One task most new college horn teachers must undertake is writing a syllabus. There are as many varieties of syllabus as there are styles of teaching and horn playing, and although most universities have at least some requirements regarding the form and content of the syllabus, many things are left up to the discretion of the instructor. I remember feeling slightly overwhelmed when I sat down to write my first applied horn syllabus. I’m sure many of the questions running through my mind at the time are shared by all teachers who are passionate about their field: What should I include? What should I omit? How specific should the goals and objectives be? Eventually, after much thought, and also quite a bit of investigating on the internet, I arrived at something with which I was at least temporarily satisfied. Over the years, that initial document has changed and been supplemented with a variety of information, including a more extensive list of solo repertoire, as well as a list of orchestral excerpts. I still think about my syllabus, and I still wrestle with the same basic questions that I first encountered. For the last few days I’ve been compiling links to as many online horn syllabi as I can find – partly out of professional curiosity, but mainly to at least try to put together some type of resource for horn teachers just starting out in a college teaching position. Depending on the guidelines set by your university/college/school/department, you may or not be able to include all of the components you see here, and you may also be required to include additional language regarding things such as compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the use of cell phones in the class room. I’m sure there are still dozens more syllabi out there, and I plan to keep looking for them and updating this post as necessary. But even in the relatively small number of examples I’ve posted below one can see the kind of variety and flexibility inherent in an applied lesson syllabus. Depending on how each syllabus is set up, some of the links will take you directly to an actual document file, while others will take you to a particular university’s horn studio website (which contains a syllabus).
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music [Technically not a college syllabus – see the comment below from Jonathan West for the full details – but still a great source for repertoire. ]
Arizona State University [This is not the actual syllabus, but rather an excellent description by John Ericson in the form of a post on Horn Matters.]
Temple University [Jeffrey Lang]
Trinity College of London [Also not a college syllabus – see the full details below.]
The University of Central Florida
The University of Colorado at Boulder
James Boldin's Horn World 