by Aliyah Danielle, IHS 57 Featured Artist
Can you imagine stopping your vocabulary growth after learning just the basics of a language? This is essentially what happens when we focus too narrowly on one style of performance. As horn players, much of our work revolves around the classical tradition, mastering works from the orchestral and solo repertoire. But today’s music industry demands more. Expanding your “horn vocabulary” means developing the stylistic and technical tools required to play any type of music authentically and with confidence. In a diverse and ever-evolving musical landscape, versatility isn’t just an asset—it’s a necessity.
Expanding your horn vocabulary opens doors to new performance opportunities and creative collaborations. It allows you to connect with a wider audience and express yourself in ways that might otherwise be limited in a classical setting. For a long time, I felt like there was a wall between the horn etudes, excerpts, solos, and ensemble music I was studying at school and the soul, gospel, funk, and R&B music that I listened to otherwise. Exploring genres outside of the classical tradition on horn has amplified my artistry in a way I never thought possible, and it has been so meaningful to see the way that my small action of stepping away from the beaten path has inspired others to do the same. This column is a crash course in what I’ll cover in my workshop at this summer’s International Horn Symposium, where we’ll dive even deeper into how you can incorporate these ideas into your own teaching and practice.
Foundations
When I was in middle school, I attended a week-long summer band camp program at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. In addition to private lessons, we also had chamber and large ensemble sessions, music theory, rhythm, and harmony lessons. One of my teachers there, the late percussionist Cecilio Negrón, Jr., used to always repeat the phrase: “If you can say it, you can play it.” The bottom line in achieving a solid foundation is to develop your ear. Active listening and mimicking the greats is a practical first step to developing a solid foundation, and a good handle on aural skills will make this process feel more like play and less like a chore.
Start by immersing yourself in the music you want to learn. Whether it’s pop, folk, lo-fi, or rock, create playlists, study recordings, and transcribe solos to internalize the nuances. Be sure to sing these in addition to playing them on the horn! It is also important to consider variations in tone and articulation. Different genres call for different approaches, and experimenting with tone colors and phrasing can help you adapt and become comfortable with performing what may be deemed in the classical world as “uncharacteristic sounds.” Finally, embrace improvisation. Start small, like improvising with a major scale over a drone. You can slowly expand to different scales, patterns, and chord progressions as you find a comfort zone in realizing your own ideas and breaking free from the page.
Practical Tools and Resources
There are several practical tools and resources that make this exploration more approachable. There are many method books and play-along tracks that are tailored to specific styles, and you can find many of these online for free or at a very low cost. Some resources I’ve found helpful are Blues, Bossa, Bebop, and Beyond by Steve Schaughency and Darmon Meader, 12 Jazzy Etudes for Horn by Ricardo Matosinhos, The Modern Hornist by Giovanni Hoffer, From Classical to Jazz by Joshua Pantoja, and Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky.
You can also set up a jam or practice session with people who play other instruments or specialize in other genres. In grad school, I had the privilege of taking private lessons from a saxophonist, and it is by far the most impactful experience I’ve had in developing my musicianship. Working with people proficient in other genres gives you insight into stylistic authenticity that you can’t always get from reading sheet music alone. A good place to start branching out is by listening to musical theater, film and video game or pop music, as these genres typically bridge classical and contemporary techniques. Some of my favorite composers are Quincy Jones, Natalie Holt, Terence Blanchard, Ludwig Göransson, Stephen Schwartz, Ennio Morricone, and Alan Silvestri.
An Educator’s Perspective
I’ve heard from many colleagues that they have students who would be interested in playing music outside of the classical realm, but they don’t know how to help. Integrating diverse genres into your pedagogy can prepare students for a broader range of musical experiences. Even something as simple as expanding which scales and harmonic settings your students study is a great start. Play improvisation games in your studio classes and lessons. Analyze the stylistic and theoretical elements of a piece in a different genre. Try learning new songs by ear. Being vulnerable to try new things and model flexibility yourself will give your students permission to approach new ideas with curiosity and enthusiasm. Remember that the goal is not perfection—it is to explore and discover new ways of expressing a full range of musical ideas through our instruments.
Exploring beyond the classical realm challenges us to grow as musicians and opens the door to limitless creative possibilities. I encourage you to start small—choose one new genre to explore this month and see where it takes you. We will dive even deeper into this topic at the Symposium in June, and I hope to see you there!
