Tag: horn teaching

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The Importance of “Yet”

With school fast approaching (or for some, already here) this mid-June post by Seth Godin is worth keeping in mind when you are attempting to get better at any skill. I’ve written about Seth Godin before (you can find the posts here and here), and if you never heard of him, he’s worth checking out. He’s written…
Scales, Caring, and Cursing

If you’ve been in band or orchestra for any length of time, then the constant badgering from directors, sectional coaches, and private teachers to “practice your scales” is probably very familiar. If you’ve taught band, orchestra, sectionals, or private lessons, then the almost-automatic eye roll from students when you tell them to learn their scales is…
Can You Practice on Vacation WITHOUT Your Instrument?

It probably comes as no surprise, but being a professional musician comes with a lot of compromises to a “normal” lifestyle. Odd working hours, working on holidays, needing to maintain a high baseline level of playing; the behind-the-scenes of a musician is not always glamorous. For me, at least, that includes the need to do some…
Interview(s) with Julie Landsman

I think that it goes without saying that Julie Landsman has had an incredible and inspiring career. Julie was the principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for an incredible 25 years (1985-2010), a teacher at Julliard since 1989, and has long been a proponent of mind and body balance and conditioning in horn playing…
Looking to Remove Bad Habits? Two Strategies You May Not Have Tried

Too much pressure. Incorrect mouthpiece placement. Too much “smile” in the embouchure. Lousy right-hand position. Too little attention to intention. These are some of the bad habits I’ve had in my playing over the past 20+ years of playing the horn. These bad habits weren’t learned overnight, and moving past them also didn’t happen overnight.…
Keep Your Face in Shape – Embouchure Health Thoughts

Embouchure health is something that is probably not talked about enough in most brass-playing groups. While you’ll find hundreds of discussions on how to play high(er) or loud(er), or what mouthpiece is the best, you won’t necessarily find a lot of discussion on how best to manage the very sensitive muscles and tissue that brass…
Online Horn Master Class Resource

Masterclasses are a great and underrated resource. I went to my first master classes when I went to my first horn workshop (a pretty awesome experience in and of itself) and I still enjoy going whenever I get the chance. I feel like watching a great teacher work with a student makes me both a…
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Horn Hangout

The Chicago Symphony is probably best known for their incredible brass section. The sound of the CSO brass section has been a legend for decades, and one of the core components of any great brass section is the French horn section! In this episode of Horn Hangouts, Sarah Willis sits down with all five members…
What do “playing musically” and the mellophone have in common?

Nothing. Well, almost nothing (I kid – mostly). John Ericson, Horn Professor at Arizona State University, and one of the founders of the French horn website HornMatters.com, has a book about playing the various marching horns called A Mello Catechism: A Guide to the World of Mellophones and Marching Horns. This book discusses the history, technique,…
20+ Warm-up Routines Available Online

Most intermediate to advanced horn players have at least some sort of warm-up routine. While warm-up routines are great for maintaining and improving your playing, I find that periodically mixing things up can really highlight blind spots in your playing or help with certain repertoire demands that aren’t encountered on a daily basis. While you…