The curriculum for college participants is the most intense, varied and flexible program offered by any horn "workshop," "symposium," "institute," or "camp" since at KBHC, emphasis is on the individual participant improving their own technique and musicianship. Adult participants are usually comprised of people ranging from 28 to 85 years old. Since there is such a huge range of abilities and experience, adults are usually put into small "study groups" of like abilities and interests. We have had business people, doctors, lawyers, scientists, clergymen and women, engineers, professional performers and music educators attend camp to refine their skills and to have an enjoyable time in a collegial atmosphere. Many adult participants return every year and many comment that it is the highlight of the year for them and that they consider the people the know at camp as "extended family!"
Every participant has daily fundamental class instruction with Kendall Betts. Mr. Betts is renowned for his teaching of the fundamentals of playing the horn and musicianship, especially the "Tabuteau Concepts of Phrasing." Participants are given instruction by him in a progressive, understandable way. Breathing, tone production, articulation, phrasing and musicianship are presented on a daily basis with individual attention to the participant's particular needs at the time. Kendall is blessed with a "gift of analysis" in this regard and throughout his career he has helped over a thousand people to improve their horn playing, refine their musicianship, and to achieve their goals. Kendall hears and instructs every participant every day and also recommends specific instruction from other faculty who have defined expertise in a particular area to help the individual participant in solving their problems.
All participants have two 1-hour private lessons, each with a different faculty member, per week. If attending multiple weeks, you receive lessons with different instructors every time! Scheduling is done by lottery to be fair to all. It is possible to receive instruction from individual faculty during open studios, as well, should you not be assigned a particular instructor that you desire to meet. Please be assured, though, that you will not have a duplicate instructor for any lesson during your entire stay at KBHC.
College participants have unparalleled opportunities when it comes to group instruction. Each study group has a three hour class every morning with a different faculty member each day. With such a small group, there is ample time for individual playing and instruction throughout the class. Instructors cover warm-ups, technique, musicianship and repertoire and at least one of the hours is spent working on orchestral excerpts. There are also a number of open studios, specialty classes (topics include eurhythmics, low horn playing, high horn playing, audition preparation, trills and special effects, ear-training etc). Study groups are scheduled with a different faculty member each day allowing our participants to experience many different teachers, styles, and approaches to horn playing. By rotating through faculty throughout the given week, every effort is made so that no study group's instructor is duplicated during the week. This holds true for participants attending multiple weeks, possibilities permitting. There is a mock audition at the end of every week for those who wish to play and comments are related from the committee members to each performer.
Every participant is given the opportunity to play solos for our solo coach: Bernhard Scully for weeks 1 and 2, Douglas Hill for week 3 with our pianist, Arlene Kies.
Participants may play in solo class and not perform in recital but all are offered the opportunity to perform in the concerts at the end of the week, if they so choose, provided that the solo coach and Arlene feel comfortable that each participant will have a successful performance. Our participants are surrounded by the most supportive audience possible - fellow horn players!
All our participants are organized into horn ensembles, coached or conducted by the faculty, which perform at the end of the week. These ensembles can vary in size from three to twelve. Every effort is made to choose repertoire and assign parts to ensure that everyone can have an enjoyable and successful performance.
We also offer a natural horn ensemble (if numbers permit) as well as open studios, taught by natural horn virtuoso Lowell Greer and faculty. No natural horn experience is required and many participants are given their introduction to historical horn performance at camp.
Realizing that the horn camp can be intense, it would be remiss to not allow our participants to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Camp Ogontz! Every day there is a 2 hour block of free time for all participants and faculty. Often, participants will enjoy canoeing, hiking, swimming, and a myriad of other outdoor activities, including the ritual gathering at the Green Chairs.
All participants gather during our evening sessions for camp-wide classes. These classes vary from week to week, drawing on the specialties of our faculty members. Our evening sessions have included topics such as the history of the horn, panel discussions with our faculty on various topics, how to practice efficiently, acoustic designs and recording techniques, "what not to do" to annoy your colleagues, how to learn to improvise, and faculty recitals and performances of new works for horn. The mid-week evening session is "Clam Night" when Professor I.M.Gestopftmitscheist makes his appearance where he belches, disgorges, ejects, erupts, expels, spews and spouts his unique knowledge of the horn and horn-related paraphernalia.
The last two evening sessions of each week are public performances where participants get to perform solo and horn ensemble works. The community and participant's friends and relatives are all welcome to come as these concerts are free and open to the public. The final concert of each week is followed by a gala party and fireworks orchestrated by Kendall (Reg. Int. Pyrotechnician), principal of the virtuoso Feuerwerkidiotensemble along with the associate principal, assistant principal, sub principal, section and extra pyrotechnicians!
