A lot of potentially good players have been screwed up by teachers who insist that the only way to play is the way they play. That's a crock. Each person has to do it his or her way. There is no secret about how you learn to make a good sound. You work your butt off.
- Adolph Herseth
The Job of the Teacher
The teacher guides the student in their journey of self-discovery. Ultimately the student must becomes their own teacher and the vast amount of the work that leads to improvement comes in the practice room, not the teaching studio. No matter the level of the student an effective teacher should:
A teacher must learn to impart information in a simple, effective way being mindful of not overloading the student. Focusing on one or two areas to improve in a given lesson is the most effective way of insuring progress. If a teacher points out too many things the student is doing "wrong", the student often becomes overwhelmed or discouraged. Another danger, especially for an experienced teacher, is to speak too much and play too little. The student needs to hear the teacher demonstrate the concepts they are imparting. The teacher also needs to allow the student to play as much as possible in a lesson giving them the opportunity to experiment with minimal correction.
Perhaps the biggest red flag in a potential teacher is someone who prioritizes technique (a "mechanic") and doesn't treat music as an artform. Even a beginner should be treated as an aspiring artist that uses technique to be a "storyteller of sound." Arnold Jacobs, perhaps the most renowned brass teacher in history, said "the art form, creative thought, or song is 85 percent of music. The artist must prevail in musical thoughts." A student should be encouraged from the very first lesson to use technique creatively to express emotion and character.
The Job of the Student
The student absorbs information. The ability to learn is greater than the ability to teach. A student should think of themselves a musician instead of a "horn player". The horn is simply the medium we have chosen to express ourselves.
Beginning Students
A horn player's first encounter with their new instrument is typically around age 12 in a beginner band program. This is a good age to start as the body is usually just developed enough to position the horn on the leg and the mouthpiece on the lips without too much body tension.
If a student shows interest and aptitude for playing, the next step is to find a good teacher. A good band director will usually have recommendations and may even arrange for a teacher to come to the school to teach private lessons. Hopefully this person will be a professional level player that can, at the very least, set a young player up for success by establishing the basic foundations for future success: learning relaxed breathing, how to hold the horn, building a functional embouchure, the basics or practicing efficiently, and most importantly, imbuing the student with the joy of experiencing and making music.
Advanced Students (High School/Pre-College)
Depending on the student's goals, staying with the same teacher throughout high school might be a suitable option. However, if a student is advancing quickly and aspires to play at the collegiate level, a responsible teacher will support sending the student to someone that may have more performance expertise and connections to the music world beyond the student's hometown. Sometimes a student or parent will intuitively sense that a student has outgrown a teacher but will feel disloyal or conflicted about seeking out a new instructor. Rest assured that any teacher that prioritizes the student's best interests will support a change to a stronger teacher and may even have recommendations.
Whether you're a beginner or a pre-professional player, it's my opinion that four years of weekly study with any teacher (even the most gifted) is enough to absorb whatever useful information they have to offer. Studying with a new teacher can give students an opportunity to learn different perspectives and ideas about playing that are almost always valuable in our development.
For an advanced high school student that aspires to play in youth orchestra or compete in honor band and all state competitions, finding a performing teacher that can demonstrate a high level of playing and communicate technical and musical concepts well is essential. If you live near a major city or university with a music performance program, try contacting a member of a full-time professional orchestra or a conservatory level music instructor. If they aren't able to teach you personally, they should be able to guide you to a skilled teacher.
Adapting to the Student
All students are different, with different strengths, weaknesses and ways of thinking. Some tend to think logically while others tend to think emotionally. Each student has a specific motivation for taking lessons and is important early on for a teacher to understand this motivation to set goals and expectations accordingly. If a student is taking lessons because of pressure from a parent or a band director, a teacher's primary goal might be to make sure the student is having fun playing the horn. A student who is a perfectionist and overly concerned with the physical processes of playing: fingers, embouchure, breathing, tonguing, etc. might need to be encouraged to "let go", allow room for mistakes, and focus on musical expression. Other students may enjoy playing and making music but may struggle with individual practice. These students may benefit from using lessons (at least temporarily) as guided practice sessions where problem solving and experimentation are emphasized and rote run-throughs are discouraged.
