The MELLOPHONE BOOT CAMP is the only self-paced digital course created for beginner mellophone students that guides them to SUCCEED and gain CONFIDENCE in their first marching band season. Students can learn at their own pace and receive individualized attention with 1-on-1 lessons this summer!


New mellophone students are overwhelmed.

Students have been working so hard on their primary instruments, and finally after a couple of years of hard work and dedication, they are beginning to show amazing progress and confidence. But now it’s their first year of marching band and they have to learn a brand new instrument…


Different instrument, different fingerings, different mouthpiece, different feel…

I have been teaching mellophone students since 2006 and have seen so many students struggle to learn the instrument. More often than not, students are given a mellophone with only a few weeks before band camp.

Students are expected to play at a high level and also learn how to march and memorize music. It can be an incredibly confusing and overwhelming experience.


This is why I created The Mellophone Boot Camp.

What is the Mellophone Boot Camp?

  • The Boot Camp is a comprehensive video course with 80+ ON DEMAND video lessons where beginning mellophone students learn and progress at their own pace.

  • The video course is at the core of The Boot Camp and included in every package. Students can level up their experience by upgrading to 1-ON-1 LESSONS to receive professional, individualized instruction as they work through The Mellophone Boot Camp digital course. Band directors and educators have a dedicated package centered around furthering their understanding of the instrument and providing introductory support and exercises for their students.



The full Mellophone Boot Camp Digital Course includes 80+ ON DEMAND video lessons with progressive skill building exercises.

Throughout the course, students will develop:

  • A full, rich, and supported tone

  • An expanded range covering at least two octaves

  • Proficiency in a variety of technical exercises covering four major scales

  • Fun melodies for each scale module to apply what they’ve learned to REAL MUSIC!

  • Valuable practicing strategies that will take them far beyond the marching season

Each module develops new skills, building upon previous lessons. Students will learn important mellophone fundamentals, as well as music and scale literacy skills they can take into the concert band season.

Students will learn how to structure their practicing with guided practice logs. These will help them learn to organize their playing goals, identify their strengths, and how to improve their weaknesses.




“YES!! This is exactly what I’m looking for! But can I also sign up for individualized 1-on-1 sessions?”

Yes! There are three package options: the Course, the Course + Lessons, or the Educator (designed for band directors) packages:



Student and parent praise for the Mellophone Boot Camp:

I’d like to start with how impressed I am at how Ms. Toth put this all together on her own. I was a freshman starting my first year in marching band as a clarinet player. Soon after I started band camp my director told me that there were a few too many clarinets and asked if I’d be interested in switching to mellophone. I had zero experience with brass or anything of that sort so I knew if I agreed to this I would need some sort of lessons. My director, Mr Fischer, recommended Ms. Toth and her Mellophone Boot Camp to me and it was the biggest help. I knew absolutely nothing about the instrument and these videos gave everything from the basics of cleaning the instrument to learning scales. I am still going strong with the mellophone and can’t wait to get even better this year. Thanks so much to you Ms. Toth!
— Lilian, Mellophone Boot Camp Student
I am so grateful for The Mellophone Boot Camp. My daughter was asked by her high school band director to switch from clarinet to mellophone for marching band and Ms. Toth was recommended to us. Her Mellophone Boot Camp provided options making it easy for my daughter to learn at her own pace while keeping up with the rigorous band camp schedule. The curriculum included organized and easy to use resources that allowed my daughter to track her progress and also refer back to. Ms. Toth was available for questions and provided support. When my daughter was ready for lessons, Ms. Toth was knowledgeable, encouraging and accommodating. My daughter’s band director was very impressed with her progress. I highly recommend The Mellophone Boot Camp to anyone new to mellophone or interested in improving.
— Tonia, parent of Mellophone Boot Camp student
I am very pleased with the progress she has made during the camp, and would highly recommend it for any student new to the mellophone. Emily is a great teacher and really cares about the progress of her students! You can tell she loves what she does, and very much enjoys working with the students.
— Monica, parent of Mellophone Boot Camp student
A great inspiring way of teaching that helps the students transition from the french horn to the mellophone go more smoothly. They learn to play the instrument in a relaxing non-threatening way and helps build their confidence in playing.
— Rebecca, parent of mellophone Boot Camp student
I cannot say how much this positively impacted our daughter’s playing when she first entered marching band 2 years ago! Emily is a phenomenal teacher! Claire now studies French Horn with her and she has made such a difference in Claire’s playing.
— Linda, parent of mellophone Boot Camp student

Let’s meet!

I’m scheduling FREE 30-minute Meet & Greet sessions for folks to learn more about The Mellophone Boot Camp. Meet me (I’m a real person!) and I’ll share more about how The Bootcamp can better support beginning mellophone students. I’ll also give you a FREE Intro to Mellophone Packet.

Once registered, I will email you within two business days to set up your free 30-minute Meet & Greet session with me!


Just want to shoot me an email to learn more?



Meet your Mello Boot Camp instructor!

 

I began teaching mellophone in 2006 and have seen so many beginner students struggle with learning the instrument. I wanted to create resources to better support my students and their band programs. In 2020, I created the Virtual Mellophone Boot Camp to help guide my students and connect them with other mellophone players from surrounding schools. I wanted to expand this support to students outside of my area, and help set students up for success, no matter where they are. This is what motivated me to create The Mellophone Boot Camp Digital Course. 

I teach private and group french horn, mellophone and brass students both in person and virtually. I earned my Masters degree in french horn performance in 2013 from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. 

I am also a guest lecturer at the collegiate level, sharing what I have learned about the anatomy of brass playing - specifically the muscles of our breathing and the brass embouchure. In these lectures, I share how we can use this anatomical knowledge to better problem solve common embouchure and playing issues in both students and professionals. 

I also enjoy an incredibly fulfilling and varied performance life. I am a founding member of the Wayside Winds, a professional woodwind quintet in the greater Cincinnati area. I have also performed in many musical theater pits across the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky regions. I have also performed with the Queen City Opera, Dayton Philharmonic, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Springfield (OH) Symphony Orchestras.

 

Interested in staying in touch? Sign up for updates on The Mellophone Boot Camp, as well as studio news and embouchure injury resources: