Looking for advice

[MaryAnn]

I agree with everyone who mentioned (in so many words) removing the frustration (the tuba) and working solely on the visualizer and mouthpiece for a while. You can't really "fail" (crack notes, bad tone, etc.) on those, so you can retain the positive reinforcement. It's gonna have to be baby steps...and he'll need positive feedback for each little step...just don't accept a backwards step! Of course he'll revert to the bad habits once he's in the trenches (band rehearsal), but maybe he'll try to incorporate the new habits often...and that's all we can really ask for. I know I'd always try to incorporate new concepts my teachers taught me in every rehearsal...and I would often revert to my bad habits...but if we keep charging forward, eventually they lie dormant.

I have no input on how to teach him, but having made major changes in technique on various instruments in the past (I'm not a "natural" on anything) ... the concept I use that seems to help is very similar to the above. I tell myself I'm not re-learning how to play tuba, I'm learning an entirely new instrument. That keeps me out of the frustration that I "can't do it right" and puts me in the mindset of learning something new.

That way I don't feel pressured to use unfamiliar technique in situations where I'm playing stuff that is more difficult than my new technique can handle; as I progress I am able to use my new technique on harder and harder scenarios, and eventually I make the "total switch."

He sounds like a neat kid, BTW, to come in for a lesson at that age and want to change something. Not that many people want to correct bad habits.

And back when I was making my living giving lessons, the above philosophy seemed to work pretty well with students who needed major changes, too.

MA

[Joe Baker]

I'm not a tuba teacher... heck, it's debatable if I'm even a tuba player... and I feel totally out of my league saying ANYTHING in this thread.

BUT... one thing that hasn't been said plainly that seems obvious to me is that this kid needs his own clear Kelly mouthpiece and a mirror (or, more likely, a COUPLE of mirrors, so he can see it from the side).

One of my kids had a speech impediment caused by placing the tongue in the wrong place on certain sounds. Describing the problem and the solution was of no use. The kid needed to SEE it done right, then DO it while watching in the mirror. Short periods of practice , several times per day, eventually did the trick. My child was young, only about 7, so five minutes at a time was about the most we could get; for a 14/15-year-old, maybe 4-6 sessions per day, 10-15 minutes at a time would be appropriate.

Maybe this is wrong, but if it were me I'm not sure I'd even TOUCH the horn itself (or at least not without my clear MP and mirrors) for a month or more. I'd make sure that's the ONLY way I EVER buzzed for a month, so it would be THE 'natural' way for me to buzz. Then I'd continue to do the mirror work for some time, to make sure I wasn't slipping back into old habits.
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Joe Baker, who knows you will test this against your experience to decide if any of it makes sense before using any of it.

[ThomasP]

It seems obvious to me that this guy taught himself to play with that embouchure (at least I hope he taught himself). I think he would adapt to most situations. Instead of attacking the problem of the tongue sticking out, give him something he can work on and maybe he'll slowly adapt his embouchure until he is able to do what is asked of him (I kind of had double tonguing in mind). Just some way for him to fix the problem without him really knowing he's fixing the problem. It may not work for something so severe, but it's yet another idea.

[Mudman]

Maybe this is wrong, but if it were me I'm not sure I'd even TOUCH the horn itself (or at least not without my clear MP and mirrors) for a month or more. I'd make sure that's the ONLY way I EVER buzzed for a month, so it would be THE 'natural' way for me to buzz. Then I'd continue to do the mirror work for some time, to make sure I wasn't slipping back into old habits.

Embouchure changes can be the most frustrating thing to try to do on a horn. Many college teachers avoid having their students make severe embouchure changes, because students often get frustrated and quit playing.

I know a few teachers who say that in a perfect world, beginners would only be allowed to play the mouthpiece for a month or two before hitting the horn.

In the deranged world that I inhabit, there isn't enough reward unless you are making music on the horn. Months away from the instrument might lead to a textbook embouchure, but could just as easily lead to quitting, or ending up with one's playing tied up in knots. When I have done embouchure changes on my own chops, I attached a mirror in a lyre and used to check that during rehearsals. (This was to overcome a self-taught smiling approach to playing.) It worked but brought many strange looks from section mates.