, we were proud to, sponsor the large trumpet division, uh, won this year by UCLA. So congratulations to a hometown, trumpet section here.
And, uh, Jens Lindeman and his crew, that came home with the large trumpet ensemble, division winners. I have some huge news coming up. I’m so proud that, uh, Bob Res Brass has commissioned a brand new work. For trumpet and brass. and, uh, none other than Dan Rosen boom is writing the piece as we speak.
Um, actually it should be done by the time this posts. but anyway, he’s writing a new trumpet piece. Uh, as I had mentioned, uh, that we had commissioned for the Los Angeles Brass Alliance. Uh, we’ve been sponsoring that group for a [00:03:00] few years now. It’s a fabulous group of young musicians. Graduate level, uh, post-graduate.
basically it provides an outlet for, graduate students and folks that are just finishing up with their graduate, uh, work, an outlet to play, especially brass chamber music of all sizes. Uh, so like I said, we’ve been sponsoring the group for a few years. They put on a few concerts a year, some, and they, uh, really promote new works and in fact, their concert next up, is in, uh, coming up May 9th.
And, that concert always features up and coming young composers. And I thought it’d be really cool if we did a major work for brass and for trumpet. so we commissioned Dan Rosenbaum, to write this piece. So, uh, if you’re in and around Los Angeles, come here, the world premier, it’ll be held May 9th, 2026 at 7:00 PM at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.
if you can’t. Visit or, or hear the world premier in person. They live stream the [00:04:00] concert. So you can go to Los Angeles Brass Alliance, all that information will be@labrassalliance.org. Uh, you could watch that concert anywhere from the comfort of your, living room or in your car. Not driving, of course, uh, or in a Starbucks. and check out Dan Rosen Boom’s brand new work.
And of course check out our social media because we’ll be playing clips of that. They’re gonna be recording the concert and, uh, we have lots of plans, uh, for this cool new piece that Dan is writing. So that’s coming up May 9th for the La Brass Alliance. Uh, before that I am hitting the road, uh, for a few more trips.
Of course, I’ve mentioned before our trip to, Washington, uh, Kirkland, Washington at Metropolitan Music. I will be there. Uh, in fact, I just booked my flight, April 9th, 10th and 11th. That’s Thursday, Friday, Saturday, uh, Thursday is sold out. we’ll have the links if you want to get, uh, do a consultation or a [00:05:00] valve alignment.
Thursday is officially booked. I think there was, last I checked, there was one slot on, uh, Friday the 10th, and I think there was a few slots left for Saturday the 11th. again, that’ll be at Metropolitan Music in Kirkland, Washington, just outside of Seattle. Then on Sunday, April 12th, I’ll be at the Washington chapter of the International Trumpet Guild.
Uh, they’re having an event in Bellingham, Washington. I’m not doing signups for that. That’s just gonna be first come, first serve. So if you’re interested in doing a valve alignment on that Sunday the 12th, just show up, to the Washington, ITG, event. Uh, held in Bellingham as I had mentioned, and I’ll do as many alignments that day as I can.
My flight’s not till the next day, so if they have to kick me out, uh, Sunday night, ’cause I’m still doing alignments, so be it. but of course, of, other than the alignments, I’ll have the, uh, you know, 300 plus trumpet mouth pieces there. Uh, be able to consult with you, in person if you’re interested in trying mouthpieces.
And I think [00:06:00] we’re bringing some vin mutes as well to try some of those cool mutes. So hope to see you in Washington. And then I’ll turn around and ship the stuff straight over to Arkansas. Uh, for the Arkansas trumpet day, April 18th, uh, in Jonesboro, Arkansas at, uh, Arkansas State University. Looks like an incredible event that they’re putting together, so I will see you there.
for valve alignments and mouthpieces and shires trumpets, uh, guard bags, we’re bringing everything to that one. again, no sign up for that one. Uh, that’s just gonna be first come, first serve. So. Hope to see you either in Washington, April ninth, to 12th or in Arkansas April 18th.
Well, that’s all the news I have for today. Let’s get right to my special guest today, Kellen HNIs.
JOHN SNELL: Kellen Hani is a rising trumpeter composer, educator, and comedian based in New York City and Chicago, a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. She has performed with the Diva Jazz Orchestra, Ted Nash big band, [00:07:00] Carnegie Hall Ensemble, and with her own quintet, which debuted at Birdland Jazz Club. Her career has also included appearances with Isaac Mizrahi, Darren Chris, Michael Feinstein, and the Manhattan Transfer, along with performances alongside artists such as Christian McBride, Didi Bridgewater, Sean Jones, and Arturo Sandoval. Kellen was the winner of the 2024 ITG Ryan Anthony Memorial Jazz Improvisation competition and recipient of the Lori Frank career Grant. Kellen is also an active educator, author and creator whose playing and humor have built a wide following online. And now here’s my interview with Kellen HNIs.
JOHN SNELL: Well, I’m so honored to have join me today on the other side of the bell. Kellen HNIs. Kellen, how you
KELLIN HANAS: I am good. How are you?
JOHN SNELL: Oh, I’m doing wonderful. Uh, and, uh, I hope you’re not too jet lagged. You were just in what, Montana
KELLIN HANAS: Whitefish, Montana, but I, I lost three hours, so I’m a little, [00:08:00] I’m a little loopy, but I’m super happy to be here.
JOHN SNELL: Well, I honor having you here, and we just had the time change and so I, yeah, I, I’m, yeah. We’ll, we’ll, we’ll get through this. We’ll talk about the trumpet. That’ll be easy. Right.
KELLIN HANAS: Great.
JOHN SNELL: and I, let’s start right from the beginning. Um, I, I’d love to hear how you started on the trumpet. Did it find you or did you search it out?
What did that look like?
KELLIN HANAS: I always say when I tell the story, it just sounds so, like, I sound like one of those people that makes up like those grandiose, you know, super deep stories. But this like really happened. Um, I had a dream when I was like four years old. I mean, at this point I don’t really remember the dream ’cause I’ve been telling the story since I was that age, you know, so now it’s just in my brain from that.
But, I had like a dream that I was like playing trumpet on a stage and like, you know, like with blue lighting on the stage, just like a very specific dream. And I think it came from, um, I used to watch this children’s show called The [00:09:00] Wiggles. It’s like this Australian, you know, guys and the colorful shirts and they had A-A-V-H-S tape that I used to watch all the time.
I got like the very last of like the VHS era. So I’m glad that I grew up with that. But um, yeah, they brought out this guy to play like piccolo trumpet on one of the tapes, to like this little Irish jig. And I guess my brain really latched onto that and. you know, usually kids don’t start playing instruments in like the school system until fifth grade or so, but my grandma was a choir director and she was really adamant about making sure that I had some sort of direction in life, you know?
JOHN SNELL: Go, grandma. I love it.
KELLIN HANAS: yeah, grandma Grandma’s the reason why. Um, but so she took me to the music store when I was seven with my parents, and I remember it was this little like, local music store. I’m from Wheaton,
Illinois. and I mean, there’s a great, like K through 12, like our school [00:10:00] system is great and our music programs are, you know, great. but yeah, she wanted to start me early when I was seven, and so I walked in and I just remember, you know, they were like, okay, like let’s have you try everything. And I remember saying, oh, I want the trumpet. I just knew automatically, you know, and. It was just this vibe of like, no, like, that’s such a big instrument and you’re so small, you know, it’s not the typical little girl instrument. and so they gave me the flute and the clarinet and the violin and all of this stuff, and I was such a stubborn kid, and I’m still like this, I just pretended to be bad at everything. I was like, they’re not gonna give me the violin if I make it sound horrible. You know? So I just was like, I’m gonna be super bad at everything until we get to the trumpet and then I’m gonna actually try, you know?
