Masteryclasses

I’m no master. I never set out to master playing the horn because horn playing is a personal journey. Instead, I have focused on the art of mastery, which really keeps me focused on personal growth. So, I call my workshops Masteryclasses, because we are all on a personal journey, and if we share what we have learned along the way with each other we will all grow.

I have been a Yamaha Performing Artist & Clinician since 2008. I have served as the featured Horn Master-Clinician & Adjudicator for the Music for All National Festival, Horn Adjudicator for the Yamaha Young Performing (YYPA) Artists Program, and conducted workshops, seminars and clinics throughout the US, including: Peabody Institute, Curtis School of Music, Florida International University, Northern Illinois University, and others.

I present educational, innovative, and entertaining workshops focused on providing participants with the skills and motivation to achieve their goals. These workshops are always custom-designed for each institution, school, or studio, however, below is a sample list of topics that I use to help build skills for the 21st Century Artist.

Your Path to Mastery

Each artist, from beginners through seasoned professionals is somewhere along an amazing personal journey. Learning to play an instrument will teach you a lot about yourself and a lot about life if you stick with it long enough.


For me, there is no such thing as mastering the horn. It’s all about the journey, and growth. If growth is your ultimate goal, it is virtually impossible for you to fail. My path, like yours, has had some pretty interesting twists and turns along the way. Let’s talk about where you are on your path. What you have seen and what you hope to see. What you want and how you can get there on the horn, in your career, and in your life.



Mental Focus: Zone Training

Have you ever been playing your instrument and everything feels really easy for no apparent reason? You realize that your playing is effortless, but you don’t really know why? Then, as you begin to focus on how great everything feels, you lose it? Well, my friends, you were in the Zone!


For me, as a performer, getting into and staying in the Zone is pretty much my only goal. Why? Because when in I am in that super-focused state, I have access to everything I need to play my best. It’s as if a door to all of my stored knowledge opens up and I have access to it.

Getting into the Zone can be a challenge, and staying in it can be tricky too. Throughout my career as a performer and teacher, I have experimented with allot of techniques designed to help me focus when I play. I have developed a very easy system that I used to get into my “Zone” and I would be happy to share it with you!


Build Your Career

So, you've got a great horn, studied with a great teacher at a great school, participated in festivals, workshops, masterclasses, and…now what. Building a career in today’s music industry can be challenging, so it is really important to develop your skillset.


Your ability to play your instrument at a very high and consistent level is very important. However, playing your instrument well is just not enough to guarantee you a career in music. If you want to be successful you need to develop a plan. There are allot of career paths you can go down and most professional musicians today combine multiple career paths. The music world is a small world, so, it's really important to build positive professional relationships with other players, teachers, and leaders in the field. Your ability to build and maintain these professional relationships will impact your career prospects. Let’s talk about some proven strategies that you can use to build your career.



Teaching

Whether you are a studio instructor, band director, or thinking about a teaching the horn in the future, there are some basics that you should know and some things to try and avoid.


My first college teaching appointment came because people at the university heard me play in an orchestra I was in and assumed I would be a good teacher. When I was invited to join the faculty, I had never taught a horn lesson in my life! My students were energetic and eager to learn and improve. My first instinct was to teach them the way I was taught by MY teachers. That didn’t work out so well because I still didn’t understand allot of things I was taught as a student, and my students were just not getting better-at first.

Luckily, my students were patient with me, and I committed myself to figuring out how to become a good teacher for them. I scrapped doing my impressions of teachers that I had in the past and told my students that I was going to teach them what I do and what I think about when I play, and if that helps them, we will keep on learning together. This turned out to be a huge turning point in my teaching as well as in my performing career. Over the course of many years and hundreds of teaching hours, I have developed a teaching philosophy that I use with all of my students. This philosophy focuses on balancing what we do physically and mentally when we play. Teaching the horn is a lot of fun, and I would love to show you some strategies and techniques that have worked for my students.

Now Booking!

Larry’s Masterclasses & Clinics are scheduled throughout the year. If you would like more information or would like to book Larry Williams for a Yamaha Sponsored Masteryclass or Clinic, please click here.