Like so many prospective band students, when I heard I could finally join the band as a 6th grader, I already knew the instrument I wanted to play.
The flute.
My older cousin, Rebecca, played the flute. Every Christmas she gave a living room recital at my grandmother’s house. I wanted to be just like Rebecca – so when the high school band came to our elementary to recruit for 6th grade band, it was already decided in my mind. I was going to play the flute.
Game over, DONE DEAL.
Finally the day came when all the 6th graders eagerly filled the elementary school gym to hear the high school band showcase the instruments – one step closer to my flute destiny!! But all of that changed when they introduced the french horn.
It wasn’t the unique shape, or even the bold, heroic tone that caught my attention (though that definitely was enticing…”wait, that’s the HORN in the opening of Jurassic Park??”). It was the band director’s introduction that caught my interest:
“The french horn is one of the most unique instruments in the band… but it is one of the hardest instruments to play. You have to be VERY determined and motivated to play it well, because it will not be easy.”
Now as the typical type A personality that I was from Day 1 of Life, this was music to my ears, my 12 year old Emily bat signal in the sky. Move aside, feeble flute. I want to be the smart kid, I want to play the hardest instrument, and I CAN DO HARD THINGS.
The rest was history.
About a year into playing the horn, my parents quickly caught on that this was my thing. Being in a very rural part of central Indiana, there weren’t many musical or artistic opportunities in our town. My parents enrolled me in private lessons 45 minutes away, and I began the exciting journey as a french horn student.
What inspired me to pick the horn at first was the very thing that made it so frustrating to start, even with that drive and determination. Having weekly private lessons was an absolute game changer for me as a beginning band student.
Through the professional guidance of my horn teacher and the compassionate and engaging influence of my high school band director, my entire world opened up with the possibilities of what I could achieve as a musician. This led me on an incredible journey, starting as a young musician in rural Indiana to Cincinnati, Ohio. Here in Cincinnati, I earned my Masters degree in french horn performance at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
Now as an educator of over 15 years, I am the Adjunct Professor of Horn at Northern Kentucky University and also maintain a private studio of horn and mellophone students ranging from day one beginners to professional musicians. In my private studio, I teach (both in person and virtually) and consult closely with 15 different school districts in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas. I also work with professional musician clients in their embouchure injury and recovery journeys. I am also a guest lecturer at the collegiate level, sharing what I have learned about brass embouchure injuries. I speak on and teach about the anatomy of our embouchures and breathing muscles and how we can better use this knowledge to strengthen our playing and lengthen our performance careers.
I also enjoy an incredibly fulfilling and varied performance life! I am the 4th horn of the Queen City Opera and am a founding member of the Wayside Winds, a professional woodwind quintet. I perform for many musical theater pits across the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky regions. I also have performed with the Dayton Philharmonic, West Virginia, Kentucky, Springfield, and Richmond Symphony Orchestras.
As a horn and brass teacher, I want to provide the same opportunities and musical inspiration that were given to me as that eager, driven, bright eyed 12 year old beginning horn player. It is my life’s work as an educator to mentor and empower as many young musicians as I can, to help them realize their full potential as musicians and humans…
