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As I write I am back in Taiwan after a week in Shanghai. A most interesting week, which we started arranging late last summer when we met several younger faculty members from the Shanghai Conservatory.
What was ultimately arranged was a series of five master classes and a solo recital. I heard a total of sixteen horn students play, plus coached two horn quartets. While I can speak Chinese and have taught in Chinese before, I was grateful that Taylor Wu was visiting Shanghai also and translated in several of the sessions. He is a masters degree student at Juilliard now, but is a former student of the principal horn professor at the Shanghai Conservatory, Fuming Yao.
Overall the impression is that there are some talented horn players in China! They are very near the end of their semester right now so what I heard students play were mostly big solo works that they were preparing for performance exams, standards like Strauss 1 and Strauss 2, Mozart, the Gliere concerto, and the Adagio and Allegro.
As always the level varies somewhat from student to student but a common denominator, especially among the students of Professor Yao, was a good tone. One thing I often say is if a student has a good tone they are probably doing a number of things correctly, a reflection of good fundamental teaching (and talent).
As to other specifics of playing, accuracy was very good along with typically very strong high ranges. Use of air was mostly good; low range ability was somewhat variable and for some students needs more attention, as did dynamic contrasts and bringing out the phrases. These issues are common everywhere.
The instruments that students used is an interesting topic. Alexander horns were obviously the horn of choice in China, with about half the studio playing Alexander. Of the remainder the rest were about evenly divided between Paxman, Yamaha, and Holton. (Curiously, this is almost exactly what I observed in Taiwan as well, among advanced students). Mouthpieces were mostly Schmid. I am not terribly familiar with them but I know them to be of good quality and well-suited to Alexander horns.
Topics that the students seemed the most interested to hear about related to possible study in the USA , fingerings, how to work on the low range, and how to approach the high range with the best tone.
As to fingerings, in China most players used all or close to all B-flat horn fingerings. Many players in Taiwan also play mostly B-flat horn. What I always explain when asked about fingerings is that you want to use the fingering system that most professionals use in your area. You want to blend in. So, for Asia, mostly B-flat horn is fine and fits in with the situation, but it is something to be aware of as in the USA we do use the F horn more in the lower range for what we perceive at least to be a bigger sound.
I gave a recital too! I played music of Nielsen, Madsen, Basler, and Wilder.
My collaborator for the recital Teh-Ling Chiang also presented a session on her teaching in the USA, including her work with Piano Teams, which is how we originally met our first contacts in Shanghai, at the 2006 Piano Team competition in Flagstaff Arizona.
Overall I really enjoyed meeting Professor Yao and working with the students in Shanghai briefly; I hope that I have the opportunity to do so again in the future. Our hosts were wonderful, we had many amazing meals and went to a number of interesting places. Many thanks to them and to the students and administration of the Shanghai Conservatory.
Next week at this time I will be back in the USA! This has been a great trip and I am sure has impacted my teaching and playing positively.
