Research to Resonance—Strengthen Your Inner Map
by Katy Carnaggio
Every note you play begins before you move. Before muscles shift or breath flows, your mind is already running mental simulations that predict what your body will do and how it will feel. Skill develops by testing those predictions against experience, adjusting with every breath and sound.
This predictive process is part of a larger system called internal modeling: the brain’s way of anticipating outcomes before they happen, and refining them over time.
Internal modeling relies on two processes:
- Inverse modeling: predicts the actions needed to achieve a musical outcome, sending motor commands to your body.
- Forward modeling: predicts how those movements will feel and sound, even before a note is played.
Together, these processes create a continuous flow of intention and anticipation.
As you play, sensory feedback streams in. Your brain constantly compares prediction to reality. When they align, the model is reinforced. When they diverge, it’s adjusted, sharpening future predictions and improving precision.
Think of internal modeling (what you intend and imagine) and sensory feedback (what you actually hear and feel) as two oars on a paddleboat. Used together, they move you forward with ease. Neglect one, and you may find yourself gently circling without realizing it.
This is why imagining, choosing, and feeling the sound before you play matters so much. It strengthens your internal model (the often-overlooked oar), priming your movements to become more precise, reliable, and free. Like an internal GPS, it gives you something you can trust every time you play.
To refine your internal models, incorporate deliberate prediction into your practice: predicting both the actions needed to create sound and the sensations those actions should produce.
This can look like:
Embodied Imagery
- Choose an image, emotion, or physical sensation (like "an icy lake" or "velvet dusk").
- Organize your breath, body, and focus around becoming that internal world.
- Let sound emerge naturally from embodiment, not mechanical control.
Active Listening
- While listening to great performances, imagine you are creating the sound:
- Feel the breath, the embouchure, the posture shaping each phrase. (How does it shift when you imagine singing like Avi Kaplan versus Luciano Pavarotti?)
These strategies draw from current research on predictive motor control and skill acquisition. Their specific applications to music performance are an exciting and growing area of study. You'll find additional ideas linked here if you'd like to explore further.
And as you do, remember: building a stronger internal model isn't just about adding new detail; it's also about letting some things go. As Brené Brown says, “Change always includes a series of small deaths.” Even positive growth carries loss—the shedding of familiar ways of moving, familiar ways of thinking, even familiar versions of yourself.
But each time you release an old way of moving or thinking, you clear the path for something more true, more grounded, more yours.
You don’t just change how you play.
You become someone who plays differently because you are different inside.
Article Series Map
Part 1: Prediction as a Tool for Letting Go
Part 2: Your Sound Starts Here
Part 3: Strengthen Your Inner Map (This Month!)
Part 4: Surrender in Spotlight (Coming Next Month)
Pedagogy—Horn as a Sport
by Szabolcs Zempléni, Professor of Horn, University of the Arts Berlin; IHS 57 Featured Artist
"The Athletic Horn Player." That was the headline when Gramophone magazine interviewed me after my first big international win in Markneukirchen at the age of 20. I loved cycling even then, though I was far from a typical athlete. What I didn’t know was that sport was already shaping me in ways I couldn’t yet see.
Today, I know: Playing the horn is a sport.
The Physical Side
Horn playing is physical. We push muscles to extremes: loudness, high notes, low notes, stamina across hours. Your range, endurance, strength—it’s not just talent. It’s training.
There is no such thing as impossible. Only the limits we accept.
Muscles don't grow during practice—they grow during rest. The body needs time to process, build, memorize. The same is true for the brain: slow, deliberate practice, careful repetition. Athletes know it. Musicians must embrace it too.
Mastery is Built, Not Found
Physical training is essential—but so is mental strength. Chess. Snooker. Strategy games. They teach focus, patience, fine motor skills—all critical for musicians. Not every training happens on the instrument.
I’ve always had it—the need to win. Even losing—painful as it was—taught me resilience. Every setback became a lesson: Get up. Start again. Fight for your goal.
The Importance of Breathing
Reading Zen in the Art of Archery was a revelation.
Breathing isn't secondary—it's the foundation. High notes, low notes, loudness, endurance—all depend on the breath.
Arnold Jacobs taught me: Breathing empowers muscles. Without it, they fail.
Breathing, both in sports and in horn playing, became a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy.
The Mental Game
Athletes embraced sports psychology decades ago. Musicians are still catching up.
The Inner Game of Tennis changed everything for me.
Its musical version (The Inner Game of Music) is wonderful—but the original carries a universal truth:
Your mind is your strongest—or weakest—partner.
