THE FIRST YEAR
Week by Week
From the first note in October to the final exam in July. One link a week, written for every wind and brass player.
Thomas Hornig · Henri Selmer Paris Artist · The Whole Horn
One link a week.
Every student, their own key.
The problem: in one room, a flute reads C, a trumpet reads D, an alto sax reads A, a horn reads G — for the same note.
The solution: each week in this plan is one link. Paste it into Google Classroom, WhatsApp or email; every student opens the week written for their own instrument.
Anything you assign opens free for your students. No student accounts.
STUDIO
each player in their own written key, the full plan.
BAND
concert pitch, so the whole band sounds together, in a beginner range with lighter hours.
The year at a glance
OCTOBER
the first four weeks
NOVEMBER–FEBRUARY
two hours a key — each major with its relative harmonic minor and arpeggios.
MIDTERM
early March · the scale requirement is the same at the midterm and the final.
APRIL–JUNE
the four rhythms, then ♩=60 to 70.
FINAL
early July
SUMMER · the Lifetime Workout
Weeks, not dates — if your year starts in August, Week 1 is your first week.
October · The first four weeks
The first four weeks follow Tom's Teacher's Guide to Four Weekly Lesson Plans. Standard tier: 30 minutes a day; Core tier: 10.
November · Two hours a key
December · Two hours a key
January · Two hours a key
February · The midterm requirement
March · Midterm
Midterm · early March
The scale requirement is the same at the midterm and the final.
Études: the first half of the book.
Be ready to play 5–6 études at random — one slow (musicianship), one fast (technique).
April · The four rhythms
May · The second half of the book
June · Final preparation
July · Final
Final · early July
1 · Scales & arpeggios — major scales and their harmonic minors, across the entire range of the instrument, ♩=60–70.
2 · The studies from your method book — any study, chosen at random.
3 · The piece — last, but finish strong.
The exam, in Tom’s words
‘Most students make the mistake of thinking the exam is about the imposed piece. Nothing could be further from the truth.’
— Prof. Thomas Hornig
Four articulations
Every note tongued / detached (détaché) · Articulate every other note · Slurred two by two · Three slurred, one tongued.
The app plays each scale staccato or tenuto; the four articulations are played over it.
Summer · The Lifetime Workout
‘It is possible to write down on a single page the work that can take a lifetime to master. That page would contain: All 12 major scales. All 12 major arpeggios. Various patterns and shapes derived from them.’
— Thomas Hornig
15–20 minutes a day.
Make it yours
Every week here is a starting point. To change one, open For Teachers in The Whole Horn, set the key, tempo, range or hours, add your own sentence, make the link, and paste it over ours.
What this plan leaves to you: percussion, rhythm reading, your method book and your concert music.
KEY
TEMPO
RANGE
HOURS
thewholehorn.com