Musician Spotlight – John Schreckengost

How did your relationship with music begin?

I grew up surrounded by music. My mom is a pianist and taught at home when I was younger. She made me wait until I was five to begin, which is the age my three older sisters started lessons. Family reunions on my mother’s side of the family always included musical activities (as well as baseball, golf, cribbage, and euchre). 

I was sent to the principal’s office near the end of the fourth grade because I hadn’t taken the contract on a school violin home to be signed by my parents. It turned out that the orchestra teacher and my parents were waiting for me with the principal. When asked why, I said I don’t want to play the violin. I want to play the clarinet (because I thought I needed to start on clarinet to get to the oboe). The orchestra teacher said that wasn’t possible because they had none left. My dad asked if I could play his cornet if he had it refurbished, which is how I ended up a brass player. The smartest decision I made was to switch to the (French) horn in the seventh grade. It wasn’t until after I started taking lessons near the end of the eighth grade that I saw myself as a hornist. Up until then, I thought I would go into music as a vocalist.

What is the best thing about being a musician?

Being able to make music with others. I love the orchestra and its repertoire but there is nothing like performing chamber music where those performing collaborate on repertoire and musical decisions. In a symphony orchestra, these decisions are typically made by the conductor.

Do you still love music/your instrument as much today as you did 20 years ago?

I probably love music today more than I did twenty years ago. I’ve always loved music, but it wasn’t until after my 2010 heart attack that I realized how cathartic and calming making music was to my psyche.

What are you working on improving?

Being a musician is akin to being an athlete. One needs to train or practice to keep in shape and to improve. Recording is a humbling experience as it puts one’s playing under a microscope. Listening to my horn playing on playback has put my focus recently on being more efficient and smooth in changing registers, tightening up the rhythm when playing by myself, playing with a drone to help with intonation, and expanding my tonal color palette when performing on my instrument.

How do you see ‘Rona supporting music during this time?

One of the great things about the personnel of the ‘Rona quartet are the skills each one brings to the group. Bringing music to people in the time of COVID-19 has many challenges, particularly with how can we play together and for others in a safe environment. Mary Jo’s creativity and craftsmanship has been a lifesaver. She designed and made the masks and bell covers that we use when we play (and not only us once the word got out as to how great they are). Mary Jo also designs our marketing pieces. Joanna designed our website and has been a great help to me on the technological front. Jeremiah has done the sound editing for both our Holiday and Valentine’s Day virtual concerts. My non-playing contribution is in creating several of the arrangements on these concerts. Joanna and Jeremiah have also caught the arranger’s bug while writing their own arrangements. Mary Jo might someday, but she’s been kept busy making PPE equipment, creating marketing ideas, and raising a family during the pandemic. There are only so many hours in a day.