JOHN SNELL: That’s hysterical. That’s brilliant too. I, love it.
KELLIN HANAS: I just knew that I wanted it. And, so we got to the trumpet and I, I could get notes out and the guy that was [00:11:00] showing us the instruments was like, oh, like, it’s kind of rare for. Like a kid, her age and size to be able to get that kind of sound. And so they gave me a cornet instead because the trumpet was just too big for me.
It was like literally half the size of me at that time. and yeah, just from there, I mean I was classically trained for like seven years. Um, it just wasn’t my thing, you know, like once I learned jingle bells, I was like, I’m done. You know? Um, but I, you know, I did the whole like competition and concerto thing and, and my grandma taught me, like, she taught me how to read music and like,
just was like my music teacher for like the first seven years I think
of, yeah.
JOHN SNELL: so you guys would get together and she’d just show you the notes and how to read and count, et cetera.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, she would Skype me every night. Um, she would pay for all the lessons. she would pay for all the horns, just [00:12:00] like
she was the reason why I had anything that I had. and then, yeah, you know, it was when you’re like a first grader in the fifth grade band, it’s kind of cool, but once you play Ode to Joy four years in a row with like, kids that aren’t getting any better, you know, it’s like, I just was like, this is ridiculous and I’m leaving, you know? so yeah. And then when I was in middle school, I, I found jazz and it’s like the rest is history. I didn’t
wanna do anything else. Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: No more o DeJoy unless you’re quoting it in a solo or something.
KELLIN HANAS: more.
JOHN SNELL: But who does that? Well, so, did, I mean, you had private instruction on the trumpet during that time as well, or you said your, your grandma was paying for lessons.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: so were you doing the standard stuff, the Arban Clarks, things like that?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, I, I started out with a violin teacher, so the guy who showed me the instrument first ended up being my teacher for a second.
And, you know, he was fine for like the beginning. I mean, he’s not gonna help with technique, [00:13:00] you know, I didn’t even learn to use my third valve slide until I was like, in high school. Um, so, because nobody told me to. but yeah, I studied with him and then I switched to, uh, a couple local teachers in the area, like different colleges. And then, um, I studied with this guy, named Tom Toman. He’s a great trumpet player. we didn’t get much into transcribing or anything, but he introduced me to like, jazz Aude books and, and stuff like that.
JOHN SNELL: was this when you were in middle school?
KELLIN HANAS: This was, yeah, I’m, I’m trying to remember. It’s like so much of it’s a, a blur.
Most of that was in elementary and middle school and middle school. I can’t, I think I was studying with Tom in middle school. My middle school band director, uh, was like my main mentor, for like middle school and, part of high school.
Um,
And
JOHN SNELL: was that?
KELLIN HANAS: his name was Dan Dupree. Um,
he was also an amazing trumpet player and lead player. And yeah, he just, he, like, he [00:14:00] was the first person that saw, a certain kind of potential in me, I think. ’cause I, at that time I was just one of those kids that was like naturally good at it, but I didn’t really practice
because I just didn’t have the passion yet, you know? and he. Yeah, he really invested, he like brought me into his like local jazz band in like the basement of the church. And like I learned the American songbook there and kind of had my light bulb moment in there that I didn’t wanna do anything else. You know,
JOHN SNELL: Wow. So what, what do you remember? Was it one particular moment or was it just that experience getting to go down there and play jazz?
KELLIN HANAS: yeah, I think well ’cause at the time I mean this, this, this band director is a whole story if you want me to tell
JOHN SNELL: Go for it. Yeah.
KELLIN HANAS: Um, yeah, so he was an amazing educator, like the most dedicated educator, oh my gosh. I could not speak educator I’ve ever met. and yeah, he would just, you know, he would spend some individual [00:15:00] time with me, like, practicing my parts with me and like showing me different recordings and, I was comfortable with being the kid that was the best in the middle school that didn’t need to practice. You know, I was just like, this is something I’m good at. And I like that, but he, I think he saw that if I, like, you know, if I actually got into it, I could be really good.
And so, yeah, he kind of became like a second father to me. I really looked up to him. And our, um, middle school system is grade six through eight. And so right before I entered eighth grade, he made this announcement that he was gonna leave the middle school to go teach the elementary schoolers. And I was so devastated.
He was like the only, you know, like reason why I liked going to school.
And so, you know, I went to his office and I cried and I was like, don’t leave. Like, you’re the only person that like actually sees me here and, you know, whatever. And, and so then he was like, you know, I have this jazz band every Monday night at the, the local church.
You should come and, you [00:16:00] know, sit in and listen to the band. So for the next two years, I basically, I just went every Monday night and it went from me listening to me sitting in on rehearsals. And then eventually I had my first ever gig with that band and I was playing in the band. and it was a lot of like, you know, it was like in the mood and Tommy Dorsey stuff and you know, orange colored Sky, stuff like that.
but I do remember, you know, those memories where it’s almost like you have a snapshot, like where you were
in your brain, you can like, kind of see it. I just like remember sitting in the band and just all of a sudden like, I don’t know what, what song we were playing. Some American songbook thing. And I just was like, this is the best music I’ve ever heard.
Because I really had not connected to music fully at this point in my life. There were things that I listened to, uh, I listened to like a lot of like electronic and like video game music and that was kind of. What I [00:17:00] was connected with at the time. And, but it wasn’t like I was sitting down and like, this is moving me, you know? and like sitting in that band and hearing whatever was being, I was just like, I can’t believe I am just finding this now. You know? And so I get into high school and Dan is still a great mentor of mine. I’m still playing with this band, and he stands up in the middle of a rehearsal and he says, you know, guys, like before rehearsal ends, I have to tell you, you know, I have some really bad news.
I’ve just been diagnosed with brain cancer
and I know, and I was like 14 And I had never experienced anything like that. So I was like, oh, he’s gonna get treatment and it’s gonna be fine, and whatever. And over the next year, it was just this slow process of seeing him kind of deteriorate in front of us.
And he was an amazing leap player and he went from. Just being this super strong, healthy guy to like, he could only play with one hand [00:18:00] ’cause he was paralyzed on one side and, and wheelchair bound all of a sudden. And um, and so then, I tell this story ’cause it’s like the most, like, I feel like prolific musical experience I’m ever gonna have in my life.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah.
KELLIN HANAS: but I got into Allstate for the first time in high school. It was my sophomore year of high school. That was like the biggest thing I’d done at that point. And I got the Harman Mu solo on Lil Darling. And that was, I was like, oh my God. Like I have a solo at Allstate. I’ve made it. You know, and he couldn’t be there ’cause he was sick at home.
And I either got, I got like a call, I think from his family while I was at Allstate. Um, and they said that he had gone into a coma and that if
I wanted to say goodbye, I should come over. So I, after Allstate, I went to his house. he was sitting there unresponsive. It was like, not the person I knew, but,
and I went up to him and I talked to him about [00:19:00] Allstate and how proud I was of myself and I, I was like, I wanna play you my solo.
