Body, Center, Breathe, and Flow:
The Development of Brass Artistry Through Sound Fundamentals
by William Stowman
The most effective pedagogy is simple, repeatable, and effective. Throughout my career, I have always appreciated those perfectly stated phrases shared by teachers in lessons or master classes that seem to immediately make sense and have a lasting impact. It seems that great pedagogues have handfuls of these phrases at their disposal to wield at any given time and usually at the perfect moment. I have worked diligently to build such a vocabulary and work each day to add to my collection.
To that end, Body-Center-Breathe-and Flow was born of the need to create a simple, effective catchphrase that could serve as both an outline for instruction, as well as a powerful mantra heard by the player in the moments before sound is generated. In fact, the phrase itself fits beautifully into a four-beat preparatory pattern (1-and, 2-and, 3-and, 4) that reminds the player of the most vital aspects of making a great sound as they stand, or sit, to deliver.
Much work has been done to categorize the most important elements of efficient playing. The phrase Body-Center-Breathe-and Flow is a distillation of four common issues: Posture, Ergonomics, Breathing, and the Airstream itself. Couched in the idea of the Spiral Curriculum, these issues are introduced to beginners, then refined and repeatedly addressed with performers throughout their career. While the basic pillars remain a constant, the amount of detail associated with each one increases exponentially as players develop physically, gather more information, and gain experience. As a result, the system has been effective with students from the elementary level through the adult level.
In greater detail, for the purpose of instruction:
International Horn Society Contests and Scholarships!
By Heidi Vogel with Gergely Sugar
Over the years the IHS has run various programs that offer cash, performance and learning experience awards. The deadline for the contests and scholarships this year is April 1, 2018. Imagine having all your expenses paid to attend the 50th International Symposium in Muncie! How about the opportunity to perform at the Symposium? Cash awards? An orchestral coaching session for free? The key word is OPPORTUNITY! You can’t win if you don’t apply.
Many of our winners have gone on to illustrious careers involving the horn. One winner was asked about his experiences as a scholarship winner.
Gergely Sugar (GS) is a member of the ‘Wiener Symphoniker’, and a University Professor at the University for Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria teaching both Double- and Vienna-Horn. Gergely won the Hawkins Scholarship Award in 1996, which covered his expenses to attend the International Symposium held in Eugene, Oregon that year. Being a student back then in Budapest at the Franz Liszt Academy, the scholarship was really everything. Without the financial help there was no way he could have been able to visit the workshop in Eugene.
We asked Gergely: Was the Symposium for which you were awarded the Scholarship your first IHS Symposium? If so, what was the experience like for you? If not, how did it feel attending as an honored student, playing in a masterclass, or recital?
GS: Yes, that was my first symposium and a long time dream of mine. It was just mind blowing. The whole world opened up at a blink of an eye. I loved every moment of it…. It felt like being shot to the stars.
IHS: Has the Scholarship had a positive influence in your experience/education/career? If so, how?
GS: The Scholarship had many influences on me, first and foremost, just to be able to be there and learn and listen and absorb. Then certainly the fact that my CV became suddenly serious. A winner is a winner, they took me at face value, it was easy to receive an invitation to auditions and, this one I only realized years later, some people even recognized me from the Newsletter at my audition in Vienna.
IHS: Anything else you would like to add about your experience with the IHS Scholarship/Contest program?
GS: If someone is willing to step into the headlight, international competitions, IHS contests and scholarships are one quick way to do it… It worked really well for me.
To see more about the IHS Scholarship and Award programs please click here.
Thoughts from the North: Horn Playing and the Inevitable Aging
The Horn Call Article of the Month - IHS Members Only feature
from the May 2008 issue
by Frøydis Ree Wekre
I have to admit it – as I am getting older I am always looking more eagerly for the new voodoos of horn playing, stuff that will make my performance better, my tone more centered, stable and brilliant, my low range more rich sounding, my high range easier, my staccato more effortless (where can I find that one?), my intonation impeccable, and my rhythm completely perfect (this would be wonderful.)
What else – oh yes, a light weight horn that is easy to hold, combined with some extra weight on the valves and on the mouthpiece to avoid cracking up in fortissimo, the new stick arrangement to hold the horn up while playing so my arms can stay relaxed all the time, combined with frequent visits to the health club to strengthen my arms, a little practice device that encourages less pressure on the upper lip, another one which will give me the “Super Power Embouchure,” and plenty of stuff for enhancing my breathing capacity and speed of air and thus the projection.
