by Randy C. Gardner
Like ripples from a pebble dropped into a calm lake, the impact of teachers radiates through our lives. Words and actions of parents, mentors, and admired adults carry an enormous weight in our development, creating ripples that can profoundly impact the course and quality of our lives, and perhaps those of generations to follow.
In this article, I will honor three special teachers who had an enormous impact on me during my formative years, without whom I would not have enjoyed my dream career. In addition, I want to applaud teachers everywhere who inspire their students to learn and serve as exemplary role models. They are heroes.
The teachers spotlighted below were inspiring possibility thinkers who passed along their passionate love of music and encouraged my growth as a hornist. They shared aspirational performances with me, offered strategies to improve my technique and musicianship, acknowledged my improvement, and made learning fun. Their instruction was positive, encouraging, structured, and illuminating. I am very happy to say that none of these teachers ever remarked, “The horn is the most difficult instrument to play.” Nobody planted seeds of doubt in my brain.
Jack Gordon, my jr.-sr. high school general music teacher and band director, was a young teacher overflowing with enthusiasm and love of music. He made general music class exciting and was a superb band teacher who made band time fun. A clarinetist, he played the horn quite well, and he was a skilled pianist who accompanied me for a performance of movement one of Strauss’ first concerto.
Mr. Gordon was a consummate music educator who always treated his students equally and fairly. His goals were to motivate his students and ensembles to reach their full potential and to make students feel successful on their way to achieving that goal. He set a high standard for our band, taught us listening skills, and gave us the tools to succeed. A man of great Christian faith, integrity, and positivity, Jack Gordon was an outstanding role model who saw a germ of musical talent in me and encouraged my growth. Following 15 years in public school education, he enjoyed a long career as a church music minister.
In our small town near the steel city of Gary, Indiana, where we had no school or youth orchestras, Jack Gordon opened his students’ ears to the magical world of orchestral music by taking us on field trips to attend Chicago Symphony Orchestra youth concerts. What fantastic experiences those were! I still vividly remember the hauntingly beautiful English horn solo in Dvorak’s New World Symphony on one of these programs. He also shared recordings of Dennis Brain performing Strauss and Mozart and introduced me to Copland’s Third Symphony. Jack Gordon inspired me to love classical music, and I looked forward to following in his footsteps as a music teacher.
I studied horn with John Nelson, an excellent player and teacher who had studied with Max Pottag in a Northwestern University studio that included Lowell Shaw, during my junior and senior years of high school. Nelson played an instrument crafted for him by Carl Geyer. After receiving his Masters’ degree, he played for several years as third horn in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, all while having a professional photography studio in Atlanta. Following his time in Atlanta, he became a public-school music educator in northwest Indiana. A dog lover, he rescued seventy-two St. Bernards during his lifetime.
Mr. Nelson worked with me to solidify my embouchure and build a full horn tone. His tone was beautifully full and resonant. He was a demanding teacher who guided me through Pottag tone studies, Kopprasch etudes, fundamental exercises, and Mozart and Strauss concerti. While having high expectations, Nelson had a positive manner and used creative analogies along with humor to make his points. He was devoted to his students and to the arts.
John Nelson offered me my first professional orchestra experience (actually my first orchestral experience of any type) playing fourth horn in the Gary Symphony, for which he was principal horn. My first concert included the New World Symphony, a transformational experience for me. Mr. Nelson modeled high standards of both artistry and professionalism.
I spent m
y first two years of college in the music department of Valparaiso University. Horn Professor John Little, Sr. had come to Valparaiso on a one-year sabbatical replacement appointment during my freshman year. His primary teachers were Verne Reynolds at Indiana University and New York Philharmonic hornist Ranier DeIntinis while he was a member of the First Army Band. Prior to Valparaiso, Little had developed successful public school music programs throughout northern Kentucky. After earning his doctorate, Dr. Little enjoyed a long tenure on the faculty of Berea (Kentucky) College, where he also taught philosophy courses.
John Little guided me through Kopprasch, Gallay, and Kling studies, modal scale patterns, and various solo works, and he introduced me to major orchestral repertoire. He asked leading questions that taught me to self-analyze and find my own technical and musical answers. He frequently required memorization. He taught me one important lesson in an effective way that really annoyed me at first: after I performed a challenging passage well, he would often say, “OK Randy, show me it wasn’t luck. Play it three more times just like that.” Thank you, Mr. Little. Years later, I had the privilege of teaching his son, hornist John Little, Jr., at Philadelphia’s New School of Music.
In a very real way, I owe my professional career to John Little asking me if I had ever considered a performance career. Until that moment, I had no idea that a person could earn a living as a professional horn player! He lit a fire in me that completely changed my life. He believed in my potential and pointed the way. Words are powerful. That one question opened a whole new world to me. He inspired me to be a performer and supported me along my journey with the horn.
Teachers have the truly awesome opportunity to help myriad young people develop into the best versions of themselves, for their benefit and for the benefit of society as a whole. They inspire students to love learning and think creatively, applauding their successes and reminding them that failures are opportunities to learn. They provide structure, teach problem solving techniques, offer enrichment experiences, listen actively, and open students’ minds to possibility thinking. These three special teachers of mine fit that mold perfectly. I am sincerely grateful for their impact on my life. Ripple effects from teachers continue on and on and on...
This reflection is dedicated to the memory of my brother-in-law, John Bradford, a fine hornist and inspiring educator who touched hundreds of lives during his decades of public-school teaching.
Randy C. Gardner is retired Second Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Artist-In-Residence at Temple University, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
