Listening and improvisation are at the heart of my lessons. We work on sound and technique as ways to express musical ideas, exploring the jazz tradition while developing a direction that feels like yours. I teach jazz trumpet within the conservatoire programmes at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and HKU University of the Arts Utrecht.
We spend a lot of time listening. Really listening. We explore recordings and the musicians behind them, asking what makes their playing so special.
Why does a certain phrase feel so good? Is someone pushing the beat or sitting back? How can a single note sometimes say more than twenty? I love getting into those details, then trying those ideas on the instrument.
Sound, technique and harmonic understanding matter. They give you the freedom to shape a phrase, respond to another musician and play what you hear. But knowing every chord and practising every pattern only takes you so far: music is also about what you make people feel.
I don't see teaching as simply showing students what I already know. We ask questions, experiment and sometimes discover something neither of us expected. Different students bring different influences and ambitions. The lessons should give you the tools and confidence to make your own musical decisions.
When I was sixteen or seventeen, all I wanted to do was play jazz. Fortunately, other musicians introduced me to a broader musical world. Wim Both took me to recording sessions; others shared their knowledge of improvisation, composing and arranging.
Today, my working life moves between my own projects, studio sessions, pop concerts and the Metropole Orkest. That experience comes into the lessons: how do you play convincingly in different styles, function in a horn section, record yourself or arrange your own music?
You don't need to become the same kind of musician as me. The question is what kind of musical life you want to build, and which skills will help you get there.
Wynton Marsalis’ Black Codes (From the Underground) was one of my first jazz albums. I still remember lying in bed with my Discman, playing it over and over. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Later I discovered Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and Miles Davis etc, and there was a whole world of trumpet playing to explore.
I teach jazz trumpet now, and I’m still a student of the music. On the drive home after a day of teaching, I often put on an album that came up in a lesson.
That’s what I love about teaching. We might listen to how a player phrases a melody, try it together, and see what happens when a student takes it in their own direction. I love the moment they hear a possibility they hadn’t considered and want to see where it leads. That’s how the tradition keeps moving.
At the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, jazz tradition and current developments sit alongside each other. Ensemble playing and the weekly big band let you put musical ideas into practice with other musicians.
The trumpet community brings jazz and classical students together. You learn from teachers, but also from hearing one another practise, rehearse and perform.
There’s a rich jazz trumpet tradition here in The Hague. Ack van Rooyen helped shape it, and Jarmo Hoogendijk has carried it forward. It means a lot to me that I now get to teach alongside Jarmo and pass that tradition on to a new generation of players.
Ack van Rooyen and Jarmo Hoogendijk are two of the finest trumpeters Dutch jazz has produced. Ack stayed involved with our students at the Royal Conservatoire until shortly before he died. I’m proud to be part of that trumpet tradition and to carry it forward alongside Jarmo.
Photography · alexschroder.nl
I teach alongside Ray Bruinsma, whose work includes technique and section playing, while Jarmo Hoogendijk brings his experience to ensemble teaching. Gerard Presencer joins us as a guest teacher several times a year. Our different backgrounds offer students several perspectives on the music.
At HKU Utrechts Conservatorium, my trumpet lessons sit within the broader Jazz & Pop programme. You develop your instrumental skills while exploring different musical directions and playing with other students.
I teach alongside Koen Smits. Within that environment, we work on your trumpet playing and the musical choices that matter to you, whether your interests lean towards jazz, pop or a combination of influences.
HKU Utrechts Conservatorium
Photo · Brbbl · CC BY-SA 3.0
Thinking about studying trumpet in The Hague or Utrecht? Email me with your questions and the musical direction you have in mind.
Reflections from current and former students.
“A perfect combination of sensibility and constancy, technique and freedom.”
Trumpeter & Jazz SoloistAlba Careta GroupAdrian Younge & his orchestraBalkan Paradise Orchestra
I’m very happy to have been one of Rik Mol’s first students. His teaching was a perfect balance of sensitivity and consistency, technique and freedom. Sharing music with Rik, who was so active as a performer, was a great inspiration to me.
“You taught me to think beyond the notes and understand the music more deeply. I still use your advice every day, especially when switching between different styles.”
Trumpeter & Jazz SoloistPerforms on international cruise ships
I’ve learned so much from you! Your lessons really helped me improve my jazz articulation, bebop language, phrasing and, most importantly, the way I approach music mentally. You taught me to think beyond the notes and understand the music more deeply. I still use your advice every day, especially when switching between different styles. It’s definitely helped me become a more versatile and confident musician. Really grateful for everything!
“Rik taught me professional discipline—something I value in my work every single day, as well as how to understand and speak the language of jazz.”
Trumpeter & Jazz SoloistLatvian National Symphony OrchestraLatvian National Opera OrchestraProfessional Wind Band ‘Riga’
Studying with Rik Mol was a great honor. Rik taught me professional discipline—something I value in my work every single day, as well as how to understand and speak the language of jazz. For every lesson, he would prepare and send me a wealth of material and ideas for jazz improvisation. I can say without hesitation that Rik was, and remains, one of the best trumpet teachers I have ever had.
Lead Trumpeter & BandleaderBlueprint Big BandRoyal Conservatoire · Master’s Year 2 (2026/27)
“In my lessons with Rik, we spend a lot of time on articulation and the placement of groove. I put that into practice as lead trumpeter in the Blueprint Big Band.”
Studying with Rik Mol and Ray Bruinsma has helped me grow as a musician and as a lead trumpeter. With support and advice from the Royal Conservatoire, I started my own big band, Blueprint Big Band.
The trumpet community in The Hague is a big part of what makes studying here so motivating. We play together a lot, and being around other trumpet players makes me want to keep improving.
In my lessons with Rik, we spend a lot of time on articulation and the placement of groove. I put that into practice as lead trumpeter in the Blueprint Big Band.