Three Pillars of Horn Playing
Horn playing rests on three pillars:
- Technical mastery
- Breathing mastery
- Mental mastery
Each must be trained. Each must be respected.
Inspiration Beyond Music
Some of my greatest inspirations come from outside music:
- Roger Federer—for balance and serenity.
- Cristiano Ronaldo—for relentless work ethic and belief that nothing is impossible.
- Ronnie O’Sullivan—for his raw journey to greatness.
- Katinka Hosszú—Hungary’s Olympic and World Champion swimmer, whose motto “HWAPO” (Hard Work Always Pays Off) became my own.
Conclusion
Horn playing is a sport for the body, the mind, and the soul. And like all true sports, it demands everything you have—and gives back even more.
Pedagogy—Effective Practice for Musicians
by Haeree Yoo, Solo Horn, WDR Sinfonieorchester; IHS 57 Featured Artist
There are many effective ways to practice, but the impact of quality practice on a musician's growth is often overlooked. Since I began playing the horn at the relatively late age of 15, I had to progress quickly, and I believe that effective practice played a crucial role in that journey. In this column, I'd like to share the approaches that have worked for me. While I'm still early in my teaching career, I hope my experiences can offer useful insights to students preparing for competitions and auditions.
For over ten years, I have kept detailed practice notes, documenting my daily plans, reflections, and lesson feedback. Before each session, I wrote down what I planned to practice, and afterward, I noted my observations. My notes included specific exercises, such as scales, arpeggios, and articulations, as well as personal insights into what techniques were working.
I always set clear goals for my exercises. If I was working on articulation, I focused on clarity. For legato, I aimed for smoothness and softness. One of my biggest challenges was lip trills. To improve them, I systematically increased my tempo using a metronome, gradually building up from 60 to 180 bpm over a year. I tracked this progress in my notebook, ensuring steady improvement.
I also connected fundamental exercises directly to the pieces I was working on. For instance, after practicing lip trills, I immediately applied that technique to the trills in the first movement of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4. Similarly, after working on one-octave intervals, I practiced the singing passage after the fanfare in the first movement of Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1. This approach refined my repertoire while reinforcing technical development.
When learning a new piece, I followed a structured method:
- Step 0 Research background information on the piece and listen to multiple recordings.
- Step 1 Read through the entire piece and mark challenging sections.
- Step 2 Practice difficult sections in isolation.
- Step 3 Focus on musical expression and phrasing.
- Step 4 Check intonation and tempo using a metronome and tuner.
- Step 5 Review and apply lesson feedback.
- Step 6 Work with the accompaniment to synchronize with the pianist.
- Step 7 Record my playing and analyze areas for improvement.
- Step 8 Simulate a performance with mental training in front of an audience.
I assigned each piece to an appropriate stage based on my progress, ensuring a regimented and efficient practice routine. After each session, I wrote down my reflections and reviewed past notes to track improvements. If I discovered an adjustment that worked particularly well—such as modifying my embouchure or mouthpiece placement—I documented it carefully for future reference. In addition to personal notes, I recorded my lessons (with my teacher's permission) and listened back to them during practice. This helped me absorb feedback more thoroughly and refine intonation, rhythm, and timing.
I structured my practice schedule by balancing essential daily exercises with rotating exercises based on their relevance. When preparing for competitions or recitals, I distributed my repertoire practice throughout the week, adjusting my focus as needed. For major events like auditions, I planned my practice flow well in advance. Two days before a performance, I limited my sessions to three hours to manage fatigue and adjusted my practice times to match the audition schedule. For auditions, I incorporated long breaks to simulate the waiting period between rounds, helping me stay mentally ready.
My structured approach might seem intense, but it was incredibly helpful. Organizing my practice gave me a sense of accomplishment, as I could track my progress and stay motivated. Daily practice can sometimes feel repetitive and exhausting, but breaking it into clear, manageable tasks made it more rewarding. Checking off each item on my to-do list provided a sense of satisfaction and helped me stay engaged.
Of course, this method may not work for everyone, but since it played a significant role in my own development, I wanted to share it. Every musician has a different approach to practice, but I hope my experiences can offer useful guidance. With thoughtful and structured practice, I believe that anyone can make meaningful progress.
Composer Spotlight—Sofia Gubaidulina
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello everyone! This month I wanted to share with you the music of composer Sofia Gubaidulina (1931-2025) to honor her recent passing on March 13. Gubaidulina was an incredibly brave woman who dedicated her life to her music, and, against all odds and obstacles, continued to create in ways that felt honest to herself. She was born in the Soviet Union in 1931 in a time where musical tastes were strictly controlled; in fact, during her early career, the study of modern music from the United States and parts of Europe were completely banned. She and her fellow students smuggled scores from composers like Ives and Cage, all so they could learn as much as possible.
