…to get the most out of your practice time

by Sarah Schouten

Before I ever even mention the word scales in a lesson—or even hint at it—I can feel the eye rolls, groans, and general disdain heading my way. Perhaps instead of taking the view that scales are something we “have to do,” we can reframe our thinking and understand them as a vehicle to make our practicing and performing more efficient. We can use scales to help us strengthen multiple fundamental skills, thus maximizing our precious practice time.

Here are a few ideas to help you get started. 

• Intonation

  We often fall into the trap of tuning with our eyes or only tuning certain notes or intervals. Put on a drone and start playing your scales. The possibilities are almost endless. You can tune all the intervals, use a cello or other instrument drones to work on matching intonation and timbre, experiment with tuning apps, etc.

• Dynamics

  Need to work on dynamics? Why not use your scales? This way you can get practice doing both. You can also tailor this type of fundamental work to your specific needs, high/soft or low/loud, etc., to get the most out of your practice time. Need to work on a dynamic level with sustained pitches? Play your scale slowly. Need to work on changing dynamics (crescendo/diminuendo) or subito dynamic changes? Figure out a scale pattern that mimics your music and then repeat that practice in all the keys.

• Articulation

  Yes, this one seems obvious, but think outside the box a little here and manipulate your scale pattern to suit your needs. Do you need to work on light, staccato tonguing? Then perhaps create a pattern from your scale that includes repetition of notes. Do you have an accented note in the middle of a phrase? Add an accent to specific scale tones. Need to work on a slur-two-tongue-two pattern? Include that articulation in your scales.

• Speed

  Having trouble internalizing a tempo? Put on your metronome and play your scales at that speed; after a few days, see if you can find that beat on your own. Need to work on a steady internal subdivision? Play scales and subdivide while using a metronome to keep you honest. Have a tricky polyrhythm between your part and another? If you have duplets, put your metronome on triplets, etc.

• Combinations

  If you are now having fun and looking for more possibilities, combine any of the above ideas to meet your needs!

When practice seems daunting or you just don’t want to look at “that” etude anymore, identify a skill you need to address, put it into a scale pattern, and get to work. Be adventurous and create your own scale patterns and exercises. Let go of preconceived notions, get creative with the basics, and be amazed by your progress.

Happy practicing!

Chamber Music Corner—Britta Byström’s Kinderszenen

by Layne Anspach

Britta Byström’s work Kinderszenen for violin, horn, and piano is the focus of this month’s Chamber Music Corner. Britta Byström (b. 1977) is a Swedish composer who did her schooling at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Her compositional work has focused mainly on orchestral music but also includes chamber music, vocal works, and operas. Byström has written solo works for Radovan Vlatkovic and Janine Jansen, to name a few.

Kinderszenen for violin, horn, and piano (2011) is a single-movement work that shares its name with Robert Schumann’s well-known Op. 15 piano work. The title translates to Scenes from Childhood. The opening is for piano with fragmented lines from the other players. The violin introduces the main melodic content, a combination of sustained notes and short rhythmic bursts. The piano maintains continuous sextuplets while the horn interjects. The piano and horn enter with more melodic content as energy grows. A short Calmo brings reprieve from the constant rhythmic materials, but this is short-lived as a faster tempo, Energico, returns. Energico is distinguished by the horn taking over as the dominant melodic voice.

A long, sustained note in the horn opens a second Calmo section, performed slower than the first. This calmo ends much as it started with a sustained pitch, this time held by the violin. A startling chord in the piano brings the work back to the opening tempo and melodic content. This scene is brief, giving way to calmo again, more sparse than its initial appearances.

The end of the final calmo feels like the conclusion of the work, but the ensemble interjects a return to the Energico. Another held note in the horn transitions to the final tempo, Leggiero. Here the opening themes and sound scape return one last time. The work concludes with the opening fragments restated and an extended trill in the violin, dissipating to nothing.

The reference recording is from the album Horn Trios from Mozart to Piazzolla and beyond, Volume 1 (Affetto) with former New York Philharmonic hornist Howard Wall.

by Priscila Viana and Thiago Carneiro

The Brazilian Horn Society (ATB), founded in 2013, aims to promote research, reflection, and the dissemination of knowledge related to horn performance, contributing to the artistic, technical, and pedagogical development of its members and the Brazilian horn community.

Since its creation, the association has organized annual meetings, of both a scientific and an artistic nature, dedicated to the teaching, research, and performance of the horn in Brazil. These meetings foster exchange between Brazilian and international horn players, significantly strengthening and contributing to the development of the horn and horn playing in Brazil. 

In 2026, the city of São Paulo will host the 11th Meeting of the Brazilian Horn Society, which will take place from September 3-6, under the general coordination of Nikolay Genov. The event will be held at the School of Music of the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, located at Praça das Artes.

The event is supported by MB Cases and, so far, the confirmed participants include professors Mark Almond, Felipe Freitas, Luiz Garcia, Daniel Filho, Tayanne Sepulveda, and Lucca Zambonini, as well as invited groups such as Trompas UFRJ, Octeto Feminino, and Flamboyant Horns, among others.

Please plan to attend if you are able.