Whatever the student's ability, it's important to encourage to emphasize the artistic side of music making. From the first lessons, technique (your metaphorical paints and brushes) should be described as a means to an end: musical expression. The vast majority of musical thought should be based on the phenomenon of sound, inspirational thinking, and intuitive aspects of the brain. A much smaller percentage of conscious thought should be devoted to awareness of the physical act of playing. During performance, perhaps there should be none at all. Ultimately making music is telling a story with sound rather than words, even at the most elementary stage. As soon as a student makes their first sound on the horn, they are a musician.
Students that start thinking with too much complexity will inevitably fall victim to "Paralysis by Analysis" which is maybe the worst psychological affliction a horn player has to overcome. Teachers should know when a student is working towards a solution intuitively and be able stay out of the way of self-learning. Knowing when to not intervene is maybe the most important skill a teacher must cultivate. Good teaching is a simplifying process, weeding out what is unnecessary or distracting. An effective teacher will use simple, easily explainable points to solve a problem. Metaphors and analogies that are easily understood by non-musicians are always preferable to dense, technical explanations.
It is important to remember to work with the student's strengths as well as their weaknesses. Every student does something well and needs to be encouraged through positive reinforcement. Students who feel like they're succeeding and improving are much more likely to stay motivated and practice outside the lesson. Students who are constantly criticized and over-corrected tend to become discouraged and quit. If a student has an unorthodox embouchure that is functional, it might be best to focus on other problems. As a student advances they might adjust on their own or find that the embouchure works fine for their purposes.
First Lessons: Advanced Students
The first lesson should be used to evaluate the student's strengths and weaknesses and set a course of study. First and foremost, a teacher should observe how a student takes in air and how they move it through the instrument. Other common problems that should be addressed immediately are improper hand position in the bell, flat finger on the keys, poor posture, dysfunctional embouchure placement, excessive mouthpiece pressure and articulation problems.
It’s also important to establish a philosophy of playing that is primarily artistic and secondarily technical. In other words, a player should not be focused on learning to play the instrument but learning how an instrument should sound. In learning how to shape the sound, he is learning the instrument. The emphasis is then on the creative aspect of sound and what can be done with it. When a student is able to control the sound, they can begin to explore phrasing, dynamics, emotions, and all other aspects of communicating musical ideas.
First Lessons: Beginners
I recommend all horn students spend at least a week learning to buzz sirens and simple tunes on the mouthpiece before playing the horn. This establishes that air blowing across vibrating lips motivates the sound. It also allows students to “hear” the notes in their head before playing as in singing.
It is important for teacher’s of beginning students to regularly demonstrate a quality sound. Playing a few notes on the student’s instrument will help them understand that the player is the important factor in sound production, not the instrument. Imitation of notes and simple melodies as well as beginner duets are also a great way to establish a standard of sound quality. Through trial and error (and gentle correction) students should be able to play with a quality sound in the middle register in one or two lessons. Encourage students to experiment and embrace mistakes in order to learn something new.
Even a the beginner should be treated like an elementary artist focusing on the art of making sound rather than the physical act producing the sound. All the components of technique can be applied to musical examples in etudes and solos (which are of course made up of scales, arpeggios and long tones). A long note should not just be a long note as an exercise but a note that can used as part of a beautiful solo with quality and expansion. But always your plan is the art-form, rather than the meat, the muscles.
It is important to recognize that young people usually have small lung capacities. The lung capacities become fairly sizeable with their growth in height and usually around the ages of eighteen to twenty-one it becomes maximal, but if you are dealing with twelve-year-olds, people at grade school level, they have not achieved their heights and lung capacities. There is a danger with a young student playing long phrases. Since they are not yet fully developed physically, they should be allowed to break up these phrases to a point of which they are physically capable.
