Reed S. | French Horn | March 30, 2017
I was born in San Diego and went to La Jolla Elementary and La Jolla Junior-Senior High (that was back in “the day” before Muirlands Junior High was born). In the second grade my Mom, who taught at L J Elementary, said I should try a musical instrument, and the only instrument they had in the band room was a French Horn so that is how I got started.
I got pretty good on the French Horn – made Junior City Honors Band, then made it to first chair in the horn section (mostly the ONLY horn) in the La Jolla High band, Marching Band, Pep Band, and Contest Band. Once while traveling to a music contest in Los Angeles, we made it San Clemente before I remembered I had forgotten my French Horn! Thankfully I was able to borrow one from another Band.
My Grandfather was Treasurer of Colgate University and we visited Hamilton New York every other year. The Parks Department gave free band concerts in a small Gazebo every Thursday night in the Summer and they had a French Horn, so I joined the Hamilton Rec Band. On the faculty of Colgate was Freddy Jones, father of Mason Jones, at the time first horn in the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra Under Eugene Ormandy. Mason was probably the best French Horn player in the world and he became my friend during his visits to Hamilton (he lived in York, PA closer to his “office” and we played duets together. Wow, didn’t know there could be such awesome experiences in Music!!!
Next I went off to UC Davis and took along a $50 used trumpet I bought thinking I could learn how to play it. However, I got busy with other things at UC Davis and never pursued the trumpet. That was 53 years ago and until seven months ago I hadn’t touched a musical instrument of any kind. That’s when I rented a trumpet and started self-teaching. A mutual friend of mine was in this marvelous organization called the Coronado Concert Band and after a lesson from him he said to come on over and I could be like 18th seat trumpet and just play the music I could handle and “lip sink” the harder stuff. Like the Doctors Code – Do No Harm.
So then three months ago a friend of mine tells me he has a French Horn sitting in his basement and I take it home to see if I can play it and Abracadabra!…with my newly learned trumpet embouchure, I could make notes on the French Horn (a much harder instrument to play, but don’t tell the trumpet section). So then I became like 18th Chair French Horn in a two or three French horn section, and I continue to learn. And while learning I am also having a GREAT TIME! Fred Lee, our Music Director, allows great freedom and tolerance for less than professional musicians. He knows we all are at different stages of learning and instrumental music proficiency, and will compensate appropriately for the bits we yet to conquer, for the over-all good sound of the Band. We play what we can and we feel great about that because this is an organization that gives back. Soooooo…if I can play French Horn after 53 years of sabbatical, you can too! Make it happen, your seat is waiting for you!!