By Diaa Bekheet | Washington, D.C.

Christine Fawson (Courtesy photo by Dario Preger)

Jazz trumpeter Christine Fawson was named interim Chair of the Brass Department at Boston’s Berklee College of Music last month. Fawson — who is also a vocalist and songwriter– is the first women in charge, at Berklee, of instruction in such instruments as trumpet, trombone and tuba.

Does she think it’s extraordinary for a woman to be teaching brass? “When you talk with women in this business, will usually come up with the same answers to these questions, which is: I never think about it,” says Fawson.  “It’s in the back of mind somewhere that, yeah, I’m a woman doing this, and that [it] isn’t so common. But, honestly, I’m just doing what I do.”

Fawson has been a member of a vocal jazz group, Syncopation, since 2000, and she teaches singing for brass players.

I talked to Fawson about her new position and her music.

[audio:http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2013_03/jazzbeat_christinefawson_diaa_bekheet_feb2013.mp3]