The teacher guides the student in their journey of self-discovery. Ultimately the student must becomes their own teacher and the vast amount of the work that leads to improvement comes in the practice room, not the teaching studio. No matter the level of the student an effective teacher should:
- demonstrate a high standard of playing for the student to aspire to
- draw attention to habits that will inhibit technique and sound production
- provide simple, memorable concepts that make the process of playing easier
- help the student formulate goals and organize practice sessions
- encourage and offer positive reinforcement
- inspire and motivate
- communicate passion and enthusiasm for the artform
- emphasize "art" over the "craft"
A teacher must learn to impart information in a simple, effective way being mindful of not overloading the student. Focusing on one or two areas to improve in a given lesson is the most effective way of insuring progress. If a teacher points out too many things the student is doing "wrong", the student often becomes overwhelmed or discouraged. Another danger, especially for an experienced teacher, is to speak too much and play too little. The student needs to hear the teacher demonstrate the concepts they are imparting. The teacher also needs to allow the student to play as much as possible in a lesson giving them the opportunity to experiment with minimal correction.
Perhaps the biggest red flag in a potential teacher is someone who prioritizes technique (a "mechanic") and doesn't treat music as an artform. Even a beginner should be treated as an aspiring artist that uses technique to be a "storyteller of sound." Arnold Jacobs, perhaps the most renowned brass teacher in history, said "the art form, creative thought, or song is 85 percent of music. The artist must prevail in musical thoughts." A student should be encouraged from the very first lesson to use technique creatively to express emotion and character.
The Job of the Student
The student absorbs information. The ability to learn is greater than the ability to teach. A student should think of themselves a musician instead of a "horn player". The horn is simply the medium we have chosen to express ourselves.
Beginning Students
A horn player's first encounter with their new instrument is typically around age 12 in a beginner band program. This is a good age to start as the body is usually just developed enough to position the horn on the leg and the mouthpiece on the lips without too much body tension.
If a student shows interest and aptitude for playing, the next step is to find a good teacher. A good band director will usually have recommendations and may even arrange for a teacher to come to the school to teach private lessons. Hopefully this person will be a professional level player that can, at the very least, set a young player up for success by establishing the basic foundations for future success: learning relaxed breathing, how to hold the horn, building a functional embouchure, the basics or practicing efficiently, and most importantly, imbuing the student with the joy of experiencing and making music.
Advanced Students (High School/Pre-College)
Depending on the student's goals, staying with the same teacher throughout high school might be a suitable option. However, if a student is advancing quickly and aspires to play at the collegiate level, a responsible teacher will support sending the student to someone that may have more performance expertise and connections to the music world beyond the student's hometown. Sometimes a student or parent will intuitively sense that a student has outgrown a teacher but will feel disloyal or conflicted about seeking out a new instructor. Rest assured that any teacher that prioritizes the student's best interests will support a change to a stronger teacher and may even have recommendations.
Whether you're a beginner or a pre-professional player, it's my opinion that four years of weekly study with any teacher (even the most gifted) is enough to absorb whatever useful information they have to offer. Studying with a new teacher can give students an opportunity to learn different perspectives and ideas about playing that are almost always valuable in our development.
For an advanced high school student that aspires to play in youth orchestra or compete in honor band and all state competitions, finding a performing teacher that can demonstrate a high level of playing and communicate technical and musical concepts well is essential. If you live near a major city or university with a music performance program, try contacting a member of a full-time professional orchestra or a conservatory level music instructor. If they aren't able to teach you personally, they should be able to guide you to a skilled teacher.
Adapting to the Student
All students are different, with different strengths, weaknesses and ways of thinking. Some tend to think logically while others tend to think emotionally. Each student has a specific motivation for taking lessons and is important early on for a teacher to understand this motivation to set goals and expectations accordingly. If a student is taking lessons because of pressure from a parent or a band director, a teacher's primary goal might be to make sure the student is having fun playing the horn. A student who is a perfectionist and overly concerned with the physical processes of playing: fingers, embouchure, breathing, tonguing, etc. might need to be encouraged to "let go", allow room for mistakes, and focus on musical expression. Other students may enjoy playing and making music but may struggle with individual practice. These students may benefit from using lessons (at least temporarily) as guided practice sessions where problem solving and experimentation are emphasized and rote run-throughs are discouraged.
