It was an "overwhelming" yet an "amazing" experience and above all, she beat her older brother to the title - 17-year-old trumpeter Alex Ridout was crowned the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award winner last weekend, and although exhausted from the endless interviews and celebrations, Alex managed to find some time in between her studies to tell us about her experience of the highly esteemed competition.

Alex, who has been attending the prestigious Purcell School in Bushey since September 2015, says: "I really did not expect to win. Throughout, when I was performing I never thought 'I really want to win this' or anything like that. I just wanted to enjoy the moment. And after the performances, I was with the others and quite relaxed so when they announced my name I was really shocked - I honestly was not expecting it."

The Jazz Award was launched in 2014, which makes Alex - a former Royal Academy of Music student from Aylesbury - the second person to win it. The teenager describes the whole experience as a bit scary, but probably one of the best things she has ever done. The finals took places at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in Cardiff on Saturday and this was the first time she had visited the city.

"It really was an amazing experience and the whole atmosphere was so nice," she says. "Between finding out we had made the finals and the actual finals, we had six weeks to rehearse, which went quite fast."

Alex, who attended Aylesbury High School for five years, comes from a very musical family - her parents are both jazz musicians and had been helping their daughter practice for the final. Of course they were thrilled that I won, she says, but more than anything they were happy that two of their children had reached the finals of the competition.

"We went two days before the actual final," she continues, "and when we got there, we were first shown where the practice rooms were. After rehearsing we were then called to go and get our hair and make-up done, and have photos taken. It was a weird and bizarre experience this bit - it's not something you're used to.

"But we had fun with the other finalists. We hung out with them in the evening, went out to eat and my dad came up as well so we had a bit of a jam with him. I didn't want that bit to end."

The youngster, who has not only been playing the trumpet since she was nine-years-old but is studying both classical and jazz trumpet at the Bushey school, adds that the most nerve-racking part of this competition was the build up.

"It was all a bit scary at first. Especially when we were doing the run through - going up on stage - but I just thought it's only music and I wanted to enjoy myself. I was still nervous for the actual performance, but my brother went first, and I watched him, and because I know how he plays and saw how it went, it relaxed me a little bit.

"In my performance, I had my eyes closed at first but when I did open them, the atmosphere on stage and in the audience was just amazing and I saw the judges smiling, which I think also made me relax."

Alex performed three pieces at the finals - Yesterdays by Jerome Kern, Sonrisa by Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder's Golden Lady, which were judged by Tim Garland, Gwyneth Herbert, Zoe Rahman, Byron Wallen and the chair of the jury, Julian Joseph. But the highlight of it all she says was being able to perform with the Gwilym Simcock Trio.

"For me, meeting and playing with the band - who are personally quite famous - was a such a special moment, especially on stage. I think I now know that this is definitely something that I want to do and I am hoping that by being in this competition I will get the chance to do more gigs and get myself out there."

The BBC Young Musician Jazz Final will be broadcast pm BBC on Friday, May 13 and to celebrate, Alex says she may have a "broadcast party".