Braces suck, but they do teach you not to rely on pressure. They force you to really tone the embouchure muscles. Also don't worry too much about high range while you have them. Learn to play what you need but don't try going too much higher. If you don't own a copy, by the Art of French Horn Playing by Philip Farkas and find the exercise about mouthpiece pressure. Basically you just put the horn down flat on a slick surface and hang the mouthpiece over the edge. Try to play without the horn scooting away. Farkas says to aim for a top space G. Just slowly work at it. Don't freak out if you can't get it at first it takes some time. A lot of people say this is an antiquated exercise, but it is very useful for building the muscles you need with braces.

Hello there... I'm glad you're looking for more expression in your playing. You ask such an important question, but it's also a very broad and heavy question because it encompasses nothing less than the individual style/voice that a pianist searches for and develops their whole life. First of all, it's a common occurrence for a student to have mastered skillful technique in his/her performance but lack some "feeling" or "expressiveness." You're not alone. I have colleagues who play piano for a living that still suffer this problem. "Feeling" in piano performance is a complicated thing; it's sort of undefinable. Some people have an intrinsic sense to expressiveness, where others struggle with it. It's the hidden x-factor in the greatest piano, and if you aspire to excellence in your playing, you will hopefully strive for this your whole life. Remember that as a pianist, you're a conduit to the past; you're sort of a door to the composer's brain and you're able to transmit the music to your audience as the composer heard it. But you're also an interpreter, and the choices and liberties you take in interpreting that music for us defines your voice and your style. I wish I could give you one distinct answer that could solve all your problems, but it's not feasible and it's also a cheat, for it would take you out of that journey to your own voice. An excellent teacher can help you on this path, and I recommend finding the best teacher there is in your area. A good teacher will teach you the most important lesson: that a musician must understand not only the notes being played but why those notes were written in that order. You must understand the theory and analysis behind the music; in doing so, you can better understand how it makes you feel and why. You can learn the technical tools for creating expressiveness: rubato, crescendo/decrescendo, ritard/accelerando, tone, feel, etc. You can spend your whole life adjusting the lightness of your playing, the release of notes and the phrasing. You can work on making leading tones sing so that you allow the audience to hear the melody. But all of this is secondary to understanding why the music should push or pull. I cannot stress this enough: study the music, learn the theory, and above all, let the music move you and use your instinct to decide how it should sound. In the meantime, find the best teacher whose credentials are sound, and whose students play like you want to play. Listen to classical CDs of some of the most renowned pianists; better still, watch videos of their performances on Youtube. Take notes on how they begin and end phrases, what notes you hear most in a phrase, and how their articulation affects the overall sound. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, and I invite you to email me if you have further questions. Sincerely, Peter Zachos P.S. As a small example, let's look at a famous piece that I hope one day you will learn. Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66. In the response section of the A theme (when the right hand plays triplet arpeggiated fifth-octave figures)... we've moved to the relative major and we hear, very simplified, a IV - V - I cadence played a few times. Every time the V harmony resolves to the I, the right hand melody, which previously is moving in this wonderful chromatic passing-tone motion, leaps to an escape tone; it leaps down to the natural 7 of the tonic, which as a leading tone resolves up to the tonic on the downbeat of the next measure. If that last sentence was a bit rough for you to understand, it's okay. What's important is that every person you hear (or see on Youtube) playing the Chopin Fantasie Impromptu is going to interpret that wonderful escape-leap-to-resolution a bit differently; it's going to move them differently, and they're going to make a decision about how to play it. Should the tempo push a little to indicate more motion, a sort-of rush to move through the resolution? Should it give the barest hint of ritard, to set up tension for this resolution? Different pianists will hear it differently. Some will just play through it and do nothing. But the more you understand about what you're playing and how it's functioning musically, the more you will feel the music and its effect on your playing. Don't be daunted. It's a lifelong goal.

Sarah, You are on the right track. People learn to speak before they learn to read. So with music I believe that you should learn to play and then learn to read. I would suggest learning to read with a book, or computer program that will drill the basics (like phonics. When you read) There are a lot of good publishers of these books, two companies are Alfred and FJH music. Your music reading 'vocabulary' will always be less than your playing 'vocabulary'. I suggest that you start with some easy music books so you can read a lot and build up your ablity without so much frustration. Getting a teacher to coach you, either privately or in a group is another thing to consider. You've done the hard part, learning to play. Learning to read is a good next step in your growth as a musician.

Becoming a conductor is one of the most difficult career paths in music. There is no guaranteed way to become a conductor (just ask all the DMA students that conservatories churn out every year) but what every conductor has in common is years of study. Most have made the decision to become a conductor long before going to college and set up a career path that will open up the possibility. There is no degree required per se, however most conductors have at least an undergraduate degree in music, many have a doctorate. The degree isn't as important as the knowledge and training that being in school allows a young conductor to gain. What young conductors need more than anything else is time to study scores, experience leading rehearsals, and conducting concerts. Becoming a conductor is something you don't do on a whim, it takes at least as much training and commitment as becoming a doctor. There is a catch-22 for conductors: in order to be hired as a conductor you need experience, but to get experience as a conductor you need to conduct. After conservatory training many conductors work with youth orchestras, church choirs or community orchestras. Then use those jobs to hopefully become an associate conductor of a larger orchestra. Some get fed up with the system and found their own chamber music ensembles.