If you are looking to prepare for a profession in music – studying horn at JMU is your destination!  You will engage in high levels of creativity and collaboration and an intense study of instrumental music that will ready you for an active, confident, and diverse career.  But first, I want to introduce you to myself, the School of Music at JMU, and the excellent horn studio.

I am starting my 9^th year teaching at JMU, where I am a dedicated studio teacher and also coach chamber ensembles. I am very active performing in solo and chamber music settings on campus, and also have presented and performed numerous times at the International Horn Symposium and the Northeast and Southeast Horn Workshops. I have toured as a recitalist and presenter at Universities including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Michigan, the University of Delaware, The Curtis Institute of Music, and many more. I remain very active as a substitute musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, in addition to several regional orchestras and opera companies.

The JMU School of Music offers so many opportunities for every instrumentalist, with four full bands (Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, University Band), three orchestras (Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra), a student New Music ensemble, student wind and brass quintets, the Faculty/Student Harmoniemusik Ensemble, the European-style Brass Band, and of course the Marching Royal Dukes!  The performance level of the ensembles is excellent – the Wind Symphony hosts annual composer-in-residence concerts, recently featuring the music of David Maslanka in 2017.  The Symphony Orchestra performs full-scale orchestra repertoire and will include Sibelius Symphony No. 5 and Mahler Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection’ in the 2017-2018 year.

The horn studio at JMU is extremely active and includes students of every major – Music Ed, Music Performance, Music Industry, and Composition. We recently hosted the Southeast Horn Workshop with over 300 horn-players in attendance, and have also hosted recitals and masterclasses with professional hornists from the National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Pennsylvania Ballet, Peabody Conservatory and many others. The JMU Horn Choir (last year at 18 members!) has performed all over town, on campus, and at regional events of the International Horn Society. The studio has also been involved in charitable giving and has donated $2,200 to the Mercy House and $1,000 to the Duke Hall Art Gallery over the past two years. Current students have been winners of regional orchestral and solo competitions and have attended summer music festivals across the United States. Our studio graduates have found success with scholarships and assistantships to graduate performance degree programs and careers in military bands, as public school music educators, and in a wide range of arts management positions. 

If you are interested in visiting JMU, please contact me directly to schedule a complimentary lesson and information session about our degree programs and ensemble offerings. You will love visiting our beautiful campus and touring our state-of-the-art performance venue, The Forbes Center!  Our Audition Dates for 2017-2018 are November 6, January 27, February 10, and February 19.

Looking forward to seeing you at JMU! 

Ian Zook

Associate Professor of Horn

zookir@jmu.edu

(540)568-3855

Check out the horn studio website:  http://www.ianzook.com/about-us/

Or on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JMU-Horns-147104492020785/