So I bring up my Harmon Mute solo on, on my phone, uh, and I play it for him. And he starts to move. Like he
can hear the
JOHN SNELL: Oh my, gosh.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. Um, and it was like so obvious that even though he physically wasn’t responsive, he was, he could hear what was going on and he passed away like one or two days later after that.
And that, I know, I know. It’s,
it’s like, that is like such a, um, I don’t know. Like he, he changed my life. Like he’s the whole reason why I found jazz and like, and I, I, I still feel like sometimes at like different performances, randomly, like, I won’t even be thinking about him and then I’ll feel his presence, you know?
So I feel like he, he probably is seeing, you know, my, like one of my goals with my playing is to like continue the stuff that he didn’t get to do. ’cause he was a [00:20:00] great performer and he loved just playing, you know, not only educating, but you know, I wanna do the stuff that he didn’t get to do. So that’s like one of the reasons, like one of the things that I think about
when I play.
JOHN SNELL: one of your driving forces. Um, wow. Well, thank you so much for sharing. And then you were, what, you were 14, 15 at this time.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. I think I was, maybe I was 15 or 16 when he passed.
Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: be so young, but to have that kind of perspective and experience. I’m so, I mean, thank you so much for sharing. Um, you know, Dan’s story, you know, one of the things we love doing on this podcast is honoring, you know, the educators that are the reason why we’re here and, um, and the fact that his life was cut short.
But you’ve got to, you were blessed with the experience of being inspired by him and, and to be able to provide that, musical moment, um, so close to the end of his life.
Amazing. I didn’t expect to come in this morning and cry.
KELLIN HANAS: I know, I know. I never, I never know because I, I, I literally was just doing an interview [00:21:00] with Con Sr. And they were
like, who was the band director who changed your life? And I was like, do you really want to hear this story? Because it’s so, it’s so emotional, but it’s like, it’s
so core to my experience, you know?
JOHN SNELL: Absolutely. Absolutely. And who we are, you know, the humanity of it, the, you know, the, the power of music and how it, what it can do for someone who’s in a coma. Um, but also the driving force, uh, for one of our, up and coming young artists, you know, that’s, amazing. Um, thank you for sharing that.
So, uh, I mean, that had to have been hard on you, his passing. what did that look like for you? Did you kind of double down, you know, because of that experience, or was it a thing where you, you know, what did that look like?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. I mean, it was just such a, I I had never experienced any sort of death before.
and it was really hard because, you know, he, he was really not treated well by the kids in the band. They were horrible to [00:22:00] him, and just, they would make up horrible rumors and, and put valve oil in his coffee and just like. It was just so, and he was, he was like, the nicest kids are just sad and, and insecure. And I don’t know what that was about, but you know, when he passed, my friends in band knew that I was close to him. But I don’t think, I think that at that time, ’cause we were all 14, 15, 16, whatever, you’re not emotionally mature enough at that age to really, you know, your friend is going through grief and, and they were kind of just like, they didn’t know that how deep that was for me.
You
know? So it kind of felt like I was only the only person that was like really grieving in my community because, you know, they were like, oh, he was a great band director and you know, and then they move on and I’m like, this man literally like. You know, shaped who I am as a person, you know? Um, so it was really difficult.
It was like really hard. [00:23:00] the big band played at his funeral. We played, um, just a closer walk with the, and like the energy in that room. Oh my gosh. Like, you know, people can think what they think about the paranormal stuff. I, I felt his presence. And like, I have had like many moments where I’m like, just out of nowhere.
I’m like, oh, he’s here right now. Just
so weird. we play Little Darling in a lot of my shows now, and I, I don’t always tell the story or go into it
in, into detail, but like, I always do something in my performances to kind of pay tribute to him appropriately.
Um. So, yeah, I mean, I just, it sucks that he is not here to see the product of his, like, dedication to education, you know? But, I’m like hopeful that somehow he knows through like what I’m doing and, and what I’ve shared about him,
JOHN SNELL: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I’m, I’m, I’m sure he is. I mean, [00:24:00] the, uh, amount of inspiration that already at a young age, you’ve given to many. Um, yeah. You’re doing the thing. And I’d, I’d love to, I’d love to continue on how you got to where you are today. Um, so what did your early jazz education look like in terms of who were you listening to, what were you studying?
Take us through that.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. Um, I mean, I didn’t know it at the time, but I, you know, kind of had been exposed to jazz throughout my life just because my grandma would play like vaudeville tunes around the house I was being exposed to like, super old musicals from her and, and American songbook stuff without even knowing.
I just, at the time, I was too young. I was like, this is old people music and I’m not into that, you know?
Um, and I guess my brain developed when I was 14 and actually got a good taste, you know? Um, but. It kind of took a second. Um, ’cause you know, I was exposed to jazz in middle school and I really started to like it, but I didn’t understand the improvisation part of it, and I didn’t know what transcribing [00:25:00] was, and I didn’t really have consistent, lessons in high school.
I think I had like some lessons freshman year and then after that I was so busy with marching band and I did speech team and I pretty much just, I practiced trumpet like eight hours a day. But it was kind of just me figuring out like what to do. I had a lot of the technique stuff from my other teachers and, and Tom Toman set me up on the, you know, the Arban and the what else?
Uh, and the Clark, you know, I had all that stuff under my fingers, you know, from the time I was in fifth grade because of him. but when jazz like came around for me, I just. I just started transcribing without knowing what transcribing was, or that that was a way to like, learn how to improvise. You know, I was just hearing like the things that other people were playing and I went, that sounds cool.
I want to use that. And so I just started learning other people’s stuff and, [00:26:00] um, I had to learn the hard way. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to play like other people’s stuff, like line for line. Um, so I was like, oh, I’m just gonna take like 16 bars of this solo and 16 bars of this solo and put it together and, you know, whatever.
And then people were like, girl, that’s not your own stuff. And I was like, oops. So I just kind of just started transcribing like right away, you know? And I mean, actually, like the way that I transcribed was kind of like a good exercise.
Like I would have a like notebook, like if I had to learn a specific tune, I would like write down the timestamps of like, ideas that I liked so I could refer back to them. And
like, I would just learn like a ton of different lines from a ton of different recordings of the same, tune, you know? And I just gathered like so much language, and I didn’t really have any theory knowledge to back it up. I’m still not a theory head. I [00:27:00] know more stuff now because of college. but a lot of it was just learning so many solos and so many lines and just like trying and trying and trying and trying.
And eventually it just turned into, like, I went from like not being able to play any of my own stuff at all. To being like in this middle spot where it was like, oh, I can feel it working.
’cause it was a combination of like the lines that I had transcribed, and then all of a sudden I was like kind of able to like change them a little bit or like make up something original that was based off of something I learned.
You know? And then I don’t, I don’t even remember when it happened. It was really recently, like maybe two years ago or something. I was like, oh, I’m like actually fully improvising right now. Like, I don’t feel like I need to. Like, and I, I’ve been, I mean, that’s been happening since I was in college, but like, I was unhappy with my ideas for a long [00:28:00] time. I was, I mean, you know how it is, it’s like you like get to a new level of your plane and you’re like, this is awesome. And then like two weeks later you’re like, oh my God, I suck. You know, until you
hit the next level, you know?
JOHN SNELL: Yeah. Yeah. Make that breakthrough.
KELLIN HANAS: right.
JOHN SNELL: so I’m curious, who were you, I mean, you sound like you were, I mean, you said you were practicing eight hours a day. You’re, you know, you’re transcribing tons of stuff. Like who were you listening to?
