ASU Horn Studio Required Equipment

Arizona State University is well known but certainly not the only ASU out there. One of the other ASU’s is Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama.

One interesting document posted on the Internet is a list of required materials for incoming horn majors at that ASU. It is currently linked off this page in their website, and the actual PDF file of the document is here. For me, at another ASU, it is striking to see a document that looks so much like something I could perhaps give out to incoming students but content wise is pretty different than what I would give out.

It is interesting to read and offers concrete advice for rising high school seniors. I don’t know how long this document has been on the Internet but elements of it are a little dated, as some of the horns and mouthpieces recommended are no longer in production. Can you spot them?

Professional Quality Instrument – Horn majors need to have a professional model concert French horn for use in applied lessons and for recital performances. Recommended brands/models include the following:

Conn 8D or 10D Double French Horn (w/ trigger)
Holton H179 or Farkas model Double French Horn (w/ trigger)
Yamaha YHR567 or YHR567D Double French Horn (w/trigger)
Bach B1102 Professional model Double French Horn (w/trigger)

Mouthpiece: Farkas (MC, MDC), Bach, or Giardinelli

Other required materials include

Tuner/Metronome: All music majors are expected to have a tuner and metronome for use during applied lessons. Reasonably priced models can be found at music stores ($25-30)

Required Books: All horn majors will need the following two method books to use in applied lessons:

- Pottag/Arnaud: 335 Selected Melodious, Progressive and Technical Studies for Horn, Book 1 (Blue Book)
- Kopprasch: 60 Selected Studies for Horn (book 1 & 2)

I strongly agree about owning a metronome and a tuner, and Kopprasch is a must have book, but I have actually never asked a student to buy the big blue book (but if they own one I will make some use of it).

One final thing on the ASU document I would tend to agree with but band directors don’t—

Please plan to purchase a mouthpiece adapter (available at area music stores) prior to the start of Band Camp to fit your concert mouthpiece with the Mellophone. Using a trumpet or cup shaped mouthpiece is not advisable.

The main website for this ASU Department of Music is here. It must be a small program and according to their website Brenda Luchsinger is Adjunct Instructor of horn at this time, but two other faculty also seem to have some load in the horn studio. It does not say who created the document quoted in this post but I believe it may have been a predecessor; the PDF document honestly looks to be a remnant from a prior version of their website.

The current audition requirements for horn point you to Dr. Carly Johnson (listed in the website as Assistant Professor of trumpet, horn, brass methods, brass ensemble) and seem quite modest:

• F major scale and arpeggio: 2 octaves; All other major scales and arpeggios: 1 octave; Chromatic scale: 1
octave. Beginning on first space F
• Technical Excerpt: Pottag-Hovey Method for French Horn, Book Two (Pottag-Hovey); #18, p. 6 (quarter note =
96)
• Melodic Excerpt: Lyrical Studies for Horn (Concone); #4, p. 4 (quarter note = 76)

Working on this post I found it interesting to learn more about this school. Alabama State University is a historically black college or university (HBCU). I found this very professional video on the band boosters website that gives a good view of the marching band with Gospel artist Vickie Winans.

There are at least two more ASUs with good sized horn programs (can you name them?). It is an interesting thought to someday form an all ASU faculty horn ensemble at a horn workshop. That would be a unique group!