Articles - Houghton Horns
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Private Teaching Studio Policies & Guidelines
When I was growing up, both of my parents maintained private studios for teaching French horn. I can scarcely remember a week passing without students visiting our house for regular lessons. Over the years I observed that the instruction time was generally focused on musical technique and progression, but some lessons served as an extended …Read now -
Pro Tips for Working Musicians
Those of us who perform live music professionally are (hopefully) seeing the first glimmers of a return to work in the near future. With that in mind, I thought it might be a good time to share these insights… Be Prepared. Always prepare your music in advance, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant the …Read now -
Effective Practice
I recently compiled some thoughts on achieving effective practice sessions. These concepts are universally applicable for all instrumentalists, not just horn players like myself! Planning. Plan regular times for your sessions. Ideally these are 2-3 sessions per day, each with a different focus. For example, the first session of the day might be focused purely …Read now -
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Taming the Beast: My Wagner Tuba Debut
In my career as a professional orchestral horn player, I’ve largely avoided the Wagner tuba. I’d always found it to be a bit intimidating. When the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs repertoire involving Wagner tuba, I stick to my role as Third Horn. Tuben can be awkward, difficult to play, and just plain weird. But I …Read now
