Tuba Debt

[tubacdk]

I'm going into third year of my B.Mus in performance next year and am in need of an F tuba. I currently owe about $9000 USD for my CC tuba and an F tuba will likely run me something like $6000-$8000 USD or more. When you went through school, or are going through school, what did you do to deal with this larger extra debt load. That's a lot of money to pay off after graduation especially with the limited number of jobs available and a salary on the small side. Does everyone just accept this as something they have to do in order to do what they love? It's easy enough to just take this loaned money and put it on a tuba when it's not really my money. When I think of all that money and what else it could buy it seems like so much more, and that makes it more scary. Thing is I do need an F tuba. Just looking for any thoughts on this kind of thing. Thanks for reading.

Richard

ya, i'm currently paying back my school loans, the majority of which were taken to buy tubas. I was fortunate enough to consolidate my federal loans last year when interest rates were very low, so my payments are very manageable at this point. I'd try to do the same when you graduate. just be wise with your money and don't spend more than you have to. if I was shopping for an F tuba right, now, I'd very seriously think about the Rudy F that's on eBay right now. starting bid is half of what you're talking about spending on an F. I've played one of those horns and they really sound fantastic.

Anyway, debt like that seems par for the course when you're pursuing music. One thing to keep in mind is that tubas depreciate very slowly compared to other major investments, so if the debt seems too great in the future it's likely that you could sell the horns and lose very little in the process, so long as you invested wisely in the horns you bought (i.e. buy used and take care of your horns).

One approach to the debt situation is to stay in school until you land a job, that way you defer your loans until you are making real money. You could end up accruing a lot of debt that way, but it's a thought.

-ck

[jon112780]

Nat'l Guard and Reserve have some great ways to pay for school while currently in, and great loan repayment plans. Check ALL branches and talk to players in those bands first, the recruiter second. And GET IT IN WRITING!!! (multiple copies).

Hope this helps!

[cjk]

Don't buy horns you can't afford. Hopefully you're minoring in something that can make you a living else it will be tough to pay back what you owe now working in the food services industry.

You should be looking for a used F tuba. Less than $4k will find you a very nice one. But don't borrow the money. Get a part time job and save up for it. If your CC tuba is really worth what you've paid for it, you might consider selling it and buying both a used CC and used F.

I think that you probably want an F tuba a lot more than you need one!

Alternatively, E-flat tubas also come up used and are often cheaper than F tubas. The nice little Yamaha 321 eefer often sells for less than $2k.


Christian

[Mudman]

Check out this CNN article on student-loan consolidation:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/06/07 ... index.html

If you have loans at a higher rate, you will want to consolidate, now! In a year or two you may be forced to pay a fluctuating rate, one that can only go up from here.

[RyanSchultz]

I spent my first four years out of college in the Army (3.5 years at Fort Lewis, WA). They paid my loans off except for taxes on the payments and a little bit of Perkins loan interest. I believe they are currently paying back $65,000+ (but you cannot be in default!)

Between my VA benefits and my TA I made a lot of money (for a young tubist) earning my masters after I was discharged. I skipped the first day of school to win my current position.

Now I'm using a VA loan to buy my first house.

For what that was worth. . .

[Stefan Kac]

Getting an F (or Eb) is a short term improvement (or at least it was for me). To a great extent, I am still challenged by the same things now on F that I was challenged by three years ago on BBb when I first bought the F. What really opened my eyes was going to the Brass Band of Battle Creek Tuba-Euph camp last year. Two of the finest players there were playing just CC. I never found out if there was a reason, but they sounded so much better than me on their big horns that it made me reconsider whether I should have gotten an F that early (then again, nowadays it seems that sophomore year of college is considered late by some). I'm tempted to advise you to look at the long-term rather than the short term, but in the end, you'll have to make up your mind yourself, and you've gotten good advice in this thread already.

P.S. Some bass tubas may be versatile enough to be your only horn. Whole other can of worms...µ