Remember some time ago I reported that, in response to my request, our community band's director began distributing 1st horn parts among different players w/i the section. Some people on this list thought it was a horrid thing for me to initiate this. Others thought it could be a way to keep good players interested & coming back. Well, I'm happy to report that it's working out even better than we anticipated. Having the director distributing 1st horn parts within the section is not only a way to keep good players coming back, it's also a way to motivate weaker players to better performance.
There was one particular hornist who had a long history of "under achievement." He was a talented guy with a great horn past, but seemed to have given up, contented to maintain his status quo -- which was well below what he was capable of. Now that he's been given the opportunity to play first parts, he practices more now. He has surprized and delighted everyone with his performance. He now has a reason to practice more, and so does everyone else in the section. We all know now that if we perform well, we are more likely to get chosen for 1st horn parts & critical solo lines in the future. Well managed, merit-based competition can be a good thing for a horn section provided the director is fair minded & generous, which ours is. There's another reason distributing 1st horn parts with in a section is beneficial for the section and the whole band. It spares the chops of the first horn player with a solo line when there aren't enough hornists for an assistant. Depending on programming, some band music can be deadly for a first horn player without an assistant. -- Valerie Wells The Balanced Embouchure Method http://bebabe.wordpress.com/ http://www.beforhorn.blogspot.com/ _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
