As another great semester wraps up, I've had many thoughtful conversations with students about setting goals for the summer and practice strategies. With months in between semesters, it is easy to veer off course of vigilant practice and playing goals.  I offer the following advice to my students.
1. Have fun! Be sure to add a sense of play into your practice. Improvise, read new rep, try arranging or anything else that might inspire you or keep you focused.
2. Short and sweet: It's much easier to commit to short sessions than large sessions of practice. With a summer job and friends to see, it may be hard to find spare hours. However, 20 minutes before work to warm up is attainable, as is another 20 minute slot later in the evening or right before dinner to do some playing.  
3. Set realistic and attainable goals. Learn one movement of your sonata for your recital, learn how to double tongue, find a few excerpts that you wanted to learn. The smaller and more specific the goal, the easier it will be to achieve. As well, keep asking yourself, 'how does this help me reach my dream job?' Keep your eye on the prize and every victory will be much sweeter! 
4. Find a buddy: As my students are preparing for the International Horn Society Conference in August, they know they still some work ahead of them to achieve the level of excellence they strive for. They are working toward their performances by making videos, playing with a metronome and/or tuner and uploading it for their peers.  They will help support and encourage each other to play their best with goals every few weeks. If you don't have a friend in your hometown, you can play for one another online or join a Facebook performance or etude group.  
5. Listen to lots of great music: Find inspiration and new repertoire through lots of listening - it's amazing how much you can learn through osmosis and by absorbing great sounds.
6. Revisit technical challenges from the school year. My biggest learning opportunities happened when I had time to process and absorb new ideas - when the 'pressure' of the weekly lessons were off and I had more time and patience to experiment, my learning skyrocketed.
7. Take some time off! Avoid burnout and give yourself some time to relax and have fun! Appreciate what you do and love your craft, but appreciate why you work so hard for this success at the same time. Victory will be much more satisfying because of it.

In April I had the sincere pleasure of working with several Alberta organizations, including Hornfest. It was a wonderful experience, and a riot for all involved! I was overjoyed to work with a group ranging from beginner students, high school talents, conservatory students, adult enthusiasts and pros, and I believe they also felt the incredible energy in the weekend of music-making. One of the biggest challenges discussed was the lack of  opportunities for adult amateurs and keen high school students. Once students enter the college system, they are immersed in chamber music, but have few opportunities before and after.  Anyone who knows me personally knows my of ardent advocacy for chamber music at all levels (which I facilitate through my yearly Horn Nights), but that isn't available everywhere. I have a few suggestions for encouraging chamber music in your community.

For teachers:

• Put together a small packet of easy duos, trios and quartets for young students to try out on their own and take home. There are some great quartet books (Pottag, Rubank) that are fantastic starting points, and some easy arrangements (Louie, Louie etc.) are also relatively easy to come by.  My students and parents also loved when we played holiday duets and sent them as videos at Christmas time - a great challenge for the students, and a great opportunity for parents to see your rapport and progress!
• Arrange a couple well-known tunes (Harry Potter etc.) with very simple harmonies so that more advanced students can tackle the melody, while the younger ones can still get involved.
• Find a few large ensemble works that will challenge your more advanced high school students, but still have lines within grasp of those that are just starting out.  While some may be a little out of their reach, pushing their reading and playing abilities will be well worth it. Even if the music isn't note-perfect, students will want to show they are up to the challenge and pull of much more than you ever expected! Some of my favorites are raucous marches, Hansel and Gretel, and vocal arrangements.
• Arrange informal reading and playing sessions once or twice a year. Take the pressure off, and just HAVE FUN! You will all be pleasantly surprised how much you accomplish.

For students or amateur adult players:

• Find like-minded enthusiasts in community bands or in your public schools - you may find some of your band directors want to dust off their horns too! Start with a small time commitment, maybe pair it with another fun activity (duets and ice cream, anyone?), and see what happens!
• Reach out to local organizations or colleges to find out about reading opportunities- I often invite students to play with our collegiate ensemble a few times a year, and it is a riot for everyone involved!
• Try your hand at arranging a favorite tune, or adapting a vocal arrangement. When it's something that everyone really loves, participation always goes up!
• Find arrangements of Christmas carols and head out to your local hospital/retirement community. It will be loads of fun, rewarding, and always easier to convince peers to join in when there is altruism involved.