KELLIN HANAS: Oh my God, everybody. It was like,
uh oh. I started with Miles. Um, he was like the first solo. Oh, what did I transcribe? I think I literally did Freddie Freeloaders, like my first ever solo. And then I did Chet Baker on Autumn Leaves. and then from there it just was like, oh my God, so many people, uh, I mean obviously Clifford and, and Lee Morgan and Freddy and, Roy Hargrove. I was transcribing some, um, Greg Giz stuff. yeah, it was just like a ton of sources, from everywhere. And I wasn’t paying oh, and [00:29:00] Winton Winton, especially when I was in high school and still like. I think Winton sound is like one that I I feel like I learned how to articulate from Winton and Lee Morgan.
Um, I feel like that’s something not like people don’t talk about enough is like when you’re transcribing, it’s, it’s everything. It’s not just the notes and the rhythms. It’s like learning inflections from people and learning tone, and vibrato and stuff like that. or, you know, what’s interesting to me is that people tell me that I sound like Clark Terry and I honestly haven’t checked out enough, Clark Terry. Um, but I feel like, getting a wide variety of sources like that really helped me be able to find all of the different things that feel like me, Because something I find interesting is that people always tell me, they’re like, oh, you have your own sound. Like you sound like you. I can always tell it’s you.
And I don’t feel that way. I feel like I sound like all my influences. But, um, I think that studying [00:30:00] like so many different sounds has like, allowed me to have more of like a, like I feel like I focus a lot on bebop, but I also, it’ll be like bebop, bebop, and then it’ll be like a lot of the blues and then it’ll be bebop, you know, and then a little bit of hard bop and you know, a little bit of, you know, whatever. Um, so I’m like, glad that I went about it that way too, you know?
JOHN SNELL: Yeah, make your own thumbprint, but you, you know, you can hear influences, but it’s your own combination of those influences.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: So, uh, so you, you’re in high school. Was it, uh, I mean, it sounded like you knew what you wanted to do. I mean, was it no question that you wanted to go on to music school, get a, get a degree in performance?
KELLIN HANAS: I, for the longest time I was like, so set on music education. I wanted to be a band director because of my band director. Um, and it wasn’t until, um, I started getting into like the, the high school national honor bands, my junior year of high school, which is where I met Summer [00:31:00] Camargo.
and we were in the same band together.
And like, she really is the reason why I chose to go into performance. I never had met anybody that had even been like near Julliard. And the day that I met her, she had like just come back from her Julliard audition and she told me all about it. And I had a little notepad and I was like asking her all these questions ’cause I was her biggest fan.
JOHN SNELL: Oh, how cool.
KELLIN HANAS: Oh. yeah, like meeting her and meeting the other people in that band who some of you know whom have eventually become like my best friends. like Summer’s one of my best friends now. it just showed me like a, like the possibility of, you know, I just never, I was like, I, I’m not gonna go into music performance.
There’s like, I have no shot, you know? And then I was playing with these kids that are going into music performance and I was like, well if they’re doing it, maybe I can do it. And so, Yeah. All of a sudden I just, it just switched, you know? I like dropped my language class in high school ’cause I knew I wouldn’t [00:32:00] need it, you know?
JOHN SNELL: See ya. I love
it.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. I told, I went to my French teacher, Madam. I said, Madam, I’m gonna be a jazz musician and I’m quitting French. And she said, thank God, because you’re not very good at it. Um, but yeah, I just all of a sudden was like, it was a very sudden switch from, um, I, I just wanted to go to like the local, like college by my house and then it very suddenly switched to like, I’m applying to Julliard in Manhattan School of Music and just like, totally like that.
Um, and thank goodness I did like, I think moving to New York changed my life way for the better
and I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t have done it. I would still be in Illinois and probably like living probably with my family if I didn’t. So, and that’s not a bad experience. It’s just like. I think I was supposed to leave, you know?
JOHN SNELL: That’s, and it’s a big choice to make. Have you, had you ever been to New York before?
KELLIN HANAS: [00:33:00] No. Oh my gosh. I had barely tra I, I took my first solo travel trip without my mom when I was 17.
so I, the only place I’d been to is Wisconsin, you know? and yeah, when I made that decision to, I think I visited, um, I visited New York around the time that I had applied, uh, to go to school, just to visit.
I visited summer at Julliard and then I came back to audition in person. and then COVID happened like a, a week after I auditioned COVID shut down the world. but then I moved in September of 2020, and I’ve been here since.
JOHN SNELL: Ever since. So were, were you gonna school, uh, gonna college during the COVID years or?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, I, I, um, started my freshman year at MSM, in September of 2020. It was, they really tried their best. Like we, I think we were the only conservatory in the area that was [00:34:00] open in person. and it was, well, just when you take a bunch of teenagers that have been isolated, you know, for six months and then you put them all in a, in a, you know, school or a dorm together, oh my God.
Drama, drama central, you know, nobody knew how to behave ’cause everybody was so messed up from the pandemic, you know? but it was also like, I was so glad to be there. ’cause oh my gosh. Like we, we needed some sort of social interaction at that point, you know?
but it was also, it was like. Your parents couldn’t drop you off.
There was no parents allowed. So I flew to New York. I quarantined for two weeks because that was what was required when you landed. I quarantined with another trumpet player’s family. Um, and now he subs for me on Heather’s, which is super sweet, but I quarantined with his family for two weeks and then his mom dropped me at the front of the school and said, okay, have a good time.
You know?
JOHN SNELL: Push you out.
KELLIN HANAS: Right. I was like, I just met this [00:35:00] lady two weeks ago, you know? And then you walk into the dorm and they say, here’s your key. Have fun. No orientation, knowing nothing. And then I like, got to my room and I cried, and then we all went to the bar and that’s, you know, that’s what happened. And, and like, it was like class on Zoom and, and it was such, such a weird experience.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah. Yeah. I, I mean, it seems like an age ago, but it is, uh, not, not that long. And yeah, we made it So when, when did you start to get, uh, I am assuming you didn’t start writing right away with playing in groups at that point, right? Or was it a, was it all online classes for a while?
KELLIN HANAS: we, it was a really weird situation. Most of the classes were on Zoom, and then we had combo in person, but we were all 10 feet away from each other.
And, uh, we had to play with masks on and with a bell cover on, oh my God. We had like the puppy pee pads on the floor for our spit. And [00:36:00] like, it was just, you know, at that point it’s like you’re on a huge stage that’s super echoey and you’re 10 feet apart from everybody you can’t hear, you know? but that was in person. And then we had an improv class where half the class would go in person and half the class would be on Zoom, and then it would like switch the next week.
so I was, I was super happy and we were allowed to have jam sessions, I think, with certain precautions. So, oh my God. I mean, in comparison to what it could have been. Or you know, or could have been no music for the next year. Like we were so lucky to be there and to be able to play in person. I mean, it was kind of like it was out of a movie and like, scary, but you know, we were there.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah, I know some schools they didn’t get back in person for over a year, you know, a year and a half. So the fact that the lease got to have some sort of human interaction, even if it wasn’t ideal. Um, so when things finally opened up and you were able to, uh, were your lessons, uh, trumpet lessons over Zoom as well at that point?
Or
KELLIN HANAS: Ingrid was like [00:37:00] the only professor that was in person and I had her as a
teacher, so I got to study with her in person from the beginning, which was amazing.
