About the Horn Studio

The Horn Studio at WMU is full of vibrant, talented horn students. The number of students in the studio usually ranges from 12-16 undergraduate music majors and two graduate assistants. Horn students major in a variety of music fields such as music performance, music education, and music therapy. ALL music majors take applied lessons with the horn professor, not a graduate student.

Horn studio class is offered throughout the year and in it students perform for each other and discuss various horn topics. The Western Horn Choir, which consists mostly of horn majors, performs a full concert on campus during the fall semester and tours the southwest Michigan area in the spring. The ensemble was invited to perform in Lincoln, Nebraska and at the International Horn Symposium in Denver, Colorado in 2008. Horn students have the opportunity to study historical instruments--two hand horns, an alphorn, and a Wagner Tuba may be checked out for study. Guest artists frequently present classes and perform at Western.

The large ensembles, such as the Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band are first-rate and many undergraduates have the opportunity to perform alongside graduate students in the top ensembles. Other ensembles combine select students with faculty members, including Western Winds and the Annual Brass Christmas Concert. Chamber music is prevalent and several wind quintet and brass quintet ensembles form among the students each year, frequently receiving faculty guidance. The Western Brass Quintet and Western Wind Quintet are the two faculty ensembles, performing often on campus and serving as models for student chamber ensembles.

The music facilities are terrific, with excellent performance, practice, library, and computer facilities. Its distinctive spaces include two recital halls, a multi-track digital recording studio, an electronic music laboratory, a 10,000 square foot music library, a state-of-the-art multi-media room, a music therapy clinic, a computer laboratory featuring a special MIDI station and Macintosh PowerPC computers (each equipped with a Yamaha synthesizer and a Roland sound module), and one of the world's largest installations of pre-fabricated, sound-isolated practice rooms and teaching studios.

Kalamazoo is located in the center of the midwestern musical scene, making it an inspirational and ideal place to study music. Prominent professional groups and events in the region include the Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, Fontana Chamber Arts Series, and Brass Band of Battle Creek. Kalamazoo is midway between Chicago and Detroit (2 1/2 hour drive to either city).

The horn studio is located in room 1406 in the Dalton Center. Here are directions to Dalton Center. Please note that Kalamazoo, Michigan is in the Eastern Time Zone.