horn technique

In years of working with students on the horn, one of the most difficult concepts to teach (at least for me), has been the idea of musical phrasing. I imagine that this is (at least in part) because getting a strong set of fundamentals took me so long. I don’t […]

Teaching Musical Interpretation: Learn, Listen, Count

27 Feb, 2019 in Horn tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn problems / horn teaching / horn technique / music / practice / recording by Colin Dorman (updated 37 days ago)

The is an old “rule” that’s commonly used in business, but I think that it has some great application in the music world too. The 80/20 Principle: In Brief The basic idea of the 80/20 Principle (also called the Pareto Principle) is that in most cases, 80% (or so) of […]

Do More in Less Time: 80/20 Your Practice Next Year

26 Dec, 2018 in Horn tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn problems / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by Colin Dorman (updated 92 days ago)

I’ve put up a new article in my French Horn Bootcamp series! This time the topic is everyone’s favorite – lip trills! Whether you’ve been playing for a year or a decade, learning the technique(s) involved in a good lip trill is an important technique. Even if you never use them in public, […]

New Bootcamp Article: Lip Trills

12 Dec, 2018 in Horn tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn problems / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by Colin Dorman (updated 105 days ago)

Every year the University of Louisville puts on a clinic to help high school players around the state with the All-State etudes. Each instrument has its own instructor (usually the University professor for that instrument), but this week the UofL brass faculty are doing a tour of Japan, so I […]

2018 KY All-State Horn Clinic Notes

26 Sep, 2018 in Horn tagged all state / horn playing / horn practice / horn teaching / horn technique / kentucky all state / practice by Colin Dorman

This time of year, most students (or at least most of my students) are beginning to work more diligently on their All-State music. While July and August are taken up with marching band camps and some intense after-school rehearsals, by the end of September most schools are doing at least […]

Practice Roadblocks? 2 Quick Fixes to Try First!

19 Sep, 2018 in Horn tagged all state / horn playing / horn practice / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by Colin Dorman (updated 202 days ago)

It looks like Julie Landsman is making the rounds to all sorts of different musical blogs, and her insights continue to be both interesting and energizing! A few weeks ago I posted about several different interviews that Julie Landsman has done – two different Horn Hangouts with Sarah Willis, an […]

Another [Great] Julie Landsman Interview!

29 Aug, 2018 in Horn tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn teaching / horn technique / podcast / practice by Colin Dorman (updated 238 days ago)

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 […]

Scales, Caring, and Cursing

25 Jul, 2018 in Horn tagged horn playing / horn practice / horn teaching / horn technique / practice by Colin Dorman (updated 266 days ago)

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 […]

Interview(s) with Julie Landsman

20 Jun, 2018 in Horn tagged horn hangouts / horn playing / horn practice / horn problems / horn teaching / horn technique / sarah willis by Colin Dorman (updated 279 days ago)

Colin Dorman

Horn Player, Tech Enthusiast