My first memory of the horn comes from early days in the school orchestra. As a struggling violinist, my fellow string players and I cowered in anticipation of any horn solo, waiting anxiously to see if the hornist would negotiate it without any missed notes. Reveling in the security of a collective string section, I found the loneliness and loveliness of the horn both awesome and intimidating.

Many years later I had my next encounter with the horn when my son began to play. An agonizing introduction to performance in the school talent show at the age of ten only served to fuel his interest and after only a few short years, Sean was anxious to further improve his skills by attending the Kendall Betts Horn Camp. As he was only fourteen, I gladly tagged along as his guardian and found myself embroiled in the world of horn playing, writing out three-octave scales by hand with double horn fingerings to save him time. Bb-F-Bb; the maze of fingerings proved almost too complicated for this simple violinist.

For two weeks, in the middle of the beautiful White Mountains at the White Mountain School in Littleton, New Hampshire, Kendall Betts addresses the horn’s inherent complexity and complications. The bucolic atmosphere is practical and inspiring. Playing the horn deep in the woods or on a grassy knoll is a great acoustical and emotional experience. While the location is beautiful, it is Kendall Betts’s beliefs that make it work.

As principal horn of the Minnesota Orchestra, instructor at the University of Minnesota, and hornist with the North Country Chamber Players, Kendall Betts is a talented performer and teacher whose philosophy is embedded in the camp. He seeks to create an atmosphere of learning that is fun-filled, non-stop, and person-oriented, where players can discover their individual strengths and weaknesses in a noncompetitive environment.

The campers’ daily routine packed with a variety of experiences. Morning master classes address specific topics and concepts that students expand upon later in smaller sessions. Afternoons find students rehearsing solos with an accompanist or attending advanced coaching in orchestral excerpts. If these two choices do not have appeal, students can hit the practice room--a real one, or a quiet spot outside--to review the morning’s material or make appointments with faculty members for individual instruction. At 4:00 P.M. ensemble time begins. Students are assigned to groups by age and ability and perform music geared to their playing levels. Additionally, students are encouraged to form their own ensembles and to choose music from within their personal stock or borrowed from the library. My son, only a beginner, had the opportunity to play duets with a professional horn player. Not only did they have fun, but they also became friends; a musical learning experience that epitomizes the camp.

Though there is no pressure to perform, a Friday evening recital, Saturday afternoon mock auditions, and a Saturday evening gala at the historic Littleton Opera House are scheduled. These events are hugely successful due to the nurturing environment the camp provides. The supportive and enthusiastic response of fellow campers and staff reflects Kendall’s ideals: a cycle often ignored in the educational process. Within a community of support rather than competition, performers relax more, worry less, play better, and achieve a level that might otherwise be missed. This confidence builds and bolsters self-esteem, which in turn makes students more resilient and tougher in competition. To Kendall, being as relaxed and focused as possible is the key to becoming a better competitor, a better horn player, and fundamentally, a better musician.

Kendall Betts is an intense, inspiring teacher and a great diagnostician. He is well-known for his intuitive sense of detecting a student’s difficulty and articulating how to correct it. He is inordinately generous in his comments, constantly asking students for their reflections and critiques, and eager to share his wealth of knowledge and experience.

At the camp, Kendall demonstrates these concepts through a Socratic approach of mutual learning and self-discovery. A participant describes him as a magnet. "He draws you in, helping you discover your own problems, weaknesses and strengths. Then, he lets you come up with the strategy to improve. It is often painful, and sometimes he says things you don’t want to hear, but you know he is right." His honesty draws the player out, urging him to throw away any pervious delusions about practice and playing, in order to face the hard work of meticulous improvement through self-awareness and willingness to exchange old habits for new ones.

Of course, he cannot provide continuous instruction to fifty horn players by himself, so students a surrounded by like-minded faculty whose basic ideology corresponds to this own. The 1997 guest faculty included British soloist and horn professor at the Royal Academy in London, Michael Thompson; William Capps of Florida State University; Julie Schleif of the Interlochen Arts Academy; retired USMA Band at West Point horn player / teacher Abby Mayer; Jean Rife, a horn professor at the New England Conservatory and MIT; Greg Hustis, principal horn of the Dallas Symphony; and collaborative pianist Stephen Harlos of the University of North Texas.

Special guests added to the camp with interesting and informative evening sessions. Walter Lawson, creator of the Lawson horn, gave presentation on horn mechanics with Kendall demonstrating the qualities unique to different instruments due to materials and construction, and additional sessions on how to clean, drain and maintain the horn properly. Hornist and author David Kaslow spoke about topics covered in his book Living Dangerously with the Horn, whose main themes include fear and fearlessness, artistry, health and health care, relationships, and perfection and perfectionism.

Perhaps the highlight of the camp centered around composer-in residence Milton Phibbs, who composed (in just two days) a quintet scored for one descant and four double horns, humorously entitled Descant Be Happening To Me. Kendall Betts, Soichiro Ohno, Julie Schleif, Vincent Barbee, and Jeff Warren, a camp participant and assistant principal horn in the Charlotte Symphony, performed the world premiere on the last recital program.

As a teacher and connoisseur of music, I found listening to the variety of music performed during the evening programs an inspiration. As a former string player, I came away ready to tackle the practice room again with a vigor I had not before. And as a mother, I was impressed with the faculty’s humanity and ability to understand the need for humor in teaching, which left a lasting impression on me and my son. He was reminded that missing notes is a part of life for a horn player, that making mistakes is vital for growth and learning, and that being a musician is more important than being a horn player.

Kendall Betts’s camp surpassed all of my expectations. He and his faculty and staff present a carefully honed curriculum in a simple nonthreatening manner, provide students with a variety of opportunities, address the needs the individuals fairly and without prejudice, and make every student feel welcome, regardless of his / her ability. He is clear in his presentation, intense in his preoccupation with having each student learn despite their insecurities, and intent on having every musician understand precisely what he is saying. Yet perhaps most important, Kendall helps all of them believe they just might achieve what he has accomplished.

Ellen Blaise is an elementary education teacher in Miami, FL where her son, Sean, studies horn with Arin Ansbaugh. Heather Pettit plays the horn and teaches music in Lake Forrest, IL, and is a frequent contributor to The Instrumentalist.

The Horn Call/No. 28.2/February 1998

Reprinted by permission of the author.