Performance Studios | Brass
Brass
Applied music courses provide students with individualized instruction and the opportunity to develop their technical skills, musical expression, and performance abilities on their chosen instrument. The brass instrument family — which includes the trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba — plays a vital role in both classical and contemporary music. These powerful and versatile instruments are found in orchestras, bands, jazz ensembles and a wide range of other musical settings. Through our applied music curriculum, students will have the chance to explore the rich history, diverse repertoire and unique characteristics of brass instruments under the guidance of our experienced and dedicated faculty.
Horn
Heidi Lucas is an associate professor of horn and scholar with deep expertise in the instrument, including performances at international horn symposia and regional horn workshops. She has published horn-focused writing (including reviews in the Horn Call) and was recently appointed editor of the International Horn Society’s Horn Call “Books and Print Materials Reviews” column. She also served as editor for the horn edition of David Vining’s The Big Book of Sight-Reading Duets (2015).
Interested high school students are encouraged to plan a campus visit and have a complimentary horn lesson with Dr. Lucas to learn more about continuing their music studies at the college level.
Low Brass
The UD Trombone Studio includes students from more than six states studying music education and trombone performance at the undergraduate and master's levels as well as honors students and non-majors. Students receive weekly one-hour lessons and participate in a studio class.
Bruce Tychinski, associate professor of trombone, leads the studio. He is a member of the Washington Trombone Ensemble and Nittany Trombone Quartet, and a principal trombonist of the Pennsylvania Philharmonic.
The trombone studio is very active and has garnered a national reputation. The UD Trombone Choir performed at the 2014 International Trombone Festival at the Eastman School of Music and students have been selected for many prestigious summer festivals and honors ensembles. UD also hosts an annual Trombone Day, which brings world-class artists to campus to perform and present master classes. Recent studio alums have gone on to successful performing endeavors in the US and abroad, teaching positions, or received graduate assistantships to further their studies.
Trumpet
Students in the UD Trumpet Studio study with Brianne Borden, an active performer, educator and clinician committed to helping students become confident, versatile and thoughtful musicians. Borden has performed with ensembles including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, South Florida Symphony and Monarch Brass and has appeared as a guest artist and clinician at universities and conferences around the world. Her album, body, mind, & heart, received two Global Music Awards Silver Medals for Album and Concept. She is also the author of Mindful Trumpet Playing, a method book that integrates mindfulness with the fundamentals of trumpet performance.
At UD, Borden fosters a supportive and ambitious studio community where students develop their individual artistic voices while building the skills for sustainable careers in music. Her teaching draws on her professional experience in performance, pedagogy and musician wellness, giving students a holistic approach to their development as musicians and individuals.
