ADAPTING TO COVID -19
Horn studio hosts Zoom masterclasses
I
t’s Tuesday, March 16. Around a dozen
professional musicians having downtime
colleagues across the country to ask if they
UNL horn students, faculty and alumni
during the COVID-19 pandemic and being
would be willing to spend an hour sharing
are gathered on a Zoom call to hear
available via Zoom for masterclasses.
and teaching to the UNL horn community,”
from Jeff Nelsen, horn player of the
“The common rhetoric surrounding the past
Canadian Brass and a professor of music
14 months has been that the pandemic created
same boat of isolation and
at the Indiana University Jacobs School of
extremely negative impacts throughout the
unable to perform pub-
Music. He is talking about what life is like on
entire School of Music. The acute interaction
licly, most were thrilled to
the road touring with the Canadian Brass,
with each of our students was lost. The ability
have an avenue to engage
prioritizing his time and the expectations for
to perform alongside our students was lost.
with our students.”
his abilities, among other topics.
The collaboration with other musicians and art-
“It’s a dream,” Nelsen said. “I can only be
Holding weekly studio
ists was lost,” said Associate Professor of Horn
classes via Zoom gave
in one place at any time, so that simplifies
Alan Mattingly. “Despite all this, there were cer-
students the opportuni-
being busy. I’ll do whatever I can wherever I
tain aspects of teaching and learning that truly
ty to engage with more
am. I’m still trying to find balance.”
thrived this past year that never would have
world-famous peda-
It’s one of several studios in the Glenn
been possible during a ‘normal’ year. One of
gogues and performers
Korff School of Music taking advantage of
the best in the Husker Horn Studio was using
than they ever have in
Zoom to bring in guest artists during our weekly studio class.” Some of the artists who partic-
“The guest artists we brought in are leading experts in the horn world,”
Zoom classes, in addition to Nelsen,
Mattingly said. “They
included Tod Bowermaster, third
led topics on pedagogy,
horn with the St. Louis Symphony;
preparing for auditions,
Brett Hodge, principal horn with the
practice techniques,
Omaha Symphony Orchestra; Sfc.
dealing with performance anxiety, various
Shawn Hagen, horn in the United
horn-related research, and more.”
Own;” Skip Snead, horn professor and Director of the School of Music
Canadian Brass horn player Jeff Nelsen meets with students, faculty and alumni during the weekly Husker Horn Studio Zoom class on March 16. Courtesy photo.
any other semester.
“There was so much interruption caused by the pandemic, and it felt really great to find ways to utilize technology at our disposal and create some very positive engagements for our students in the Glenn Korff School of Music.”
ipated in the Husker Horn Studio
States Army Band “Pershing’s
28
Mattingly said. “Because we were all in the
Mattingly was happy to find positives during a time that was less than positive. “There was so much interruption caused
at the University of Alabama; and
by the pandemic, and it felt really great
Thomas Jöstlein, associate principal
to find ways to utilize technology at our
horn with the St. Louis Symphony.
disposal and create some very positive
“During the summer of 2020, I reached out to several of my
HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE of FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS | FALL 2021
engagements for our students in the Glenn Korff School of Music.” ■
