by Inman Hebert
Workshops, Festivals, Summer Camps, and More
Happy spring semester to all horn students! As far away as summer may seem, now—if not earlier—is the best time for planning. Various summer music festivals and camps cater to different groups of horn students. From colleges that host summer camps for recruiting high schoolers to large orchestra festivals, horn students have a great variety of opportunities to improve their playing through summer experiences. Additionally, students can attend regional workshops or horn days even before the summer begins. In this list, I have compiled opportunities for students of all horn levels.
First and foremost, when looking for horn-specific events to attend, the International Horn Symposium and IHS-affiliated regional workshops are the best places to start. This summer, in Fort Collins, Colorado, horn players of all varieties (professionals, students, amateurs) from around the world will meet for a week of competitions, concerts, presentations, and exhibitions that showcase every aspect of the horn. As a student who has attended the last two IHS symposia, I strongly advocate participation. These symposia offer opportunities for students to interact with their peers and to meet the horn players they idolize. In addition to social networking, the symposium offers students great opportunities to learn an assortment of pedagogical tips. My daily routines have been influenced by advice from IHS presentations.
Like the IHS symposia, regional workshops offer students similar opportunities to learn and network within their region much closer to home. These workshops may include featured artists, special presenters, concerts, competitions, masterclasses, exhibits, and presentations. Horn-specific events also exist in several states. These “horn days” often occur in winter or early spring and offer similar benefits to IHS symposia and regional workshops.
While deadlines for many summer fellowships with orchestras have passed, summer music festivals, orchestra programs, and camps have music programs that allow horn students to delve deeply into orchestral excerpts, perform in ensembles, or focus on technique and musicality with distinguished faculty members. Because of such prestigious leadership, many festivals can be valuable learning opportunities for the college horn student.
Some universities host honor bands for high school horn players during the school year and summer. These honor bands and music camps exist to recruit talented musicians to the university and provide opportunities for students to become familiar with the university’s music program. In addition, playing with gifted musicians under experienced conductors improves musicality.
Attending music workshops, festivals, and summer camps offers horn players a chance to improve and build a network of mentors and potential future colleagues. These opportunities, ranging from IHS symposia to orchestral festivals, can positively impact students’ careers and experiences.