During and after her post-graduate studies, Gubaidulina’s music was frequently scrutinized by governmental figures who argued that she was on a “mistaken path,” but other composers like Dmitri Shostakovich supported her work and encouraged her to continue. Throughout her life, her music was accused of being too religious, too Western, and at times, even “irresponsible.” In the face of such blatant opposition, Gubaidulina remained undeterred; she used the less-regulated realm of film music to experiment with her ideas and develop her compositional voice. She became internationally recognized in the 1980s thanks to her violin concerto Offertorium, and this work launched her into the world of orchestral music. Her many pieces for orchestra include the deeply powerful The Wrath of God (a tour de force of low brass writing) and Fairy-tale Poem, a distinctly avant-garde work of plucked strings and flighty woodwinds.
Gubaidulina also composed an immense amount of chamber music, including her 1979 work Zwei Stücke für Horn und Klavier (Two Pieces for Horn and Piano). The piece shows the dynamic range of Gubaidulina’s musical palette; the composer plays with the full range of the piano and the dynamic capabilities of the horn, and the work is an approachable starting point for engaging with Gubaidulina’s compositions. (Enjoy Der Jagd from this work.) I find her compositional philosophy particularly inspiring and wish to leave it here for you to consider. In her own words, “The art of music is capable of touching and approaching mysteries and laws existing in the cosmos and in the world,” and it is “is consistent with the task of expanding the higher dimension of our lives.”
Student Column—Advice on Resumes
by Inman Hebert
Have you scrambled recently to locate and update your resume for a last-minute opportunity? As April brings reminders about spring cleaning, music students should take stock of their preparedness to quickly provide application materials.
Are you considering where to start? Select an electronic location (computer, cloud, etc.) and create a folder to save your application materials. As the metadata can change when documents are uploaded or migrated, include the last date modified as part of the file name so that you can easily find the most up-to-date documents. (Example: FirstNameLastName_DocumentTitle_YYYY_MM_DD [or the reverse to sort by date])
Since your contact information lies prominently at the top of your resume, could your email address be perceived as unprofessional or immature? Establish a professional email account separate from your student college account for communication, preferably one distinct from the one used for subscriptions and spam. Creating this account provides continuity as we move into graduate school and the professional world. And remember, at some point, we lose access to our university accounts.
Create a master document with a complete record of everything, including non-musical activities. This comprehensive list should include full-time, part-time, and volunteer work with details such as organization name and location, position title, start and end dates, and detailed job descriptions using active verbs. Instead of only focusing on descriptions, do not forget to list your achievements in those positions. This source file may be a document, a spreadsheet, a database, or other file type, but format—as long as it’s tidy—matters less than providing a chronicle of your professional life. Think about your education and training; teaching; performance and ensemble experience; festivals, camps, and workshops; competitions and performance awards; professional auditions (if advanced); teachers with whom you have had extensive lessons; master classes; repertoire; professional memberships, leadership roles; honors and awards; and publications.
Always be accurate and specific but understand that gathering this information may involve locating old files, digging through emails, and talking to those who can jar your memory. Use the time to be proud of your accomplishments. If feeling dubious about your experiences, understand you are at the beginning of your professional journey and think about the next steps in your continued growth as a horn student.
Research music resumes online to find a template you can adapt, and understand that certain formatting expectations apply to all resumes. In searching through templates, find one that is easy to read and allows the reviewer to skim through it in their limited time. The layout needs a balance of white space and clear category alignment. 11 to 12-point font allows easy readability. A larger header at the top includes your name and contact information.
The last step involves using that master file to tailor your resume for the experience, which could be an application for college, graduate school, music festivals, K-12 schools, a college position, orchestras, or arts organizations. While graduate schools may be interested in a more complete picture, an audition will likely focus on your relevant performance experiences. Always read the complete description of what is being requested and be selective. Before hitting that send button, remember to proofread for errors in spelling and grammar. Name the file as listed in the description or, if not specified, with your name, the position, and the title of the document. Finally, save it as a PDF and send it off knowing you put forth your best effort.
Finally, look at it often, and update it regularly.
Never be afraid to reach out to more experienced graduate students, mentors, or professors for guidance in preparing your resumes and applications. Proofreaders can catch things that our eyes may miss from constant review or familiarity. Put in the effort, and the next time you receive a last-minute opportunity, you will find yourself calm and prepared to present a professional resume.