There are many great chamber works out there, and it is worth spending some time reading through them - have fun, keep it informal, and keep your passion and interest alive. The return on your investment will be huge!  

Congrats to my students from MUS659 who used some pretty snazzy software online to create this lovely Renaissance timeline! Courtesy of Knightlab.com. 

Hello all, and apologies for my lack of posting lately - I am writing from my new post as Assistant Professor at Murray State. I am enjoying working with all the great colleagues and students and seeing where this new adventure leads! We are off to a great start with concerts coming up at Mid-North horn workshop and Mid-South horn workshop.  I am also looking forward to performing next week in my first faculty recital and performing with the orchestra a few days later. They will both be fun and entertaining performances!  To all my former students, please be sure to keep in touch, I've loved hearing all your updates! You will always be a part of my life! And to my newest students - watch those elbows! ;) 

​Friends, I am excited to finally let you know that I have accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Horn at Murray State University. I will be moving to Kentucky later this summer, and am looking forward to working with a great new community of colleagues and students.  While it is bittersweet to leave Indiana, which has been my home for these past 7 years, I am eager to start this new part of my journey.  I am incredibly thankful for the wonderful colleagues, students and friends I have here – from the universities to the great public schools, to the Philharmonic, to so many incredible musicians and everyone else that has made this such a great experience. 

Exciting concerts abounded in the last few months!  The end of the concert season always features many exciting concerts, but I had a little more excitement than I imagined! At the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic concert, my horn broke mid-concert and was not fixable until the next day.  With a great section, we were able to make it work - thanks to a great team, my part was covered and horns were swapped, making it work.  I had to remind myself no matter what to go for the music and play beautifully, because that's what the audience is there to hear.  Lesson to all students - anything possible can happen - be ready to make it work in any situation!

 I also had exciting news that weekend, honored to find out that I am the newest member to have chair sponsorship in the CIP! I am so touched and honored, excited to continue my journey with the CIP.
​ 
Finally, I also had a great weekend performing the Haydn Double Horn Concerto with Ericka Tyner Grodrian at Valparaiso University. We had a wonderful time collaborating together, and I especially enjoyed the opportunity to perform on a descant horn (pictured below).  Even professional players are not always accustomed to playing different horns for different pieces, and I really enjoyed the learning experience of the different colors and sounds I could produce.  I really enjoyed the freedom and liberation to go for it, playing on such a special horn!  

Good afternoon!
With my first day of (sort of) spring break started, I thought it was due time to catch up on some of my correspondence and answer your questions.  

Around this time of year, I often have parents asking about instruments for their children, or students buying before they head off to college. I wanted to offer a few pieces of advice to get you started when considering buying a horn.

First off, let me say this: this advice is principally for students buying an instrument to get them through high school and potentially a Music Education/Composition (non-performance) degree. If a student plans on having a career in performance, they may want to consider an instrument that will be sufficient until they are close to achieving their first professional job, or during a masters' degree, when they have developed enough so that they know what is the right fit for them.  When students plan to go to college (especially for performance), if they know who they will be studying with, they should absolutely speak to their future professor before making any big purchases.

Single vs. Double
Horns range in size, quality and features, and it is important to understand what you are looking at before buying.  First of all, I advocate buying a double french horn; this is standard for students except for some of the earliest beginners.  This allows them more flexibility and a beautiful sound in all ranges.

Looks can be deceiving
Your student does not need a brand new instrument, but does need one where the instrument and valves especially are in good working order. Lacquer wear and the finish can be deceptive; some of the best horns have a few scuffs on the exterior.  Dents and their impact depend on the size of the tube where the dent is: if the lead pipe is dented 1/2 inch, you are almost fully hurting the sound, while a large 1-inch gash near the bell might barely effect the sound and intonation. A detachable bell is a good option for a student that does a lot of traveling/walking, but if they are clumsy, it's something else that could get damaged! I often recommend buying used horns, because you can get a better instrument for a lower price.  Think of this as buying a new car - new instruments will depreciate quickly as they are worn in.

