Random Monday: Mooing, bumping and stressing out

Practicing without the horn
Of late I have been rather focused on buzzing techniques to be done away from the horn. Bruce Richards writes on another excellent practice – using your ears, eyes and a pencil.

Sound effects
John Cox (principal horn, Oregon Symphony) entertained a bookwormy audience with sound effects and horns of many varieties, according to Storytime 101.

Getting bumped
A story about getting voted down a chair at the Interlochen Summer Music Camp brought back memories of my own experiences there. If only I had heard this tidbit at the time:

Life is full of bitter defeats, but they can provide the very lessons we must learn and could learn no other way. Someone said, “If mountains were smooth, no one could climb them.”

This being the beginnings of a new school semester I imagine that others might take note as well.

French horn stress ball
A cool gift idea and, if you think about it, a bit of a tongue-in-cheek oxymoron.

A new hall for New World
The New York Times takes a look at Frank Gehry’s designs for the New World in “Gehry Design Plays Fanfare for the Common Man.” (See also a local review from the Miami Herald.)

Third chair, out of three
A high school principal is thrust into the spotlight over a controversy. Her response on being the center of attention:

It’s a job that almost is more visible than the superintendent,” she said of her role as Clinton High School principal. “You feel like you’re on stage or something, and I never was a drama kid. I was third chair out of three in high school band, French horn.

Cerminaro in review
John Cerminaro is reviewed in a performance of the 2nd Mozart horn concerto.

His beautiful, dark tone is as polished as the horn itself. He gives his instrument a real human voice: his notes can begin with a punctuated attack, or just magically appear out of thin air.

Random videos

The beginnings of a Kopprasch recording project from James Boldin, starting with the much-dreaded No. 1.

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Sometimes you have to attack a problem in order to conquer it and move forward.

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A secret to finding information on the French horn is revealed. This, as an alternative to Yahoo Groups.

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At the 3:00 minute mark the French horn joins in. It is a nice groove and a great combination of instruments and colors.