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The High School Hornist: What to Expect

The High School Hornist: What to Expect
Hello! And welcome to my blog! My name is Tracy Bass and I am currently finishing my Doctor of Music Arts degree at the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. Thank you for checking out this blog! This is going to serve as home to projects I did during my time at UMKC and will also be a collective resource for high school students who want to major in music in college.
I got a late start to horn and never had private lessons before starting college. My first semester, I was put fourth horn in orchestra and had no idea what I was in for. I was expected to read bass clef and transpose which were two things that I had no idea that the horn did. My goal with this blog is to create a resource for high school students and teachers to use when preparing for what a horn player can expect to see at the collegiate level.
Below is a checklist of topics that will be explored. Each item will have its own blog post coming soon so be sure to check back for future posts!
Major scales and arpeggios - expanding over the full range of the horn
Minor scales - what are the three types and why do we need to know them all
Bass clef - a crash course in reading bass clef and how to select the best fingerings when playing below the treble staff, along with what old notation is and how to identify when a piece is written in old notation
Transposition - why we need to do this and how to become fluent in every key
Articulations - different types of attacks along with double and triple tonguing
Pedagogy books - which ones are must haves and how to approach them
Warming up - how to decide what works best for you
Etudes - what an etude is, how are they used, and where to start
Solos - why are Mozart and Strauss the most standard and how to find other works
Orchestral excerpts - what they are and why we use them
Practicing - a guide to using mindmapping and bullet journaling to plan your practice
Tuning - how to practice intonation and why a tuner should not be your best friend
Ensembles - the different types where the horn is found and how they are used
Section playing - how each member of the section contributes to the whole and how to create a positive environment
Other blogs and websites - other online resources that are out there and who their target audiences are
Degree options - a description of the types of degrees in music you can earn and the types of jobs they can create
Selecting a teacher and a school - what to look for in a teacher and a college program along with some red flags to watch out for
Selecting a horn - an overview of the different kinds of horns that exist and how/why people chose each
Selecting a mouthpiece - an explanation of what the different numbers mean, what the different parts are, and how to find what works best for you

This list will change and evolve throughout time! Leave a comment below if there is anything you wish was on this list!

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Articulations

Articulations When you are playing each note, remember that there is a beginning, middle, and end. Each part of the note requires definition and equal attention. Articulations are often what causes us to make the most mistakes. There are different ways to approach articulations, but we are going to keep it simple with a “too” approach. Start by just slowly saying the word “too.” Feel the shape your mouth makes and where the tip of your tongue makes contact. It should be around the back of your top teeth, just where the roof of your mouth meets the teeth. This creates a well-rounded attack that works great on the horn. The higher in the range you are playing, your tongue will move further up from that position, and the lower you play, your tongue will move further down. This motion should happen naturally, but if you find yourself making unclear beginnings to notes, check in with where your tongue is making the initial attack. Make sure that after you make the attack, your t...
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Accuracy

Accuracy Accuracy is a challenge we face as horn players on the daily basis, especially the higher in our range. To combat this, there are some fun ways to work through fundamental exercises and help your accuracy at the same time. The best way to start is just playing scales and arpeggios with different articulations at varying dynamic levels. Work on playing scales in your full range as loud as possible to as soft as possible while playing the notes from slurred all the way to staccato. This will give you some ideas about where you have the biggest holes in accuracy. Josef Schantl wrote a book of studies called Grand Theoretical and Practical Method for the Valve Horn as a series of over 200 exercises in all major and minor keys. Not only does this book help with the fluency of all key signatures, but can be a resource when working on accuracy issues. He has suggestions on articulations written throughout so feel free to use those as needed, but play around with dynamics mo...
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Section Playing

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