Brands
There are many brands out there, but when you are buying without a lot of previous research,  I recommend first looking at Holton, Yamaha or Conn horns. There are various models and sizes, and the model numbers describe the size, lacquer, and level of instrument. A Yamaha 567 is often selected for young students, but is generally a little small for upper level students and taller students. A 667 or 668 may be a better fit.  A Holton 179 or 180 are great options, or Conn 6D (smaller), 8D or 10D are also popular. In general, I avoid models by Accent, Jupiter, Eastman or similar *deals* - these models frequently break, rarely tune and are impossible to sell once you grow out of them.  However, there are one or two new models coming out in recent years that may be worth considering after careful research.

 Mouthpieces
Your horn may come with a mouthpiece, but it may not be ideal for you - when testing models, use your current model so you have some consistency in your trials. For a middle school or early high school student, I start by recommending a Holton Farkas MDC mouthpiece.  More advanced students have had great success with other models depending on their needs (in recent years, several students have leaned toward Laskey models and the Jeff Nelsen model.)

How to know what is right for you?
Every horn is different, and even between brands there are a lot of discrepancies.  I recommend trying as many horns as you can before you commit to any one style or make.  Check at your school and see if they have any horns you can play on, as well as looking to see if there are any local music shops nearby where you can try some instruments.  If there is a horn conference or music conference (like Midwest Band Clinic or Southwest Horn Workshop) happening in the region, it is also worth making a trip to try out many horns back to back.  Try playing low, high, loud, soft, lyrically, articulately and playing things you are very comfortable with.  Bring a friend so they can tell you what it sounds like from several feet away.  You should consider both sound and feel, as well as what you think you will need in coming years.  

Where to buy?
There are many options today for where to buy instruments; consider each option with care.  Music shops and conferences will allow you to try instruments, and may offer payment plans, but less often sell used instruments.  Online, you can try brass or horn-specific music instrument dealers like Ken Pope, or classified ads on places like the listings on the International Horn Society's website. Some have had luck on Ebay, but remember with online sales, you must consider shipping, insurance, and a return policy if it is not what you hoped.  Is there a university nearby? Sometimes students are upgrading or the professors there may have a line on a used instrument for sale.

My recommendations?
The horns I generally recommend for my middle school and high school students are used horns - Yamaha, Conn or Holton - that are about $1500-2500 in price. They are relatively well-made, hold their value, and are easy to sell if the student chooses to do so. I always have a student play several horns first and make sure they have some idea first what model will best suit them.  I contact my colleagues asking if they know of a used horn for sale, and if your student has a private teacher, I encourage you to ask them to do the same.  I also recommend looking at the classifieds and search for an instrument within driving distance - it may be worth a 3 hour trip to pick up a new horn if it will save you a few thousand later and protect you from settling on a lesser instrument or shipping concerns.  Buying a horn is a big investment, but with good research and careful planning, you 

Best of luck to you as you on your search for a new horn! 

With such a diverse studio, I often come across some unusual issues - one actually being how to best hold the horn!  

When my students experience growth spurts, they often try to keep the same position and posture -something which often doesn't work! As torsos grow, students find their mouthpieces end up too low on their lips, causing issues with range and endurance.  

How to check your posture?
- Make sure your body is straight, neck straight, you are sitting upright and legs are at right angles
- Bring the horn to you - let the horn fit you, not vice versa! 
- Find an angle in which your bell is facing out rather than into your body or leg - your angle may need to change a little to accommodate the new height
- If you are playing on the leg, consider bringing the bell a little closer to you to bring the horn higher.
- Consider moving your right leg to the right a little, or propping your right foot on the chair leg to give a few extra inches.
Keep your hands and arms at positions that allow your great sound to get to your audience
- Your ideal posture should be comfortable, relaxed and natural feeling

Hope this helps, and happy playing!