Amanda Casper
Hornist & Founder of the Dallas Horn Studio
Freelance hornist and educator Amanda Casper revels in the diversity and excitement in her career. Amanda recently completed her Master’s degree in Music, studying horn at Southern Methodist University. Amanda has more than twenty-five years of teaching experience and has received training at several prestigious conservatories including the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
An avid orchestral musician, Amanda completed her fifth season (2019/2020) as 3rd horn with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Amanda has also been seen performing throughout South and Central Florida with numerous orchestras including the Punta Gorda Symphony, Palm Beach, SpaceCoast, Gainesville, Ocala, Villages Philharmonic, & Southwest Florida Symphonies as well as the Miami Lyric Opera. Amanda is also a dedicated chamber musician and is Co-Founder of the Jewel Tones, a horn & harp duo.
Amanda began her classical training at an early age and quickly excelled into the Juilliard pre-college program in middle school. In high school she received training at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2006, Amanda received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she trained with members of the Cleveland Orchestra. While pursuing her undergraduate degrees, Amanda was inspired by her experiences as a Musician in Residence at University Hospitals as well as through her minor in childhood studies.
Amanda offers a unique perspective as an educator, as she was also a clinical social worker for several years. Amanda received a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Psychology from Case Western Reserve University (’06) as well as a Master in Social Work degree from Cleveland State University (’11) and brings a wealth of diverse experience working with children and adults. Amanda’s teaching philosophy, most simply put, is to meet the student where he or she is and to tailor lessons based on the student’s individual needs and personal goals. Amanda strongly believes in the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, while creating a healthy, rigorous, musical environment where her students can thrive. Amanda believes that through problem-solving and observing without making negative judgments, students will not only develop their musical abilities, but will also develop resiliency and grit through music education. Determination, focused work ethic, and a positive attitude is the recipe for a successful journey, in music and in life.
Amanda co-founded the Florida Horn Studio in 2016 and is incredibly honored to have taught over one hundred horn students in both Palm Beach and Broward counties. Amanda’s studio has achieved many fantastic accomplishments, including: receiving full scholarships to attend the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan as well as a partial scholarship to attend the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; representing horn sections at both county and state levels, receiving highest level rankings at State level for both solos and a horn quartet. Amanda’s students have also been accepted into prestigious summer music festivals including Aspen, Tanglewood, Interlochen, and the Philadelphia Music Festival as well as Kendall Bett’s Horn Camp on full scholarship. Additional student accolades include: acceptance into Honor Band of America, alternate at the NYO (National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America) and NYO-2, as well as finalists and semi-finalists at concerto competitions including at the New World Symphony Side-by-Side program.
Amanda is incredibly thankful to share her love of music and french horn with her colleagues, audiences and students. After helping many clients overcome obstacles and become healthier and happier, Amanda is thrilled to be able to do what is the most meaningful to her, and be true to herself.