JOHN SNELL: tell us what it was like studying with Ingrid.
KELLIN HANAS: she, She’s like my New York mom. Like,
she, she has just been so amazing and when I started studying with her, I had like the worst posture. Ever. I played the trumpet, like a clarinet, just like straight down.
And I walk into my first lesson and she’s like, play me, uh, like two choruses on Green Dolphin Street, unaccompanied. And you know, I’m like shaking in my boots and I, I play for her. It kind of sucks. Like it really sucks. And, but you know, she’s so nice and she immediately was like, we have to fix your posture.
Like this is, you can’t be playing like this. And she, you know, she’s had some major injuries from tension and, and posture and, um, she’s [00:38:00] studied Tai Chi and gotten help from Chinese medicine, all this awesome stuff. She literally like healed herself from, I think she had Bell’s Palsy, like her face.
Like, she was like, she, she had some major issues, um, from alignment and
so she really helped me. Um, yeah, just like, I mean, it took a long time because it takes a long time to like, like change, you know, like literally what you’ve been doing for a decade or whatever. But
she, yeah, like helped me release a ton of tension in my body, become more aligned.
and of course, like she just gave me so many great exercises and, and train helped me train my ear. There was a lot of like drone work. and then also it was like, you know, I would, I would come into her office and I’d be like, I am sad today, or whatever, and she would just like talk to me and like, let me, she was so awesome.
You know, I don’t get to see her a ton anymore, but I still, you know, [00:39:00] we text and I give her updates and we get dinner sometimes. And, um, I know that like if I ever needed something, she would be there and she would help me. Um, and so it just feels really good. I’ve been really, really lucky with a lot of the mentors that I have in my life that are in the city.
Um, ’cause I would be, I, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have them, you know?
JOHN SNELL: Yeah, absolutely. So, and moving to New York, did you start freelancing right away? I mean, obviously everything was shut down, uh, but you know, eventually when things did start to open up, did you, were you on the freelancing even when you were in college?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. Um, I, it was really weird. I had like maybe two or three gigs my freshman year, just random stuff. And then, um, my sophomore year there was still a lot of COVID restrictions, but it was like the world was opening up a little bit more. So I started to get a little bit more work, not a ton, but you know, I was like, oh, I’m actually getting called for stuff.
And then by my junior year I was like, I had my first tour. I started playing with the Diva Jazz [00:40:00] Orchestra. and then my senior year I had, honestly, I had a very strange, very strange college experience. ’cause the first half was COVID and then I had a year of normalcy, but not really normal because I would be working in a way and I wouldn’t really be going to school. And then my senior year I ended up getting really, really ill and I almost dropped outta school. And so I kind of just spent my senior year like not doing anything. It was like really
weird. Um,
but yeah, I think, um, like the second half of my senior year when my health started to get better, I like. I just got all of this work and I was working so much, and I was barely at school, and pretty much since I graduated I’ve been like nonstop.
Like, it’s been insane. I didn’t know, like I feel so lucky that there’s this much work. Um, you know, ’cause I, I just didn’t expect, I kind of was prepared to like, all right, I’m gonna start teaching lessons and, you know, doing all this [00:41:00] stuff. And I can’t sit down, you know?
It’s, it’s great.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah, I mean, it’s a problem, but it’s a good problem to have. It’s better, it’s better, better than the alternative. Um, but I, yeah, I mean it’s, that’s especially this day and age when everyone complains about, you know, well there’s not enough work and, you know, piecing together a music career and performance, it’s difficult.
And, so to be having it, you know, the career knocking at your door, um, you know, I’m curious, so you mentioned about your illness. Did you have, did you have to quit playing during your, uh, during your illness? Did it affect your
KELLIN HANAS: I I tried my best to keep it up, but, I had like, it was a, it was like a stomach thing, and so there was just a point where like my abdomen was so sore that I just, and I, I, it was, oh my God, like I, I lost like 40 pounds out of nowhere. And I,
um. Yeah, I mean unfortunately the, I, it’s a long-term thing now and I’m still experiencing it, but it was like a lot of [00:42:00] fatigue and pain and, and not being able to eat.
And so I just literally didn’t have, you know, I would like go to combo rehearsal when I felt, well, MSM was really good about giving me accommodation so I could graduate. Um, but, you know, I, I had to say no. I, like, I had to make the decision to like, say no to all traveling gigs, so I had to give up a lot of work.
I pretty much didn’t work for like eight or nine months except for like little minor things here and there, which thank God I was in school when that happened because I could kind of just rely on, you know, my loans at the time. but yeah, it was, I mean, recovering from really not playing for eight or nine months.
Like it took a second to build my, endurance backup for sure. I.
JOHN SNELL: Mm-hmm. Well, it’s just, I, I can’t imagine the frustration being kind of at the, you know, early trajectory of your career and then to have those kinds of roadblocks, uh, to be able to persevere through that, you know?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, it was very, it was very difficult. Like, [00:43:00] ’cause I, I, I just, I was certain, ’cause it was that, yeah, I’d say my senior year was really when it was like, I’m like, right before I’m like, starting to get like a ton of work and really take off and, and I was like, if I, quit now, like nobody’s ever gonna call me again and I’m never gonna get any work again and, you know, whatever.
And that’s, that wasn’t the case. But, um, you know, still, like, I still deal with a lot of health issues and it’s a very hard thing to have to say no to certain things because, you know, like I know that I won’t be able to do it. You know, like there’s certain gigs that require like a lot of. you know, you have to be on your feet for like 10 hours or something, you know, and I’m like, I don’t know if I can do that.
Um, but, you know, it’s, it’s always, it’s, it’s difficult because it’s like, if you start saying no to stuff, you never, you never know when the work is gonna stop, you know?
So you wanna say yes to everything. but also when you say yes to everything, you’re like gonna run yourself into [00:44:00] the ground, you know?
So it’s just, it’s a hard balance to figure out. For sure.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah. I mean, and to do that at, at, uh, in your early twenties, whereas, you know, I have, I’ve had guests that are in their fifties and sixties and learning about that,
you know, learn those kinds of lessons, or they, eventually, it does catch up to them and they can’t play anymore because they’ve, you know, done the grind for so long that, um, they just, the bodies can’t take it anymore.
so, uh, you mentioned, uh, it was during, uh, your university years. You started playing with, uh, diva, with the Jazz Diva Jazz Orchestra. How did that come about?
KELLIN HANAS: Oh, so, so my friend Grace Fox, she’s another great trumpet player. she has her own big band, all women, big band, and we had our debut show at Birdland. And, you know, Diva’s been around for 30 years, over 30 years. And so to have a, now a, a younger generation of women make their own band, you know, Sherry Miracle and Jamie Dobber, they wanted to show up and, and give their
support. And, I think Sherry said [00:45:00] that she had heard of me before, but we had never met and she never heard me play. And, uh, I met her at that Birdland show and then, I think it was a few months later, she asked me if I was free to sub in Diva’s quintet. That’s called Five Play. and I, I kind of had a, I was like. If I do good on this gig, hopefully I’ll start getting called for the band. ’cause I, I mean, it was a, it was a huge goal of mine. I, I, I always wanted to play in Diva and, um, so I, I shed that music harder than I ever shed anything before. ’cause I was like, this, this gig is an audition, basically, you know?
Um, and I wanted them to know that I cared.
