Experience: I played the trumpet for 25 hours straight

The first time I picked up the trumpet was 15 years ago. Before that, I had tried the drums and the clarinet. They didn’t quite stick. But when I blew my first note on the trumpet, it resonated with me in a way nothing else had. From that moment, I knew: this was my instrument.

Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to music. I now teach students at the American International School of Abuja, Nigeria, and share my love for the trumpet with others. I’ve seen first-hand how little recognition musicians and musicologists receive. Music demands so much time, discipline, money, and years of study – yet it is so undervalued. I’d like to change that.

Two years ago, when I discovered there wasn’t a Guinness World Record for the longest time spent playing a trumpet, something clicked. If I could do something nobody else had done, it might draw attention to the value of the music. I emailed Guinness and applied to be a record-breaker.

At first, I was terrified. The rules alone were overwhelming: I couldn’t repeat a song, so I needed a very long set list. Improvisation wasn’t allowed – no soloing or jamming, only strict melodies. I could only take a five-minute break each hour, but I decided to play nonstop for hours to accumulate a longer break. When I began training, I managed just two hours before my body started to rebel with aches, dizziness and exhaustion. But over months of all-night practice sessions three nights a week, I built up my endurance. Balancing this with my job wasn’t easy. I’d wake at 8am, work through the day, play from 10pm to 6am, then get ready to teach again at 7.30am. Two sleepless nights in a row, and then repeat.

My first official attempt lasted 24 hours and 46 minutes in February 2024 at the school where I teach. Two witnesses and a music specialist adjudicated the attempt from start to finish, swapping every four hours. I was exhausted, in pain, and eventually I was disqualified. The reason? Taking a sip of water between a song outside the permitted time window. I was gutted: none of my previous hours of playing counted. It felt deeply unfair.

At first, I swore I wouldn’t try again. But my students changed my mind. When they heard I’d been disqualified for drinking water, they were outraged. “How dare they do that to Mr Joshua?” they asked. I realised I had an opportunity to model resilience. I could show them setbacks don’t have to be the end. You can always bounce back. So I tried again. On 9 May this year, at 1pm, I started playing at the Terra Kulture culture centre in Lagos.

This time, I pushed past everything: the chapped lips, trembling legs, the fatigue. I played classical pieces, Afrobeat songs, jazz and pop that kept the momentum going. I played George Michael’s Careless Whisper, Tyla’s hit single Water, and songs from Nigeria’s beloved Fela Kuti. It was relentless. But I love the trumpet, and that love carried me through.

The audience felt it, too. The hall was full of people, some staying for the whole performance. My manager, Dami, and my colleagues Blake and Kelvin helped with the technical details like lights and timing. The first hours were steady. Around hour five, I felt the burn in my lips and shoulders, but the rhythm kept me going. As time went on, my legs began to shake and my fingers cramped. I had to keep switching between sitting and standing to avoid my body giving out. My lips started bleeding, but I told myself not to stop playing until the very last note. When I finally stopped, I had been playing for 25 hours and 30 minutes straight. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had. I was so excited – not just for myself, but for all the people who helped me pull this off.

Do I want to break another record? Why not? If I can do 25 hours, I can do longer. But the record is just one part of the story. I’ve also got an upcoming Music Empowerment tour across Africa. Music is the tool, but the message is broader: perseverance, discipline, and to dream bigger than your circumstances.

I love music and what it can do – the stories it can tell, the lives it can inspire. Most of all, I love the trumpet with my whole heart.

As told to Sundus Abdi

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