My mother used to say – when confronted with the wishes for new clothes from her teenage daughter – youth decorates itself! Only now am I beginning to understand fully what she meant. The costs of fixing the hair, and of getting more coverup-and-take-the-attention-away-kind-of-clothes-and-accessories seem to be increasing with age, and for good reasons.
As a brassplayer at this point of my life – I am a model 41 – I wonder why I still have the urge to perform – and therefore to practice? When I first started in the Oslo Philharmonic at the age of 20, my older colleagues were incredibly generous in moving down from their seats to let me progress rapidly from fourth horn (which was written in my contract, but I never played it, except in Beethoven‘s 9th) to third and soon on to the first and the hottest seat. I thought this had to do with their age (they were around 45) and that this was a logical development in every horn player’s life. After 40, not to mention 45, you must expect to play less good, and therefore please get out of the hot seats, the sooner the better. Make life easier on yourself, don’t practice on weekends, take it as it comes. Let the young people sweat!
Interview of the Month - Gene Berger, Host of IHS 50
version française
Kristina Mascher-Turner:
What are three good reasons for horn players to come to IHS 50 this summer?
Gene Berger: The theme is "The Golden History of the Horn.” My idea was to revisit the traditions of being a horn player and our beautiful history of literature and performers throughout history. Being the 50th anniversary I had to use the word “Golden.” We will be reminding everyone of the last 50 years of the Horn Society and monumental personalities and events. We will have a daily lecture series revisiting events of our past. Special thanks to President Jeffrey Snedeker for working on the details of this lecture series. We will have many participant ensembles to perform in during the symposium. I want everyone of all levels to play and to meet new and old friends during our week.
KMT: What about being a host has surprised you the most so far?
GB: The surprises of modern times. There have been issues that emerge from a legal standpoint. The university systems are very reactive to issues with minors, money transactions, employment issues with contracts of guests on campus. There are many details that continually change inside the business system in a university. Policies can change, and someone may not know until a form is submitted. Most of the time, it is a proactive policy change due to legal issues and institutions trying to protect and understand laws or rule changes at the state and national level.
KMT: Can you tell us a bit about the Featured Artists who will be inspiring us during the symposium?
GB: We have the winner of the International Horn Competition of America, Joshua Williams as a featured artist. He will have a solo recital and will also premiere a concerto with the US Army Field Army Band by Amir Zaheri. Frank Lloyd will also premiere a composition by Howard Buss with the band the last night of the conference. David Amram will perform with Eldon Matlick’s jazz ensemble and will host a performing lecture for all called “ Jazz Fundamentals, Blues in F.” I have invited guest lecturers Frøydis Ree Wekre, Gregory Hustis, and Carolyn Wahl who will present master classes and lectures pertaining to all membership of the IHS. I have invited several new faces to the featured artist list including Robert Danforth from the Indianapolis Symphony, Kevin Rivard from the San Francisco Opera, Jonathan Hammill from the Tokyo Symphony, and Leelanee Sterrett from the New York Philharmonic. Some returning faces will include Karl Pituch, Elizabeth Freimuth, and Denise Tryon. I have invited the Alloy Horn Quartet from the Chicago area to be our featured ensemble. We are fortunate to have the US Army Field Band in residence at the symposium for 2 days. We will end with a finale concert by the band.
Celebrating 50 Years of Symposia
By Jeffrey Snedeker, President, IHS
At IHS 50, the IHS will host five (5) 50-minute sessions, celebrating fifty years of symposia with panel discussion on various subjects. Current and past Advisory Council members, Honorary members, and other horn luminaries will serve as presiders and panel members for retrospective looks at the role of these symposia in The Development of Horn Pedagogy, Sound/Tone, The Business of Horn-Making, The Music Workplace, and the IHS itself. Each session will begin with a brief lecture by the presider, and then a panel discussion including questions from audience members.
Renowned pedagogue Douglas Hill will preside over the Pedagogy session, which will reflect on how pedagogy has evolved or even been influenced by past workshops. Frank Lloyd will preside over the session on Sound/Tone, which will explore how the concept of sound/tone of the horn has evolved over the past 50 years. Richard Bentson of Wichita Band Instruments will preside over the session on Horn-making; the panel for this session will feature horn makers and others who will consider the question: “How has the business of horn-making evolved over the past 50 years?” Nancy Jordan Fako will preside over the session on The Music Workplace, whose panel will reflect how issues of respect, equity, and gender issues have evolved in the music workplace over the past 50 years. Finally, I will preside over a session on the IHS itself, and the panel will present various perspectives on how workshops have both reflected and influenced the growth and priorities of IHS programs, including new music for horn, scholarship programs and competitions, the presence of the society in the music world, and more.
