Following the example of Japanese martial arts disciplines, I’ve divided the stages of development on the horn into 9 kyus or levels. Once a student has identified her current level, she will decide the length of time she will devote to refining her current technical and musical skills. At every level, there's a nearly unlimited amount of repertoire to explore. Many students will be satisfied to stay at the same level for long stretches of time (perhaps indefinitely) while they continue to reinforce skills they’ve already learned. Ambitious students will aspire to “level up” until they have developed complete mastery of the instrument and are able to perform with the highest standards of musicality and technique possible.
An experienced teacher understands that the student ultimately dictates the pace and scope of instruction. Young teachers (myself included) often assume that all students aspire to mastery and will devote the time and energy necessary achieve it. The reality is that many students only aspire to play with basic proficiency. Perhaps a student’s only goal is to place well in their high school band or to keep up with challenging repertoire in their community orchestra. Other students dream of winning a solo competition or gaining a position in a major orchestra. I believe it’s important for each student to decide what their current goals are in studying horn. Goals can and will change over time but, in order to give structure to the course of instruction, it is important to know where you are today and where you want to be in the future.
At each stage, there are certain skills that can and should be mastered. In order to graduate to a higher level, proficiency in the prescribed skills and repertoire of the current level should be demonstrated to the satisfaction of both the student and the teacher through informal “tests” or other milestones such doing well in a professional audition or successfully performing a recital.
Theses levels are not intended to be rigid or absolute. Students and professionals can benefit from reviewing basic skills with a “beginner’s mind” as well as occasionally challenging ourselves to work on repertoire that may slightly beyond our current abilities.
For nearly all advanced players, a well developed daily technical routine or warm up is the foundation for maintaining and improving fundamental skills. This session need not be a large component of your daily practice (in fact, I would suggest limiting your daily technical routine to 30 minutes or less). While it is helpful to experiment with exercises and routines that work well for others, most players eventually develop a routine that work best for them. Students that work with me will be required to develop and demonstrate a routine that includes:
I will provide examples of exercises in all these categories that can be used as a template for individual routines and to demonstrate aptitude in certain aspects of technique.
Happy practicing!
At each stage, there are certain skills that can and should be mastered. In order to graduate to a higher level, proficiency in the prescribed skills and repertoire of the current level should be demonstrated to the satisfaction of both the student and the teacher through informal “tests” or other milestones such doing well in a professional audition or successfully performing a recital.
Theses levels are not intended to be rigid or absolute. Students and professionals can benefit from reviewing basic skills with a “beginner’s mind” as well as occasionally challenging ourselves to work on repertoire that may slightly beyond our current abilities.
For nearly all advanced players, a well developed daily technical routine or warm up is the foundation for maintaining and improving fundamental skills. This session need not be a large component of your daily practice (in fact, I would suggest limiting your daily technical routine to 30 minutes or less). While it is helpful to experiment with exercises and routines that work well for others, most players eventually develop a routine that work best for them. Students that work with me will be required to develop and demonstrate a routine that includes:
- Breathing
- Mouthpiece Buzzing
- Long tones
- Scales
- Flexibility
I will provide examples of exercises in all these categories that can be used as a template for individual routines and to demonstrate aptitude in certain aspects of technique.
Happy practicing!