by Sarah Schouten

What to do when you don’t want to practice.

The word practice—even the idea of practicing—can bring up different feelings for different people. Some people naturally love it, others work to find the joy, and some do it because it gets them to an end goal. It is inevitable that, at some point, most of us will sigh and think, “But I don’t want to.” What do we do then? Following are some ideas for when you just don’t want to pick up your instrument.

• Rhythm
  Secure, solid, impeccable rhythm is essential for success as a musician, and you can work on your rhythm without your instrument. Select a piece of your own music, borrow an etude book from a non-horn playing friend, find a piece of music that is public domain, then focus solely on the rhythm. Can you count it? Can you clap it? If it includes a piano part, can you clap the left-hand rhythm and sing the right-hand rhythm? Turn on your metronome and record a performance: are you in time?
• Listen to different instrument
  Listening counts! Exercise this skill in a different way by listening to different instrumentalists. Think critically about their musicianship and style and how it could impact your own playing. What do you like about their tone? What do you like about their breathing? If it’s a non-wind instrument, do they approach phrases differently since they don’t have to breathe to play? For chamber music, what’s the balance like between instruments? What else did this composer write? The opportunities for exploration are deep, and the answers at the end of the rabbit hole will only help your playing.
• Conduct a concert
  Find a score (orchestral, chamber, solo, etc.), find a recording, and start conducting. You can sing along, cue different instruments, pretend you’re in a glorious concert hall! The opportunities are plentiful here along with the rewards. You’ll be practicing your conducting, singing, rhythm, cues, score reading, and more. You have just been highly productive for not wanting to practice!
• Play something fun!
  The word “play” means to do something for enjoyment. Most of us started our journey as musicians because it was something fun—and I hope it still is! Practice doesn’t always have to be serious. If you need to get the horn on your face, find your favorite song and buzz or play along, pausing as needed to learn pitch, rhythm, etc. Play favorite etudes or lip slurs you enjoy. Play other instrumental solos, orchestral excerpts, or arias. Find what you like, start there, and see where it takes you.

Practicing won’t always spark joy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to get started, stay engaged, work on musical skills, and have a little fun in the process. Good luck!

Hi everyone!

Some exciting news! As you may have already seen on social media, my new mouthpiece collection has been launched. I have played on the same mouthpiece for years, a cup and a rim from two different makers. I am always being asked what mouthpiece I use and where one can get it…so I finally decided to do something about it. 

Together with the wonderful L’Olifant team in Paris, we have created what for me is a magic mouthpiece. It is designed to navigate all four octaves of the horn (and a bit more), and it is ideal for air flow, precision, and a great sound. 

There are detachable- and fixed-rim versions, and choices of 3 different rim sizes in 3 different materials to fit everyone’s preference. These are great for students, too.

Those attending IHS 58 in Kraków can try them at the L’Olifant booth in the exhibitions; otherwise, you can contact the team online.

If you try one, let me know what you think—and if you buy one, any profits on my side will go to my Cuban Mozart y Mambo project, a very worthy cause!

All the best and enjoy the summer,

Sarah

by Inman Hebert

Have you ever had a day when you practiced your horn for hours but felt as though you accomplished nothing? This experience can be common among students, including myself. We should challenge the perception of a musical world where quantitative practice appears to outweigh its qualitative contents. More importantly, we should thoughtfully consider how we maximize the time we spend with our instrument.

Constant inquiry can optimize our practice. Through examination, we become a Socratic gadfly, asking questions about the pedagogical benefits of a current action. Start at the beginning. With my warmup routine, for example, I may ask, “Why have I chosen this path? How can the fundamentals addressed in my daily routine supplement the repertoire I am preparing?” Sometimes, questions may not change our course but, rather, hone our approach by forcing intentness within an existing routine. In our practice, the “why” focuses our attention.

Excess hours on the horn may be counterproductive. Understanding this may guide us to engage more with music outside physical practice. For example, when trying to ingrain an interval in the ear, listen to the passage and sing the phrase. Take the time for the music to be correct in your head before repeating it on the horn. When you hear and can sing what needs to flow out of the horn, you become more efficient and avoid developing poor habits. When memorizing, similarly, make progress on your goal by visualizing the performance. Mentally reinforce the good habits you are working to build.

As students, we desire instant gratification when listening to professional horn players. While their stories reveal a variety of deeply personal practice styles, the common variable is intentionality. We should bear this in mind when striving to reach that level. In our eagerness, we can practice in random, ineffective ways that betray the thoughtful mannerisms that enabled their success. Instead, we must establish clear goals and plan practice sessions, being adaptable as we continue to be introspective.

Every note played on the horn should have intent. Each time the horn touches the lips, what purpose lies beneath? By asking questions like this and making more conscious decisions, we accelerate our improvement and slowly eliminate those inauspicious days.

A collective of 40 brass and percussion performers, directed by Brian Kaufman, announces its debut album, release date July 24, 2026, on Naxos (8.579190).

photo by Joshua Able-Carter

This outstanding ensemble—featuring horn players Chandra Cervantes, Justin Drew, Gabrielle Fink, Megan Hurley, Christy Klenke, and Cecelia Kozlowski—performs works by composers from the United States, Canada, Japan, and Venezuela. These include Valerie Coleman, Barbara York, Félix Mendoza, Satoshi Yagisawa, Katahj Copley, Katelyn Petersen, and Harrison J. Collins.

“These pieces confront societal division, racial injustice, gun violence, global health crises, and war, while also searching for hope, resilience, and connection,” says Kaufman. “From quiet reflection to bold, urgent passages, the music moves between struggle and celebration, tension and release.”

The album opens with Coleman’s Fanfare for Uncommon Times, in the same instrumentation as Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and written in response to the overlapping crises of the pandemic and the racial unrest of 2020. Other highlights include York’s tuba concerto Wars and Rumors of War, and Félix Mendoza’s rousing Guerra de Secciones for brass and percussion, which draws on the rhythms and sounds of Venezuela.

Featured artists include Velvet Brown, an internationally renowned tuba player who has performed around the world; Hiram Diaz, vocalist for the Marine Latin Jazz Ensemble; and celebrated Venezuelan-American percussionists Fran Vielma and Latin Grammy-award winner Daniel Prim.

Excerpt from Young Voices (world premiere recording of this version for brass ensemble and percussion) by Harrison J. Collins.