A Horn at Home, a Horn at School

For beginners and old pros alike, dragging around your horn may be a bit of a bother.

I am very aware of the low numbers of horns in Arizona and this year I have a number of projects underway to try to impact this including directly teaching lessons to three sixth graders. I love these three and the quick progress I see them making. However, for all three one topic has come up, that of transporting the horn back and forth to school. For two of them I have been helping them purchase a practice horn to use at home.

The lucky beginner will be in a school situation where there will be enough horns at the school so that they can keep one there and one at home. However, this is often not the case.

For a real beginner who is starting out on a single F or single B-flat horn eBay is actually a pretty good option over the purchase of a new horn to have a practice horn at home. At any given time there are a over a dozen very serviceable single F horns for sale on eBay that will sell for less than $300; list price on a comparable new horn will be in excess of $1,700. These horns typically have small/medium dents and scratches but will mechanically work fine. Read the listings carefully and be careful of the brand! I would strongly recommend not buying anything off brand, by a company long out of business. What I would look for would be a used but relatively new Conn, Holton, King, or Yamaha horn.

I have mentioned the single B-flat option for beginners in other posts. These come up for sale less often on eBay and typically sell a little higher, as the supply is lower. Look for the same brands mentioned and in good condition.

In the longer term, if a beginner sticks with the horn into high school (I hope they will!) they will want to get a double horn. One option is to use a school owned double horn (universal at the high school level) or you can buy one of your own. Double horns hold their value much better than single horns, but you should expect to spend at least $1,500 for a good used one and $2,500 for a new one (probably more). So it is more of a major purchase to be sure.

In terms of myself, I actually often practice a different horn at home than the one that is at school. I know this is not uncommon among college teachers. I have even heard of pro players that keep a horn in a locker at the concert hall and practice another horn at home. It does save your back and such to not lug a horn around all the time, I can certainly relate to the beginners dilemma.