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The Benefits of Being a Thankful Hornist

With this being the Thanksgiving holiday it is a good day to look briefly at the topic of being a thankful hornist. Many have...

From the Mailbag: What Does It Take to “Make It”

This question was so beautifully written that I will leave it exactly as it came in: Hi there! I'm a Junior in high school, and...

Musicians Make Better Listeners

A recent broadcast at National Public Radio features an interesting study presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Operating on...

What Motivates Horn Players?

The question of motivations has long been of interest to me and closely relates to topics on which Bruce has written as well. Bruce...

Op Ed: On Critical Thinking and Bias

The topic of prejudice has come across the radar of late - on several fronts at once. Funny how that happens. Within Horn Matters, John...

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

While practicing music, I mentally take note of areas that sound good, passages that sound OK, and passages that need more work. I try my...

The Words of the Great Horn Players are not Infallible Words

We have some very thoughtful commentators on Horn Matters. University of Iowa horn professor Jeffrey Agrell wrote a great comment in reply to my...

The Trauma of Elliott Higgins

 **Trigger Warnings: Elliott Higgins, thoughts on misogyny, straight talk aimed at men. Background story is here. Mr. Higgins is teaching me that trauma in the...

Why Write Articles and Put Them Online?

Weighing heavily on my mind recently has been my motivations for making public, thoughts on the French horn and the classical music business. About...

‘Listening’ with Your Whole Body

Hearing music is not necessarily limited to the ears. Take for example musician, composer and speaker Evelyn Glennie. Ms. Glennie has been profoundly - not completely -...