Official 2024 Saxophone Curriculum
This PDF is the formally adopted 2024 structured saxophone program of the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music. It sets out the complete nine-level curriculum, including technical requirements, études, repertoire with piano, and evaluation benchmarks.
(LNHCM)
Structured Saxophone Program: From Conservatory to Career (2024)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2024 pedagogical framework presents a complete model for professionalizing Lebanon’s saxophone education system, bridging academic training and real-world performance standards. It integrates harmony, improvisation, and orchestral literacy into a nine-year progression that transforms the conservatory’s isolated courses into a career pipelinefor musicians.
The proposal aligns with UNESCO’s principles of cultural sustainability and establishes measurable benchmarks for institutional accreditation, ensemble readiness, and professional placement — creating the first fully structured saxophone curriculum in the Middle East.
Full Saxophone Curriculum Proposal: Comprehensive Nine-Year Program (2020)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2020 proposal established the first full saxophone curriculum in the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music’s history. Building on European conservatory standards and American band methodology, it formalizes the pedagogical sequence from preparatory through diploma levels, integrating sight reading, ear training, ensemble participation, and interpretive analysis.
The framework also details faculty structure, student evaluation, and ensemble pathways, marking the institutional shift from informal instruction to structured national certification — an essential milestone in modernizing Lebanese music education.
Band Program Creation Plan: Institutional Framework for National Music Development (2019)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2019 strategic plan proposed the creation of a national band program within the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music. It outlines administrative structures, training modules, and ensemble formation models capable of serving both civic and educational purposes.
Designed to parallel successful European and American systems, the plan includes pathways for regional youth bands, teacher training initiatives, and joint performances with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.
Its implementation would transform the Conservatory’s reach — evolving it from an isolated academy into a public cultural institution capable of community engagement and national representation.
Band Program: Let’s Play Music — National Expansion and Educational Integration (2020)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2020 follow-up to the 2019 Band Program Plan refines the concept into a nationwide music education and community engagement initiative under the banner Let’s Play Music. It details curriculum alignment between the Conservatory and public schools, proposing regional training centers, shared instrument libraries, and partnerships with municipalities.
The program merges pedagogy, civic development, and cultural diplomacy — envisioning music education as a tool of national cohesion and economic renewal. It also introduces measurable goals for gender parity, inclusion, and accessibility, anticipating Lebanon’s alignment with UNESCO’s cultural sustainability objectives.
Wind Ensemble Program Framework: Institutional Model for Performance Training (2016)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2016 framework marks the beginning of Lebanon’s modern wind ensemble infrastructure. Developed to bring orchestral discipline and technical parity to wind studies, it outlines rehearsal systems, repertoire tiers, and performance cycles adaptable to the Conservatory’s regional branches.
The program introduces standardized section rehearsals, rotating leadership models, and ensemble-based assessment — innovations unprecedented in Lebanon’s public music institutions. It also defines the artistic and logistical principles that would later inform the Band, Saxophone, and Big Band initiatives, making it the foundation of all subsequent ensemble reforms.
Big Band Administrative Structure and Artistic Leadership Framework (2016)
By Professor Thomas W. Hornig — The Execution Gap Project
This 2016 document establishes the administrative and artistic blueprint for the Lebanese National Conservatory’s first Big Band — a professional-level ensemble designed to bridge classical orchestral structure with contemporary jazz methodology.
It defines personnel hierarchy, rehearsal management, artistic leadership rotation, and repertoire diversification, ensuring parity between Lebanese and international performance standards. The framework integrates educational objectives with national representation, positioning the Big Band as both a Conservatory ensemble and a cultural ambassador for Lebanon.
This plan remains a cornerstone of the Conservatory’s potential modernization — a scalable model for administrative transparency and creative autonomy in publicly funded arts institutions.
Jazz Performance Class Syllabus — LHNCM 2024–2025
Professor Thomas W. Hornig — Head of Jazz Department, LHNCM
This syllabus marks the realization of the institutional reforms proposed between 2016 and 2024. It formalizes the structure, objectives, and evaluation methods of the Jazz Performance and Improvisation program at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music.
The course integrates applied saxophone study, ensemble collaboration, transcription, composition, and digital literacy — forming the first complete modern jazz curriculum within Lebanon’s national conservatory system.
By uniting artistic mastery with technology and cross-genre collaboration, the program positions jazz education as both a pedagogical and civic model for artistic development in Lebanon and the wider region.