This celebration of 50 years of symposia and the parallel growth and development of our society should provide a lot of fun, memories, and provocative discussion. Please make time in your symposium activity schedule to attend these sessions!
Pädagogischer Beitrag - Christoph Eß
English version
Ich freue mich sehr, auf Einladung von Prof. Ab Koster einen pädagogischen Beitrag für den IHS Newsletter zu schreiben. Ich werde heute über die kammermusikalische Arbeit und die Wichtigkeit des gemeinsamen Musizierens innerhalb meines Unterrichtes sprechen.
Ich habe erst kürzlich die Professur an der Musikhochschule Lübeck übernehmen dürfen und bin momentan dabei, eine neue Klasse aufzubauen. Hierfür ist es für mich von besonderer Wichtigkeit, eine gute Mischung aus noch sehr jungen, gerade im Bachelor anfangenden und schon etwas älteren Masterstudierenden, die auch schon erste Orchestererfahrung sammeln konnten, zu vereinen. Jeder kann so etwas vom anderen lernen, sich selbst weiterentwickeln und sich mitziehen lassen von denen, die schon weiter sind. Eine Klasse, in der jeder den anderen respektiert und bei der das Gefühl eines Zusammenhalts vorrangig ist. Das habe ich selbst in meinem Studium in Stuttgart so erlebt und möchte ich auch in meiner Klasse von Anfang an als oberstes Prinzip festhalten.
Um dieses zu erreichen, habe ich gleich zu Beginn Hornquartette innerhalb der Klasse zusammengestellt, mit denen ich zusätzlich zum Einzelunterricht, der natürlich Hauptbestandteil des Studiums ist und immer sein sollte, auch im Ensemble arbeiten kann.
Durch meine langjährige Kammermusikerfahrung in den verschiedensten Besetzungen, aber auch hauptsächlich in den letzten Jahren durch das Quartettspiel mit german hornsound weiß ich, wie wichtig das gemeinsame Musizieren, das Auf-einander-Hören und vor allem das allgemeine Kommunizieren (auch neben dem Spielen bei der Probenarbeit) ist. Vor allem die Kommunikation mit den KollegInnen und Studierenden braucht man später in jedem Beruf, ob man nun OrchesterhornistIn, KammermusikerIn oder PädagogIn wird. Deshalb achte ich auch innerhalb der Quartette darauf, verschiedene Alters- und Niveaustufen zu vereinen und zusammenzubringen. Wir arbeiten anhand der Quartettliteratur an der Intonation, der Balance, dem Zusammenspiel und an einer gemeinsamen Artikulation und Phrasierung, um so einen Quartettklang zu erzeugen, bei dem zwar jeder als individueller Hornist zu hören ist, bei dem aber trotzdem die Klangqualität und Homogenität als Ensemble im Vordergrund steht. Des Weiteren versuche ich auch, die Studierenden möglichst viel Kammermusik mit Streichern machen zu lassen, denn die Art, wie Streichinstrumente phrasieren, differenzieren und kommunizieren können, sollte auch für uns HornistInnen trotz der technischen Schwierigkeiten, die unser Instrument betreffen, das erstrebenswerte Ziel sein und wir müssen den Anspruch haben, dieses nachzuahmen.
Pedagogy Column — Christoph Eß, Lübeck/Bamberg, Germany
I’m very happy to write a pedagogical contribution for the IHS newsletter, at the invitation of Prof. Ab Koster. Today I will speak about chamber music and the importance of playing together, as I teach in my lessons.
I’ve just taken over the professorship at the Conservatory in Lübeck and am in the process of building up a new studio. To this end, it is of particular importance to bring together a good mix of very young students just starting with their bachelor’s degrees, alongside somewhat older master’s degree candidates who can also start gathering their first orchestral experience. Everyone can learn from everyone else in this context, improving their own playing and letting themselves be pulled along by those who are further down the road. I experienced this very thing during my studies in Stuttgart and would like to keep this model from the very beginning as the highest priority in my own teaching studio.
To achieve this, I started right off by putting together horn quartets within the class, with whom I can work in ensembles in addition to the private lesson (which of course is and should remain the most important component in the course of study).