And, and the gig went really well. And that fall, um, of that year, I got asked to be in the band. They were gonna go on tour for, um, with the Manhattan Transfer. And, thank goodness I was able to do it. And that was my first tour ever. And that was my first time playing in the band. And then ever since then, I’ve done most of the gigs for the past three or four years at [00:46:00] this point.
And I’m like, I’m so grateful to Sherry. Like that gig is one of my fa most favorite gigs that I have. I love everybody in that band. They’re all like such great like mentors to me and friends. I’m like learning like section playing constantly in that band.
and really just learning how to be in a section.
cause there’s so much focus on soloing and like everywhere, you know, but they really care about the parts and just making sure everything lines up. so that’s been a great experience for me.
JOHN SNELL: What, what was that first tour like? Get being on the road.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, I mean it was, It was incredible. It was, I mean, you know, some of the bus rides were like nine hours long, so I really got a good, like first bus tour experience.
Um, but yeah, it was amazing. It was, I’m trying to remember it honestly.
JOHN SNELL: It [00:47:00] was a whirlwind. Well, so, and who’s the section on that? I mean, I, we’ve had Lizel Whitaker on here. I know she was one of the, the founding trumpet players of Diva. Um, was it Barbara on that
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, Barbara lga, uh, Jamie Dobber, Rachel, Ian. and I just like, it’s just so happened for like the past three or four years. Like somebody needs a sub
for every time, so I’m just always there. but Sherry’s also like, kind of made me. she’s just included me on like everything, even if all the trumpet, like there was like a gig where like all the trumpet seats were taken, she just like added me on just to
JOHN SNELL: Tacky on fifth. Amazing.
I so yeah.
So, uh, so you graduated, uh, finished your school and you were just by, you said by that point you were just working, so I seemed like an obvious choice to stay in New York.
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. I graduated and I went to Illinois for three months. I did this great musical, at the Marriott Theater, and that was like the first like kind of pit experience I had. and then from [00:48:00] there Yeah. I think I was on tour for like from September 24 to May of 25, and then I got a call to be the trumpet player for Heather’s the Musical, which is unlike anything I’ve ever done. there’s like no jazz in that book. It’s like very classical and um, um, pop stuff, and it’s a one trumpet lead book. And,
um, so that’s, yeah, I, it’s, it’s a really tricky book.
but, you know, it’s super uncommon for somebody my age to like get asked to be a chair on a show like that, and I just felt so lucky that that was happening. And, and it’s still, we’re, we’re, we’ve extended like three times and we’re as of now going through September and we started in June of last year.
So that’s been, um, a huge chunk of, I mean, I’m like working like every day now. If it’s not Heather’s, it’s some gig in the city or I’m flying somewhere, or I’m doing a lot of educational stuff at universities and colleges. [00:49:00] Yeah, so I’m, I’m always on my toes, oh my gosh, I’ve never played this much in my life.
Sometimes I have to take some ibuprofen because it’s so much pressure on my face. But, um, yeah, it’s been really, really great.
JOHN SNELL: Well, so, and in, and in the meantime, during all this, I mean, besides working on other people’s projects or as a freelancer, you also had, you know, formed your own groups, right? And developing your own original music. What did that, how did that come about? Did you start that in Manhattan, or is this something
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah, I did, um, I wrote my first tune at MSM ever. Um, and we still play that tune every show. yeah, my band was formed, well, I had a, uh, I had an offer from this place, in Manhattan, called I think Midtown Music Loft. They wanted to like start like a, like a live music jam session thing. And it ended up not being a regular thing, it was just this one time thing, but. It was the first time that I put my own band together. And so I put together Quartet and just out of [00:50:00] nowhere I was like, I think I’m gonna do standup comedy during the show. And we filled the room and I did standup for the first time, just randomly. I was like, I’m gonna do standup comedy. It went extremely well. And it was like a, uh, yeah, we like did tunes and I did comedy and, and I kind of like I was talking to my friends after the show and they were like, you know, you have to do this now, right? Like, you know that this is like your thing now. And I was like, uhoh, why did I do that? Um, but I’ve always had like a, I, I’ve always been a theater kid at heart and
a, and I have a huge part of me that is, you know, I, I’ve always wanted to be an actor.
I’ve loved comedy for so long. I do a lot of comedic content online that I ended up going viral for before I even was started posting trumpet stuff. and so. In, I think it was 2022, Birdland emailed me and they were like, do you want to play the [00:51:00] upstairs of Birdland with your band? And I’m going, I don’t really have a band, but of course I’m, you know, I told them, I said, yeah, like, my band would love to come to Birdland, you know?
Of course.
JOHN SNELL: Put one together. Yeah,
KELLIN HANAS: right. So that was the reason why I made my quintet and I just, I put together a band of like some of my best friends and, um, yeah, and we did our debut show in the upstairs of Birdland, and it was, it was great. and, since then I’ve, I’ve grown so much as a performer, um, and I feel like every show that we do is like, because I like to include a lot of different theatrical things in my shows.
It’s not just, you know, let’s play a bunch of tunes and then be done. It’s. Uh, I write like full scripts for my shows sometimes. Um, so it’s a big ordeal, but it’s like way more truthful to like, who I am as a, as an artist and an entertainer, you
know, um, to do things that way. But yeah,
since then
we’ve, we’ve played different festivals and, uh, we just had our first, university gig, so I like was a guest [00:52:00] artist and we, like, they flew my band out and it was just like, it’s just so crazy.
And I, I love giving my friends opportunities too. anytime I can get them included on something, we do, but yeah.
JOHN SNELL: How cool. Well, was that the, uh, Southeast Trumpet Festival?
Yeah.
I missed you with that. I was so upset.
KELLIN HANAS: Oh, that’s right. yeah, yeah.
JOHN SNELL: we, we actually, Bob Rees Brass, we sponsored that event and I was there, but I was stuck in the vendor room and then I had to catch a flight out the night of your performance. So,
KELLIN HANAS: yeah.
I met some of your colleagues though.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah. That was, uh, so next time, next time I’m gonna make sure I stay for the concert.
Don’t, don’t, don’t get out too soon. Um, I wanna talk more. ’cause you know, I’ve had, uh, Chris Bode on a few times and he talks about, how jazz musicians some of their tendencies on stage or like, you know, showing up late or, you know, putting on, you know, the, the, the music is great, but the, the experience for the audience is sometimes.
Subpar. Um, and so he talks [00:53:00] about, yeah. Talking to the audience and things like that. So the fact, you know, you’re bringing up, you have a script, like can you tell us more about that or, you know, how you developed it and like some of the insights into that?
KELLIN HANAS: yeah. I mean I’ve always been just a fan of like, just, I love feeder and I love satire and, and just anything silly, you know? And when I started doing my shows. I’ve just grown more in terms of, you know, now I’m a little bit more off the cuff. I don’t need to read a script. The bits that we’ve been doing and the things that I’ve used to like introduce the tunes, we’ve been doing that for like four or five years now. and also I don’t do enough of my own shows anymore ’cause I’m so busy with other things, just, you know. But um, yeah, I mean I used to just sit down and like, I’m like, okay, here’s the tunes. Like what stories can I relate to? What tunes? So I like wrote a tune at about my hometown. I do like a fun little bit where I like have them [00:54:00] close their eyes and, and drive in my 2009 Dodge Journey through, through my hometown. Um, so we do that. I have a song about my, I worked at McDonald’s for five days and so I wrote a tune about it and I tell that story, you know, just like a bunch of. I try to make it as much of a storyline of a show as possible. and how does everything relate? And, you know, I I, I feel like my goal is to like, make, make people feel like they’re sitting in my living room and I’m talking to them.
