About Niro Lopez

Niro Lopez is a regularly performing brass musician and teacher in the Seattle area. He teaches all brass, composition, jazz, and improvisation.

Mr. Lopez started playing music professionally as a teenager in South Florida. He was principal euphonium in Florida All State wind bands, the bass trombone player in All Star jazz bands, received several superior with distinction awards at the state level for euphonium solos, and was a competitive marching band soloist for two years. While attending University of South Florida, he was principal euphonium in the Wind Ensemble and was also in the School of Composition. 

Mr. Lopez’s approach to brass teaching typically begins with fundamentals, such as breathing, embouchure, tone, and posture, followed by reading, theory, technique, flexibility, range, phrasing, lyricism, and style. As students progress, they will learn both classical and modern literature. For jazz students, they are taken farther into interval, pattern, and theoretical studies, while writing transcriptions, playing by ear, and learning improvisation strategies, technique, and jazz language. For composition students, a modern approach is taken, incorporating 20th century theory and techniques, as well as orchestration, notation, and calligraphy.