Whatever the student's ability, it's important to encourage to emphasize the artistic side of music making. From the first lessons, technique (your metaphorical paints and brushes) should be described as a means to an end: musical expression. The vast majority of musical thought should be based on the phenomenon of sound, inspirational thinking, and intuitive aspects of the brain. A much smaller percentage of conscious thought should be devoted to awareness of the physical act of playing. During performance, perhaps there should be none at all. Ultimately making music is telling a story with sound rather than words, even at the most elementary stage. As soon as a student makes their first sound on the horn, they are a musician.
Students that start thinking with too much complexity will inevitably fall victim to "Paralysis by Analysis" which is maybe the worst psychological affliction a horn player has to overcome. Teachers should know when a student is working towards a solution intuitively and be able stay out of the way of self-learning. Knowing when to not intervene is maybe the most important skill a teacher must cultivate. Good teaching is a simplifying process, weeding out what is unnecessary or distracting. An effective teacher will use simple, easily explainable points to solve a problem. Metaphors and analogies that are easily understood by non-musicians are always preferable to dense, technical explanations.
It is important to remember to work with the student's strengths as well as their weaknesses. Every student does something well and needs to be encouraged through positive reinforcement. Students who feel like they're succeeding and improving are much more likely to stay motivated and practice outside the lesson. Students who are constantly criticized and over-corrected tend to become discouraged and quit. If a student has an unorthodox embouchure that is functional, it might be best to focus on other problems. As a student advances they might adjust on their own or find that the embouchure works fine for their purposes.
First Lessons: Advanced Students
The first lesson should be used to evaluate the student's strengths and weaknesses and set a course of study. First and foremost, a teacher should observe how a student takes in air and how they move it through the instrument. Other common problems that should be addressed immediately are improper hand position in the bell, flat finger on the keys, poor posture, dysfunctional embouchure placement, excessive mouthpiece pressure and articulation problems.
It’s also important to establish a philosophy of playing that is primarily artistic and secondarily technical. In other words, a player should not be focused on learning to play the instrument but learning how an instrument should sound. In learning how to shape the sound, he is learning the instrument. The emphasis is then on the creative aspect of sound and what can be done with it. When a student is able to control the sound, they can begin to explore phrasing, dynamics, emotions, and all other aspects of communicating musical ideas.
First Lessons: Beginners
I recommend all horn students spend at least a week learning to buzz sirens and simple tunes on the mouthpiece before playing the horn. This establishes that air blowing across vibrating lips motivates the sound. It also allows students to “hear” the notes in their head before playing as in singing.
It is important for teacher’s of beginning students to regularly demonstrate a quality sound. Playing a few notes on the student’s instrument will help them understand that the player is the important factor in sound production, not the instrument. Imitation of notes and simple melodies as well as beginner duets are also a great way to establish a standard of sound quality. Through trial and error (and gentle correction) students should be able to play with a quality sound in the middle register in one or two lessons. Encourage students to experiment and embrace mistakes in order to learn something new.
Even a the beginner should be treated like an elementary artist focusing on the art of making sound rather than the physical act producing the sound. All the components of technique can be applied to musical examples in etudes and solos (which are of course made up of scales, arpeggios and long tones). A long note should not just be a long note as an exercise but a note that can used as part of a beautiful solo with quality and expansion. But always your plan is the art-form, rather than the meat, the muscles.
It is important to recognize that young people usually have small lung capacities. The lung capacities become fairly sizeable with their growth in height and usually around the ages of eighteen to twenty-one it becomes maximal, but if you are dealing with twelve-year-olds, people at grade school level, they have not achieved their heights and lung capacities. There is a danger with a young student playing long phrases. Since they are not yet fully developed physically, they should be allowed to break up these phrases to a point of which they are physically capable.