Research to Resonance—Your Sound Starts Here
by Katy Carnaggio
Beyond data and drills, there’s you. Your imagination. Your preferences. Your sound. Last month, we explored why great horn playing relies on predictive reasoning (our ability to anticipate sound before it’s made). Next month in Part II, we’ll dive into the cognitive science behind how to train that ability. But before we get to the methods, let’s start with the most important variable: you.
Improbable.
A word sometimes playfully associated with a Verne Reynolds etude. But you also sit down in your practice room, turn to any page, and with just air, flesh, and metal, make meaning. Maybe you’ve felt it—that moment when it’s not just sound, but something that feels like you.
Music is improbable. Music is beautiful. Music is afraid of nothing.
And so are you.
As Bill Bryson writes:
“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result–eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly–in you.”
Embracing your improbability is where beauty, boldness, and creativity in music-making begin. Individuality precedes technical precision. Like learning choreography, we follow the steps, explore timing, and repeat until we’ve made the dance our own. And it feels like flight.
So let’s develop some wings!
Here are five ways to get to know your “choreography” of the horn. Try one, or cycle through all five over the week. Notice how your internal model of sound begins to take shape.
- Play an excerpt in the style of your favorite color. Then try a contrasting one.
- Channel another musician. From Katy Woolley to Taylor Swift—anyone works. Let their energy and phrasing shape yours.
- Use nature as a resonance map. Embody a thunderstorm, ocean tide, or hummingbirds through your breath and articulation.
- Dance with the metronome. Treat it like a partner.
- Play a phrase as a gift. Once for someone you love. Then again, as if it’s from them.
Imaginative, preference-based practice isn’t a distraction from the “real” work—it’s a legitimate, evidence-informed tool for technical growth. Each time you return to one of these prompts, you’re collecting data on what thoughts and images lead to the sound you want. That’s predictive reasoning in action.
We’ll dive deeper in Part II. Until then, may your practice be improbable, beautiful, and fearless.
Reflections from the Subcontinent
by Vidhurinda Samaraweera
The first time Priya truly understood the magic of music was in a small room, her fingers tracing the curves of a horn. No conservatories lined her streets. No professional musicians walked her neighborhood. Just silence, just the promise of sound. Her world was different from the orchestral landscapes of Europe and America—a place where musical dreams required more than talent. They demanded an almost impossible combination of passion, resourcefulness, and blind faith.
The horn her father had saved months to purchase online from Taiwan was more than an instrument. It was a lifeline, a thin brass thread connecting her to something larger than her immediate circumstances. To Priya, access to quality instruments, specialized mouthpieces, and critical accessories are luxuries. A decent instrument could transform Priya’s talent and trajectory, turning potential into professional capability. Each practice session was a negotiation between the music in her heart and the limitations surrounding her. Priya dreams of lessons with a seasoned horn professor from a world-class school that could unlock techniques which could otherwise take years to discover alone. The risk of learning bad technique could rob years of progress and require precious time to unlearn. Given the slow learning process, Priya would take ages before she is fit to take part in competitions. She sees her Facebook friends perform and dreams of her first solo recital in Delhi…but who would support her? They keep asking, “What horn?” That is where the International Horn Society comes in. The IHS has valuable content on digital platforms, and they organize international competitions and symposia which create opportunities for musicians from all around the world to learn and to showcase their talents. These initiatives do not just support individuals—they expand global perception. The IHS has an extensive library and offers reading materials to its members, providing continuous learning opportunities. For musicians like Priya, these resources represent educational pathways previously unimaginable.
Members of the IHS get the opportunity to connect with other musicians across the globe. But what if Priya has no means to become a member of the IHS? What if she cannot afford lessons with top-notch teachers despite being able to communicate with them? Priya might not be able to afford to travel to a single symposium, regardless of how much she deserves to attend.
Funds and scholarships for promising musicians from underdeveloped regions of the world could fast-track her learning and exposure to systematic training. The IHS provides valuable scholarships like the Barry Tuckwell Award and the Paul Mansur Award. While acknowledging the value such awards bring to students, we should also assess the applicability of the same to students and aspirants from developing nations. Rigid criteria requiring institutional affiliations, age limits, and contingencies could impede students like Priya from receiving any benefits. This by no means is a complaint or accusation. This is purely an attempt to breathe life into regions, including the Indian Subcontinent and Africa, by raising awareness. This might be the perfect time to garner support, from within and beyond the IHS, for deserving aspirants from developing nations. The potential impact extends beyond individual musicians. Each supported aspirant becomes a potential mentor, educator, and inspiration for future generations. Priya could become the first professional native horn player in her region, creating possibilities for others where none existed before.
Note: Priya is a fictional character, a figment of my thoughts. Her likeness is AI-generated, much as I imagine her. VS