You know? cause I just think that that’s, I mean, one of the reasons why vocalists, I feel like have so much of a bigger fan base a lot of the time than instrumentalists is because they’re using their voice, you know? and so I think that, uh, I’m also in singing lessons right now. I like really would like to sing, start singing, um, with my band too.
And like, yeah, just to be able to use words as well as instrumental music and incorporate it all [00:55:00] together. yeah, I just love, like any way to connect with people, you know, I wanna use all of it,
JOHN SNELL: Fascinating. Um, one of the ways you connect with people is social media. And in fact, that’s how I first learned about you. probably around the COVID years, I’m guessing when
I, like many people, was sitting at home doom scrolling on, uh, you know, I, uh, wore out Facebook and wore out Instagram and I opened TikTok and it was, what is this thing?
And I think, yeah, the algorithm, uh, brought one. It was one of your viral ones. I, forgot which one it was, but it was absolutely hysterical and, you know, it was like an instant follow. so, tell me about your social media presence. I mean, was it something you just started, like every other kind of teenager, just something to do?
Uh, or is it something that you cultivated or combination of both.
KELLIN HANAS: People don’t know that, like, you know, a lot of people get really mad about like, people that go viral on social media and, you know, why did, why did she, you know, get this and blah, blah, blah? I don’t think people understand that. I have been doing this since I was like five years old.
There are YouTube [00:56:00] channels that have videos that I would make on my little camera of like, me playing with my dolls.
Like I have been trying for liter. I mean, oh my gosh. I had a gaming YouTube channel for seven or eight years. That was, I, I, I learned graphic design. I like had all of this equipment. I had professional cameras, I had professional video editing software. and I, that was like my thing for so long, even before I got on Instagram for or anything for music.
Um, I just was constantly making videos and, and graphics and stuff like that. And, then I. Made my music account on Instagram when I was like 16. And it was originally just gonna be a practice account for me to like track my progress, you know? it wasn’t supposed to reach anybody. and then just out of nowhere people started finding it and it was like I would get like 500, a thousand followers a day.
It was like really blowing up. And by the time I was a [00:57:00] senior in high school, I had like 10,000 followers. And it was just like, I just have always, because of all the experience, you know, ’cause I’ve been doing the video stuff and the editing stuff for like 15 years at this point. Like, I just, it came supernatural to me and being in front of a camera is supernatural to me.
And, you know, I, I just felt like, oh, I can finally like, use all these skills that I have and like put it into something that’s gonna like, push my career forward. and then TikTok was really what changed. The game. I just, I was like, oh, well, uh, ’cause I used TikTok originally. I was like, this is my comedy platform. ’cause I am like really into like, you know, character work and, and just funny videos. And I was going viral on TikTok for, just a bunch of random videos that I was posting that were not trumpet-related and I was like, well, what if I combine the two? ’cause I was like, these people don’t even know that I play trumpet.
what if I do the two at the same time? And so I [00:58:00] just started making these random like really short, silly videos and those blew up. Um, and now I think I have like, I have like 170,000 people on TikTok and a hundred something thousand on Instagram. and yeah, it’s been like an incredible experience.
I feel so lucky to have that kind of reach too. But it took a long, it took, I mean, that music account’s been up for almost 10 years now. so it took 10 years to get to like where it is now. but it’s absolutely helped. Oh my gosh. It’s like, I’d say it’s like 50% probably of the reason why I have like, the work that I have right now.
JOHN SNELL: Really
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: And that’s, yeah. And, and that’s why I’m,
I’m glad you shared that insight because
I mean, you playing an instrument, people see the end result and think, oh,
you know,
she must have been gifted or talented Right natural,
natural, I hate that word. and it just [00:59:00] discounts the years and years and years of practice or, you know, in the terms of, well, you are practicing social media,
the, the,
you know, the skills involved.
and even then, even with all those skills, there’s still some luck in getting, going viral or connecting to the people out there. but if you’ve been doing it long enough and you, you know, are
learning and practicing the skills, you know, it’s not completely luck. Um, so, but I mean with that obviously comes at a price, right?
Because I mean, it is also social media, so like how do you deal with all of the crap, uh, that comes along with having a popular social media account?
KELLIN HANAS: You know, it’s, it’s difficult and I’m not gonna, like my mom always tells me, she’s like, don’t let them know that they’re getting to you. They’ll think you’re weak. And I’m like, but I’m a person. And I think people can assume that it’s not great to read. Oh, I’ve read everything about myself. I have been harassed.
I have been like, yeah, it’s, since I was a teenager, I was getting [01:00:00] like super inappropriate comments and dms and marriage proposals and like just so much garbage. and. I don’t know. I keep hearing from my older friends that the older that you get, the less you care. Um, and I’m still waiting for that day to come. but you know, it’s just like eventually you get exposed to so much of it. I mean, I’ve probably read like 5,000 comments or more at this point about me or how I look or how I sound or whatever it is. And you just have to like, be like, okay, like these people don’t know me, then they don’t matter. And I have really great friends that support me and remind me of what the truth is.
but I mean, that’s what, that’s like 5% of the comments I get. Like 95% of the comments I get are wonderful and awesome and super kind. But obviously the ones that are the mean comments are always the louder ones that stick the most. You know, it’s like you forget [01:01:00] about all the great ones that you’ve read. You know, when you get one bad one.
JOHN SNELL: Yeah, yeah, it’s hard not to magnify those. Um, and I, and I, and I have to think of the, the double standard too, of you being a woman versus, you know, if you were just a, a, just a, you know, a male jazz trumpet player, I’m sure they’re not getting marriage proposals or being told how they look, you know?
KELLIN HANAS: Or even just simple things like, uh, I’ll post a solo and somebody will be like, Hmm, too many notes. And I’m like, I, I’m playing the same exact thing that literally everybody else is playing, like, you know, but they are not getting those comments. It’s just, I actually just read a comment the other day. Um, they said, they referred to me, they said the big girl plays really aggressively.
Like she has something to prove. So not, I, not only I get a comment about my, my weight, I get a comment about, you know, I can’t, I guess I can’t be aggressive because I’m a woman, and that must mean I have something to prove. It’s so insane, you [01:02:00] know?
JOHN SNELL: Yeah. Yeah. But you still, you still post, which is amazing. ’cause
KELLIN HANAS: you, you gotta keep going. Can’t let them, you know, it’s way more beneficial than it is not,
JOHN SNELL: And, and you’ll be an inspiration to the next generation. growing up and seeing you post and doing the thing, which, you know, we’ve had, uh, you know, like a Susan Slaughter and Reese be in an indie orchestral world, you know, who didn’t really have examples of, uh, female trumpet player before them, and, you know, um, but thankfully you growing up there’s, you know, things had started to shift a little
bit. you had, you know, Ingrid and some other examples. but uh, yeah, it’s, it’s dumb that the world has to be that way.
KELLIN HANAS: Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s way better than it used to be. It sounds, I mean, I’ve heard so many horror stories from women that I work with, and I’m just happy that like, I have such a great community of women. That I know didn’t exist back then when, when a lot of them were coming up. And, the reason why I’m still in it is because of the women that have [01:03:00] supported me.
