TubeNet

This article was in a recent Boston area newspaper, and blogged here. A snip:

School music programs could soon find themselves on the chopping block if legislation passes that would require both public and private schools to have their musical wind instruments professionally sterilized, some local music educators warned.

The controversial legislation, which proposes requiring medical-grade sterilization before instruments pass from one student to the next, would be a death sentence for many urban and rural music programs already struggling with budget cuts, according to some local music educators.

I played on a borrowed Sousaphone for a few days in that very town last year and never felt like I was in any great danger. Seems like a scam to me! (A lot of comments in agreement with me on the blog and in the article.)

bloke wrote:hint: Blow. Don't suck.

Apparently you just introduced Darwinism into tubism: Suckers won’t survive!

Telling from visual documentation a certain misinterpretation of Darwin apparently already has found its way into tubism: Survival of the fattest!

K

Who would enforce this?

bort wrote:Who would enforce this?

The bugs, that is: those that avoid the windshields.

K

this is crazy, medical grade sterilisation is a process that requires that the device (or instrument) is cleaned to an internationally accepted standard (if I remember correctly it is EN ISO 15883, which applies to the US as well as Europe) inside and out, and then tested for residual proteins to be sure that it is clean, and then wrapped and exposed to a sterilising agent under controlled conditions, such as steam at a temperature of 134 C and 2 atmosheres of pressure for 3 minutes, or to some noxious chemical such as peracetic acid, either way I don't think a tuba (never mind a clarinet or a bassoon) would survive such a process, not that there are many sterilising machines big enough to accomodate a tuba.
they would be better off suggesting that each student gets a new out of the box instrument, which is not sensible or a new mouthpiece which actually might be.

yeah...I think it should be sanitation, not sterilization. Sterilization means basically killing all bacteria and whatever on the horn, sanitation basically means it would be very clean. We have ways of sanitizing a horn, but not sterilizing a horn...

bort wrote:Who would enforce this?

Could add a one-way valve to the leadpipe. Sort of like the check-valve on bagpipes. There you go 'goodgigs'... time for another patent search!

What if they just sterilize the kids after each use?

Just use some of this (or similar) on the mouthpieces and get on with life.



If the horns start to smell, then yeah, get 'em cleaned. But otherwise, get real!

the elephant wrote:

peter birch wrote:… they would be better off suggesting that each student gets a new out of the box instrument…

Those are not medically sterile either…

medically sterile really doesn't mean a lot, a medical device ceases to be sterile once you open the wraps. Give me a clean instrument any time.

Just hand out lots of these before band period...

a glance on the forum read (in my mind, anyways)

"enforced sterilzation of tubists"


...and that was a bill I'd support. We don't need you people reproducing!

windshieldbug wrote:Just hand out lots of these before band period...

Ah, the new required band uniform .

next thing you know, the new uniform will be a modified HAZMAT suit...

If they sterilize all the tubas, where will the new euphoniums come from?

bearphonium wrote:If they sterilize all the tubas, where will the new euphoniums come from?

Is that what's know as a "euphamism" ?

G H Boyd wrote:This would be an impossible standard to keep or enforce.
You can't keep the students from putting their mouths on each others
mouthpieces.

Nuff Said.
GHB

Or each other!

djwesp wrote:a glance on the forum read (in my mind, anyways)

"enforced sterilzation of tubists"


...and that was a bill I'd support. We don't need you people reproducing!

that would be by "TUBA"l ligation....

peter birch wrote: that would be by "TUBA"l ligation....

Which would probably lead to TUBAL litigation.

G H Boyd wrote:This would be an impossible standard to keep or enforce.
You can't keep the students from putting their mouths on each other

That, too.