My name is Ashley Gulbranson and I created this blog with the intent to explore wellness in horn performance and pedagogy. Through this blog, we will learn more about performance psychology, movement and posture, proper practice techniques, and injury prevention.
My Adventures in Healthy Horn Playing
I became passionate about studying healthy approaches to playing the horn through my journey with Focal Embouchure Dystonia.
I strive to approach playing the horn as efficiently as possible, however, this was not always the case. Throughout my undergraduate education, I had engaged in practice techniques that had been detrimental to my growth as a musician. Eventually, this inefficient approach to playing the horn had led to a collapse of the embouchure.
I am very thankful to be back on track and continuing to grow as a musician and educator. Through the process of re-learning to play the horn, I have presented on the subject of wellness at the 2014 MidNorth Horn Workshop in Saint Paul, MN and the 2018 Northwest Horn Symposium in Tacoma, WA. I also published the article “A Lost Embouchure Found: A Journey Back From Focal Dystonia” in the May 2014 issue of The Horn Call.
As a pedagogue, I encourage my students to approach horn performance using a sound oriented external focus of attention. This is based on the research of Gabriele Wulf in her book Attention and Motor Skill Learning. Using this approach, I have worked with students at the Interlochen Arts Camp, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
I also strive to remain active as a performer and conductor. As a performer, I have appeared in concerts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Interlochen Faculty Brass Ensemble, the Stratus Chamber Orchestra, the Littleton Symphony Orchestra, the Boulder Symphony Orchestra, and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. I have also served as a conductor for the University of Colorado Horn Choir, the Interlochen Intermediate Brass Ensemble, the Milwaukee Youth Horn Choir, the UW-Milwaukee Horn Festival Choir, the Cedarburg High School Horn Choir, the Sun Prairie High School Horn Choir, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Campus Band, and the Appel Farm Arts Camp Orchestra and Brass Choir.
I received a B.M. in horn performance and music education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with Dr. Patrick Miles and an M.M. in horn performance and chamber music from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with Greg Flint. I am currently a DMA candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder studying horn performance and pedagogy with Michael Thornton.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments at ashley.gulbranson@colorado.edu