Q&A: Mark Armstrong

MA: I went to an incredible state school called Dr Challoner's Grammar School, where I was given the opportunity to learn the trumpet and explore music thanks to Buckinghamshire County Council music service. I then did an academic music degree, which I enjoyed as it made me listen to music I wouldn't listen to otherwise, but I was sightly frustrated that I didn't get a chance to explore more of the jazz side of things formally. Having said that, I had a great time doing little gigs with friends and resurrecting the Oxford University Jazz Orchestra with fellow musician Sarah Cropper. I went on to do a postgraduate course in jazz and studio music at the Guildhall School, and from a career perspective that is where I started to get work as a player. My amazing teacher Noel Langley, an active commercial trumpet player, used to ask me to deputise in his shows, introducing me to a thriving network of musicians in London.