Trumpet instructor Ed Reid not only wants to teach his students about music, he wants to enrich their lives.
Next summer, Reid, an associate professor of music, will take 18 trumpet, percussion and other brass students and a conductor to Bangkok, Thailand, to compete in the International Trumpet Guild competition.
"World travel is fun. Students in Arizona don't get this too much," he said.
In order to raise $30,000 for travel to the competition, Reid and his students are selling raffle tickets for a parking permit in the garage of the winner's choice.
"We hope to raise all the money. With the gimmick of free parking, I hope students will see that they are paying to get UA students to an international competition," Reid said.
Al Cannon, a music performance senior, said Reid works to increase students' talents musically while also deepening their understanding of the world around them.
"Trumpet is not his only focus. He is aware of the state of the university, and political and social events occurring in the state, country and the world. He emphasizes the importance of being a well-rounded person," Cannon said.
The annual competition was going to be held in the United States, but Reid found out in late February that it would be held overseas.
The five-day trip will cost about $1,500 per student.
"We are trying to make the trip as free as possible for the students," Reid said.
Last year, 13 of Reid's students went to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete, and they were the first UA students to perform as a trumpet ensemble.
Geoff Scheusner, Reid's teaching assistant, said Reid cares about his students and wants to get them to the competition.
"He's spending a lot of time and effort to get us over there," he said.
In addition to flying his students halfway around the globe to experience music, Reid also gives his students the opportunity to play newly created music written by composers from around the world.
Reid incorporates a variety of music genres into his classes in an attempt to keep his students interested in what's going on around them, he said.
But work starts early for Reid.
Monday through Thursday, Reid begins trumpet studio warm-ups at 6 a.m. and doesn't leave his office until 5 p.m.
Reid also spends several hours every night practicing with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He is the principal trumpet chair and has been playing with the group for 17 years.
Reid is also a member of the New Sousa Band, a 40-person group he plays with a couple of times per year.
Every summer, he participates in the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and plays in a 900-person music hall.
In the spring of 2001, Reid was the first non-Chinese to perform as a soloist with the People's Liberation Army Band.
Reid earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
Reid is also active in internal UA committees, and he served on the Parking and Transportation Services committee for four years, which gave him the idea for the raffle.
Reid and his students will continue to raise money in the fall to reach their goal of getting to Thailand.