Through my many years of experience in the most diverse of chamber music constellations, most of all in these past years through quartet playing with German Hornsound, I know how important mutual music-making, listening to one another, and especially communication in general (also outside of playing and rehearsal) are. Communication with colleagues and other students is something people particularly need to do well in every career, whether one becomes an orchestral horn player, chamber music specialist, or pedagogue. This is why I am diligent about bringing together and uniting various age and ability levels within each quartet. Through the medium of the quartet repertoire, we work on intonation, balance, playing together and in general achieving a common articulation and phrasing. This we do to create a quartet sound that allows each individual to be heard but nevertheless brings the sound quality and uniformity of the ensemble to the fore. Furthermore, I try to get the students to play as much chamber music with string players as possible. The way that string players phrase, differentiate, and communicate should also be goals for us horn players despite the technical difficulties that affect our instrument. We should hold ourselves to and imitate this standard.
In addition to quartet pieces, I also work with the ensembles in playing orchestral excerpts as a section. Aside from the many solo passages for first horn, we have a large number of duos (Beethoven symphonies, Mozart operas…), trios (Eroica, Fidelio, Dvorak Cello Concerto, Weber Clarinet Concerto…), and quartet or unison passages (Bruckner, Mahler, Wagner, Shostakovich, Strauss…), all which work together well and help ensure you stay fully aware of the other parts. Audition excerpts are an important component (as well as the joy and pain) of every student. Everyone has individual strengths and weaknesses, has passages that are harder or easier for them, and they notice that these will be different for each player.
In my experience, playing and working on the excerpts in a group setting, helps enormously, not only for working the notes into your chops for the audition and then after all that, often being nervous anyway, but also for having the feeling of the presence of the others from the group, even when they are not there.
Performing in front of others is another very important point for me. As often as possible, I hold internal practice performances, in which the students mainly play their audition repertoire. I also try to set up a large horn ensemble concert with the quartets once a semester, in which they can collaborate on octets or larger horn choir pieces as well. Aside from the individual problems that every horn player has and solves in private lessons, the vast majority of students also have troubles with stage fright. An important step to combat this is to make one’s performance become routine, thereby transforming the nervousness (the negative kind that makes the knees shake, the mouth feel dry, that makes the breathing shallow and closes off the throat) into positive energy, thus converting itself into the fun and joy of bringing something to the public; in the best case, going even further to create that certain special, magical something, that makes our vocation so wonderful.
Aside from his activities as solo horn of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Christoph Eß has won several prizes in international competitions. Starting in the winter semester 2017/2018, he has followed his calling to become professor of horn at the Music Conservatory in Lübeck. He studied with Prof. Christian Lampert in Basel and Stuttgart and graduated with honors in June, 2008. The ARD Music Competition (2005), Prague Spring Competition (2007), the Richard-Strauss Competition, as well as the “Concorso per Corno di Sannicandro di Bari” have all awarded him prizes, among others. As a soloist, he has appeared with several leading orchestras in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Czechia. He is also a founding member of the horn quartet, “German Horn Sound.”
Translation: KMT
Some thoughts on coming to IHS 50
By David Amram
I am REALLY looking forward to coming back to IHS again for their Big 50 celebration. My very first IHS as a panelist-composer-jazz player, was held at Ball state in Muncie, for their SIXTH season, in 1974…44 years ago (!!!!) I remember meeting Frøydis, Barry Tuckwell, Fred Fox and other great players for the first time and having a memorable time surrounded by an army of killer horn players of all ages, who all shared a love for the instrument and for music and hadn’t succumbed to becoming ego-maniacal soured victims - but rather were friendly, enthusiastic and LOVED music!!
I’ll never forget seeing huge rooms jammed with French horn cases and late night-early morning non-stop music and philosophy sessions with the people whose horns were getting some sleep in that sea of cases while we all sat up, after the last horn had been put to bed.
And I remember a group of young hornists who said that I should join them. Since they knew from my bio that I was brought up on a farm and milked cows, I should join them for some fresh air and beer in a field close to the University. When we got to the field and began drinking the beers that were packed in the trunk of one of our unofficial tour guides, I noticed some hornists creep up to a sleeping cow and push it over. This was the first time in my life I had ever seen what I was told was “cow tipping”
I did a workshop called The Blues in F, invited everyone to bring their horns, and shared all that I had learned. Now 44 years later, I’m still doing it, and hoping I can pass on some BASIC ideas of how to harness the creativity that we are all born with, use the technique we acquire to execute the treasures of classical music, AND by improvising with others in ALL genres of music, to show that there IS life beyond Kopprasch!!