So I feel very lucky for that.
JOHN SNELL: So I wanna turn back to trumpet plane a little bit. Uh, I know you have a crazy schedule. I, I can’t imagine that you still practice eight hours a day just ‘ cause it’s probably enough time of the day. Do you have a regular, like practice routine or maintenance routine that you go through?
KELLIN HANAS: um, no, because my, like, maintenance is the show that I play almost every night and it’s such a chop buster that I really can’t do much on the horn, uh, on the days that I play it. so a lot of my maintenance is like, I have a consistent warmup routine. I play the show and then I have a consistent warm down and, A lot of the practicing I do for the other gigs that I have is just a lot of mental practicing, like doing the fingerings with the recording and, and like really like internalizing the music and, yeah, I wish that I had, I really wish I had more time to like, sit down and like do a transcription or something, but it’s like I, [01:04:00] the number one thing I have to think of is my chops and making sure that they’re fresh enough to play this insane show.
You know,
JOHN SNELL: And, uh, last but not least is equipment. What are you using?
KELLIN HANAS: I’m on a box 72 V
and, uh, my mouthpiece, I switch between, uh, a Trent Austin one and a, um, I never can name my Monet. It’s a Monet, uh, unity mouthpiece. I don’t know the exact model, um, but I switch between those two. my fugal horn is a accent brand. Flew a horn.
JOHN SNELL: Really?
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. Got in high school and never, never got anything
JOHN SNELL: And you still use it? Amazing. How cool? well, Len, I mean, it’s. An honor having you on. Thank you for, uh, giving us your hour of time and, uh, and literally I think what we scheduled this like three or four weeks ago, ’cause you’re like, this is my next free time, uh, which, [01:05:00] uh, is absolutely amazing and also inspiring.
you know, we’re gonna have to have you on, uh, every, uh, few years just to kind of check in on your career.
KELLIN HANAS: Let’s do it. That sounds great.
JOHN SNELL: uh, how can folks find out about you? I mean, this seems like a dumb question because I think, I’m sure everyone already follows you, but let’s reach whoever doesn’t already. What’s the best way, uh, for folks to follow you website,
TikTok, Instagram, everywhere
KELLIN HANAS: My website is, uh, kellen hnis.com. Uh, you can find me on Instagram at Kellen HNIs Music, and TikTok at Kellen HNIs. But yeah, I’m most active on Instagram. That’s where you’ll find where you
can see me come to my shows, what’s going on.
JOHN SNELL: Absolutely. oh, one last que uh, I, I, I lied. I have actually two last questions. Um, anything in, anything in the pipeline, uh, any projects that you wanna share? I know you’re playing on Heather’s Any, uh, any other things you want to put out there?
KELLIN HANAS: Oh my gosh. Yeah, I have some stuff coming up that I don’t think I’m allowed to reveal yet, but, um, let’s see what else is coming up?
JOHN SNELL: You have more reason to follow you
KELLIN HANAS: yeah, [01:06:00] yeah. yeah. I gotta, gotta stay up to date.
Yeah.
Um, just, I’m doing Heather’s, there’s some exciting gigs coming up. I. Feel like an album recording may be in the works soon for myself.
Um, and I don’t know what soon means, if it means in a year or three,
but, starting the process of maybe thinking about getting that together.
JOHN SNELL: Now, is that gonna be jazz playing or is that gonna be standup comedy
KELLIN HANAS: jazz for
JOHN SNELL: Ah, okay. I want to, I want a
KELLIN HANAS: Maybe there might be a live track. Yeah.
JOHN SNELL: How cool. Well, absolute honor having you on Kellen. Uh, before I let you go, now that I promise I’m, this will be the last question. Um, if you could leave our listeners with your best piece of advice, and it could be about anything, doesn’t necessarily have to be about trumpet, what
KELLIN HANAS: Yeah. Oh my gosh, there’s so many. Um, I think that two things is that it doesn’t really matter where you are at musically. I think everybody [01:07:00] deserves The same level of respect, as long as you’re giving the appropriate level of respect to the music. Like I think that people get really caught up in, you know, oh, this cat can’t play or whatever.
Why are you coming up to the jam if you can’t play? And it’s like everybody has to start somewhere. So I think that no matter where you’re at, skill level wise, to me, it’s like as long as you’re trying, that’s all that matters. And improvement will come with time and it just requires a lot of patience and like, compassion for yourself.
And the other thing is, I think that a big part, not just in music but in life and what I’m figuring out is really have to have a good community of people. Um, really focus on finding people who align with you and your values and and stick with them And prioritize those relationships you know, find the people that are gonna stick with you for like, the rest of your life and throughout your career.
and that’s where you’re gonna get a lot of your strength [01:08:00] from. And I think that’s really important.
JOHN SNELL: Wonderful advice, Kellen. Absolute honor having you on. Thank you so much for your time
KELLIN HANAS: It’s an honor to be here. Thank you for having me.
JOHN SNELL: yeah, we can, we, we can’t wait for volume two in a few years.
KELLIN HANAS: Woo. Can’t wait.
JOHN SNELL: A huge thank you to Kellen for spending her morning or early afternoon, uh, chatting with us, what a bright young career, she’s had already, in her early to mid twenties and can’t wait to see where she goes. And it is kind of, uh. Coincidental, the last few guests, uh, there’s been a theme of, uh, if you wanna call ’em influencers or basically artists with a significant presence online, whether it be YouTube, Instagram, TikTok.
so it’s interesting to see how the world has changed. Uh, now that I’m in. The 14th year of this podcast of, uh, when we started back in 2013. and just how the world has changed, uh, and how, uh, music careers have changed and are shaped by social media. And [01:09:00] these last three guests, uh, Jay Webb, Louis Doswell, and now Kellen, are great examples of the pros and cons.
Um, you know, the, the exposure you get, uh, the connections you get, but also the downside of. having, uh, you know, basically your life online or a part of your life online. So a huge thank you to Kellen for her honesty, her transparency and sharing, both what she’s done online, um, the good and the bad about it.
and also the insights. You know, she’s, like she said, she’s been doing this, for several years. It wasn’t just a fluke, you know, it’s a lot of hard work to film and learning. Uh, the behind the scenes things, uh, that go into creating. Reels and shorts and photos and things like that that you share on Instagram, uh, and all the wonderful advice she gave about trumpet plane and career.
So, like, as I said, uh, in my interview, can’t wait to check in with Kellen in a few years to see, uh, where she has progressed. We have some wonderful guests coming up, so make sure you hit that subscribe button, hit [01:10:00] that like button. If you’re on YouTube, hit that notification button, feed the algorithm, leave us a comment, ask us a question.
All of those kinds of things that help feed the algorithm monster, uh, really helps us remain visible, for the next, uh, 13 years. Yeah, April, I just looked up the date. March, uh, 2013, we just passed our 13 year anniversary, so thank you for everyone who’s, listened or watched through all these years.
And, uh, thank you for the newcomers that are coming back and going through the backlog of episodes. And thank you to everyone. I mean this from the bottom of my heart, who comes up to me at, uh, trade shows or in-store events, or just here at the shop. again, this is a labor of love, putting this podcast out.
Um, you know. Goodwill for the community, and it means a lot to hear back from you when you come up. Uh, sometimes just to say hello and that you’re listening. so every single one of you have done that. Thank you. And we’ll keep doing it. Till next time, let’s go out and make some music.
[01:11:00]
