Approach

John Fletcher

Interview

From brass bands to chamber ensembles, John Fletcher reflects on the rapid rise of young British tubists and the changing role of the instrument.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 2

Classical music: Why bother?

By Joshua Fineberg

Early trumpet music in Schwerin

Hidden sources revealed: Stephen Glover uncovers early trumpet music in Schwerin—offering new insights into wind bands, performance practice, and the evolution of brass.

By Stephen L. Glover

Indeterminate instrumentation

A Way of Extending Instrumental Technic

Can technique go beyond notation? James Fulkerson explores new instrumental possibilities and argues that improvisation is key to expanding both technique and musical thinking.

By James Fulkerson

Collective improvisation in instrumental classes with different instruments

What if learning an instrument meant more than playing pieces? Roland Böckle promotes collective improvisation to develop listening, taste, and creativity.

By Roland Böckle

Reflections on the brass player

Why do brass players so often resist new music? Vinko Globokar dismantles schools, routines, and traditions—and calls for a freer musical mindset.

By Vinko Globokar

What is a Brass Band?

Barrie Perrins traces the 19th-century origins, instrumentation and social role of the brass band—from industrial roots to international musical life.

By Barrie Perrins

Dreams and wishes

Things I would like to see happen concerning the horn and horn playing

A set of proposals for the future of the horn: Jeffrey Agrell addresses editions, pedagogy, instruments, and repertoire—from Mozart to contemporary practice.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Part 2

My contacts with the United States

About horns and how to play them

Double horn, descant, natural horn — which path? This article explores American vs German approaches and what it means to train a complete horn player.

By Michael Höltzel

Editorial

More than a magazine: a call to musicians. This editorial reveals Brass Bulletin’s mission—to inspire, connect, and survive through the support of its readers.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Editorial

Mouthpiece, instrument, practice—what’s really holding you back? A reflection on doubt, competition, and finding the inner balance that shapes true musicianship.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 4

Zen and the Art of Horn playing

From meditation to distance running, horn playing becomes a way of quieting mental noise, linking breath, concentration, and daily life.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Editorial

As music becomes increasingly industrialized, Jean-Pierre Mathez argues for restoring local musical communities where composers, performers and audiences shape a shared identity.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Editorial

10 Years of Brass Bulletin

Ten years after its launch, a small specialist publication reaches readers in more than sixty countries, reflecting how a shared artistic community took shape across borders.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Editorial

Beyond technique and instruction, musical growth depends on trusted relationships, where friendship becomes both a measure of progress and a safeguard against isolation.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Special Finland

Editorial

In 1980s Finland, distance and long summers helped turn brass education into a national network, with Lieksa emerging as an unlikely meeting point.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Salvation Army in Japan

Western-style brass music entered a once-isolated Japan through unexpected channels, with Salvation Army bands becoming part of a remarkable cultural transformation.

By Taku Satoh

Part 1

Sampling?

By Thomas Stevens

Symposium 1978

Eyes toward the future

Beyond the instrument: Roger Bobo calls for open minds at Symposium ’78—urging tubists to seek inspiration, question identity, and look boldly toward the future.

By Roger Bobo

Part 3

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto

Haydn’s trumpet concerto becomes a study of manuscript detail, performance choices, and the fragile ways listeners receive a familiar work.

By Alfred Willener

Part 2

Music in an American Frontier Communal Society

Aurora Colony

Music shaped daily life in Aurora’s communal colony, from civic ceremonies and political events to touring brass bands that carried its identity across the American West.

By Deborah M. Olsen

Editorial

Artistic progress is measured not only in technique but in doubt, self-awareness and hope, as Jean-Pierre Mathez looks beyond the instrument to the person playing it.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Editorial

A museum, a factory, a familiar instrument: Jean-Pierre Mathez turns ordinary encounters with brass into a reflection on the bond between player and voice.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

On record reviews

Is criticism constructive? Objective?

When taste and feeling dominate record reviews, criticism risks becoming arbitrary; Uwe Wolf argues instead for interpretations grounded enough to sustain debate.

By Uwe Wolf