Skip to main content

Selecting a Teacher

Selecting a Teacher

When you start looking for college to attend, make a list of all of your options. Figure out if you are applying to schools just within your state or throughout the whole country/world and make a list of your options. Find the horn teacher’s profile on each school’s website and you should be able to get a sense of what kind of teacher and performer the teacher is. If possible, travel to each teacher and have a lesson when you are trying to choose where you are applying. At the least, have some email correspondence with the teacher so that a dialogue has been started and they know you are interested.
Through lessons and communications, you can get the sense of whether you and the teacher would work well together. It is always ok if you do not feel like you would like to study with a particular teacher, just as it is ok that a teacher may not want to take you on as a student. It is all about finding the right fit. My suggestions are finding out what their strongest teaching skills are and make sure that they align with your deficiencies. Also, take a look at their bios and see if the things they have done align with what you would like to do.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Section Playing

Section Playing Each member of the horn section plays a different role. From the perspective of a work that is written for four different horn parts, composers tend to follow a standard model to get the sound that they want. It is important to know where you fall within this model and how to be your best self in the role you have been given. The first horn: also known as the principal horn, this position is the leader of the pack. This part is normally written the highest and sometimes requires the use of an assistant. This is your go to reference point for articulations, dynamics, and overall musicality. They usually have the most featured parts and should also help lead the section with breathing and entrances. If you have questions about your music, this is your first point of contact. If the principal does not know the answer, they will usually ask the conductor or have you speak to him after rehearsal or during a break. This person will hopefully lead by example and set the ...

Intonation

Intonation Learning how to play in tune with yourself and others should be a fun process for you. It takes patience and attention to detail, but the end results are life changing for your playing. First off, make sure you have a metronome and a tuner. There are lots of apps that exist today for these, but if you are willing to spend a little money, I recommend the TonalEnergy Tuner. This app lets you have the metronome and tuner going at the same time. You can also have the app play drones, which we will get to shortly. First, make sure that your horn is in tune with itself and a tuner. There are many different types of horns with different tuning systems so it is best to get help from someone with experience tuning the horn the first time you do this. I also have found this video by Matthew Hogan useful for students to get an introduction to tuning the horn. The best place to start is by learning your tendencies. Each note will require a little adjustment to get perfectly in ...

Embouchure

Embouchure The best embouchures are often described as two-thirds top lip, one-third bottom. This comes from the way that we aim our airstream down into our lead pipe. Having more top lip gives us better control with aiming our air and makes shifting between ranges easier. Lips comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and appropriate mouthpieces can aid in finding this balance. Your teeth can also play a role in helping find the proper placement as well. An easy way to find a setting is to place the mouthpiece almost to the lips and then begin a free buzz and slowly place the mouthpiece on your face and allow the muscles to relax around the mouthpiece to keep the buzz going once it is in place. Aperture, the hole your lips make to allow air through, plays a huge part in this setup as well. Aperture should naturally find its way through simple exercises and can also help guide the mouthpiece to proper placement. Check that the corners of your mouth are firm so that air is not slip...