The Advocate
A newsletter for the music education community of Western PA
PPE for musicians
Face masks are now available with slits or other types of openings that allow a mouthpiece to go in while still providing the protection of the mask. These can be used by almost all woodwind and brass instruments and be effective.
If you have any questions about any of these items, contact your local music dealer!
Resource for Music Teachers: Battling Burnout
On January 11th at 7pm, music educator and speaker Elisa Janson Jones will be presenting a workshop on self-care strategies for teachers. This online event is sponsored by the Conn-Selmer Institute and is FREE to attend! Register today!
JMC Spotlight: Jacob Wiggins Wins Spot In "Pershing’s Own"
Jacob was born in Louisiana, and moved to North Houston in Texas as a young child. He started playing horn in fifth grade at the age of 10. He chose horn because both of his brothers played trumpet and he wanted to play something different. Jacob graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 2010 and decided to study French Horn in college. He attended the University of Houston, where his two main teachers were Gavin Reed and Robert Johnson. Although he studied with these great horn teachers, he also credits a lot of what he learned to his brother Josh. Upon graduation, Jacob worked in a donut shop and gave private horn lessons until he came to Pittsburgh in 2018 to attend graduate school at Duquesne University.
While at Duquesne, he was a student of Mark Houghton, third horn of the Pittsburgh Symphony. In the fall of 2018, Jacob won the second horn job with the Canton Symphony in Canton, Ohio. He was awarded his Artist Diploma from Duquesne University in May 2020 and has been working, teaching privately, and freelancing in the Pittsburgh area since then.
Jacob learned of the opening for the Pershing's Own Concert Band this summer and began working on his audition tape. He found out in early September that he was accepted to attend a live audition on November 23rd. During the next few months, he took lessons from many horn teachers from around the country to help prepare for the live audition.
The audition day finally arrived. He went to Washington, D.C. for the audition and discovered that he was one of nine horn players that had been asked to come to the live audition. In the first round, all nine candidates were asked to play excerpts that had been assigned. Five of the players were invited to the second round where they were asked to play more excerpts, a solo work, and to do some sight reading. After this round, there were only two remaining candidates for the position - Jacob and a friend of his from Texas. During the final round, they were asked to play excerpts and to also play along with a current member of the horn section to see how well they blended and played together. After this, Jacob emerged as the victor.
What’s next? Jacob got his working contract on December 9th and he will ship out to basic training on January 26th. Once he is in basic training, he will not be able to play his horn until the end of April. He will then move to Washington, D.C. and become a full time member of the Concert Band. Congratulations to Jacob and good luck with your new job!
FREE Online Concert from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Friday, Jan 22, 2021, 07:30 PM
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JMC North - Allison Park
Email: info@johnstonbaughs.com
Website: johnstonbaughs.com
Location: 4842 William Flinn Highway, Allison Park, PA, USA
Phone: 724-444-5660
Facebook: facebook.com/JohnstonbaughsMusic
JMC East - Golden Mile
Email: info@johnstonbaughs.com
Website: johnstonbaughs.com
Location: Johnstonbaugh's Music Center, Sandune Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Phone: 724-519-2114
Facebook: facebook.com/JohnstonbaughsMusic
Issued January 6, 2021