by Kristy Morrell and Annie Bosler

Your palms are sweating, your heart is pounding, and you can't stop the incessant chatter going on between your ears. Behind the door in front of you is a group of people who don't know you, but who over the next ten minutes will have a hand in shaping the next four years of your life. A performance program like this is one in a million and it is exactly where you want to be. The question is, are you prepared?

Ten horn players have already auditioned, and there are another twenty-two after you. The studio can hold fifteen and they are only accepting two freshman. Maybe you can make the cut, but you need a scholarship to convince your parents to let you attend the school of your dreams. Placing first in All State Band and having your hometown teacher say you are "good enough" suddenly does not seem enough. The question remains, are you prepared?
Here is a program to help you prepare.

A Guide to the College Audition Process

by Michael Reedy

Congratulations, you are finally a senior in high school, isn't it great?!?!?! Try not so much for the many of us who are suffering from the ridiculous amount of stress that comes along with the thought of the words: COLLEGE AUDITIONS.  Questions running through your head like what solo should I do? What excerpts? What if I don't like the school? What if I don't like the teacher? What if the teacher doesn't like me??? These are the same questions that every senior thinks of before the actual audition and I am here to tell you that although I am not an expert, I am in the same boat. Over the next couple months, I will be doing a journal-like approach to this article with different topics and tips to make your senior year less hectic while using me and my experiences as the guinea pig.

by Michael Reedy

As a young musician, I see that many of my peers have an idea of what tone quality is but they lack a firm understanding of how they can fix or practice this portion of their horn playing. Many will agree that tone quality is one of the most important factors when transitioning from a high school mentality to that of college and beyond. This mentality of tone production is one's interpretation of what the "ideal" horn sound should be and how it should be played. Because this is neglected, many small "bad habits" can be a result.

Some Practical Advice to Help You De-Stress

by Abby Kattentidt

Sometimes all it takes is a reminder. One day in a lesson, my horn professor looked at me with a hint of a smile and look of understanding and said, "Abby...remember that you PLAY the horn." I was packing up at the time and his words stopped me in my tracks. I looked at him with bewilderment at first, and then a smile crept onto my face. I nodded, thanked him, and left quietly.

Warm-up Tips I Learned from Across the Country

By Kathryn Peterson

During the summer of 2007, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study horn in several states across this great nation of ours.  I learned many new playing strategies and techniques during my summer adventures to Interlochen's Horn Institute in Michigan, University of Texas Longhorn Band Camp in Austin, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival on the Big Island, and the American Horn Quartet Summer Workshop in Daytona Beach, Florida. However, the most important of these things was the warm-up.   Before attending these camps, I had no idea how important warming up was.  I took different parts from each warm-up and created my own which I use in my daily practice.