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Hello all,
So I'm on a mission and need help and advice. The University I attend has one of the strongest music education programs on the west coast. However, there is one thing they don't teach here. There is no tuba tech class for the kids. Students here learn pretty much every instrument but Tuba and Euphonium. After speaking with the faculty members here about it I have been told that the only reason they don't offer a Tuba tech class is because of a lack of horns. After speaking with faculty and staff if we got ten tubas and ten euphoniums we would be able to have a Tuba tech class. I want the band directors/music educators of tomorrow to be educated on the tuba/euphonium which brings me to my mission. I am trying to find ten tubas and ten euphoniums. So for the collective minds here what are some avenues of approach I can take to get this done? Buying new is out of the question but are there grants for things like this or something out there I am unaware of? Obviously the University isn't picky about condition (al long as it works) or how nice it is but this is a large undertaking that I could use some help on. Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
SPC Nickles

When I went through the ed program in my undergrad and when I was the band TA for one year in grad school (2 different schools) the colleges made arrangements through the local music store's instrument rental program to get the neccesary instruments for the various methods classes. I don't know any of the details as to the cost or whether they were donated for the semester's use but this might be a viable option, at least for the euphoniums.

10 of each sounds like too much inventory if that's the only use they will get.

Dude, you dont have to sign a post in a civilian forum like that. also, personally i would not do that til i hit like msg or something like that.

Get someone to ask Uncle Phil. He'd want them to be some hideous green and you would only be allowed to play the UO fight song though.

I can get you two from the HS in the area I work (Creswell), if you're still in Eugene. PM me.

Bob Kolada wrote:Dude, you dont have to sign a post in a civilian forum like that. also, personally i would not do that til i hit like msg or something like that.

Dude, Give him a break. He's still shiny, new, and beaming with pride.

I mean, if he wants to be a big dork, he's certainly welcome to...

What is the current situation? Are there methods for every instrument or does it break down into sections. At my college, they were broken down into brass and woodwinds in general.

I think that if you had methods for all instruments, you would be in college a LONG time.

It is important to understand low brass as an educator, but no tech or methods course will give you the experience of playing the instrument for years.

BRSousa wrote:What is the current situation? Are there methods for every instrument or does it break down into sections. At my college, they were broken down into brass and woodwinds in general.

I think that if you had methods for all instruments, you would be in college a LONG time.

Some of the classes are combined but in general there is a class for every instrument. The school's music ed program is very demanding on the students but the ones that make it through seem to all be getting employed and doing well. I understand that playing the horn for years and a tech class are not the same thing but I would rather (since these kids ARE getting jobs) that they have some knowledge rather than none.

bububassboner wrote: Some of the classes are combined but in general there is a class for every instrument. The school's music ed program is very demanding on the students but the ones that make it through seem to all be getting employed and doing well. I understand that playing the horn for years and a tech class are not the same thing but I would rather (since these kids ARE getting jobs) that they have some knowledge rather than none.

Personally, I've always thought it was a travesty that brass tech instructors taught the tuba as if it was just an over-sized trumpet. I even had a brass tech teacher that taught that the same embouchure should be used for all of the brasses, and that the tongue should be high in the oral cavity to produce the "proper" tuba sound. He was a horn player, so there was a generation of non-tuba playing teachers from my alma mater that taught kids to play tuba with a Farkas horn embouchure.

If there isn't a separate class for tuba tech, I hope that they at least have a tuba GA teach the segment of the course dealing with the tuba.

MileMarkerZero wrote:

bububassboner wrote: Some of the classes are combined but in general there is a class for every instrument. The school's music ed program is very demanding on the students but the ones that make it through seem to all be getting employed and doing well. I understand that playing the horn for years and a tech class are not the same thing but I would rather (since these kids ARE getting jobs) that they have some knowledge rather than none.

Personally, I've always thought it was a travesty that brass tech instructors taught the tuba as if it was just an over-sized trumpet. I even had a brass tech teacher that taught that the same embouchure should be used for all of the brasses, and that the tongue should be high in the oral cavity to produce the "proper" tuba sound. He was a horn player, so there was a generation of non-tuba playing teachers from my alma mater that taught kids to play tuba with a Farkas horn embouchure.

If there isn't a separate class for tuba tech, I hope that they at least have a tuba GA teach the segment of the course dealing with the tuba.

This school has all the tech classes taught by either the GTF (Graduate Teaching Fellow) of that instrument or the Faculty prof. The Tuba tech class will be run by the tuba GTF.

Hello! I seem to remember U of O alum Larry Gookin(Central Wa. U) remarking about the U buying CC tubas for Wind Ensemble 20 years ago! Isn't there a storage where all un-used axes are stored? or were they all surplused? The obvious solution is to use whatever your marching Band carries for brass pedagogy class! I can't imagine needing more than 20 Basses per quarter! And, while your at it, potential Band teachers need to be taught how to use any EEb Tubas gathering dust in closets for converting Trumpet and Baritone players, or even starting smaller Tubists! I was shocked to find I neede to write all the Eb fingerings in today's method books for my 7th. grade Daughter last year! I have a decent 3/4 BBb axe lined up for when my youngest needs it, but playing EEb didn't hurt my kid at all! In fact, it was easy for her to nail the open 1st. partial Eb, and she was so proud to be able to honk that pitch out!

Good luck,
Al

tubaforce wrote:Hello! I seem to remember U of O alum Larry Gookin(Central Wa. U) remarking about the U buying CC tubas for Wind Ensemble 20 years ago! Isn't there a storage where all un-used axes are stored? or were they all surplused? The obvious solution is to use whatever your marching Band carries for brass pedagogy class! I can't imagine needing more than 20 Basses per quarter! And, while your at it, potential Band teachers need to be taught how to use any EEb Tubas gathering dust in closets for converting Trumpet and Baritone players, or even starting smaller Tubists! I was shocked to find I neede to write all the Eb fingerings in today's method books for my 7th. grade Daughter last year! I have a decent 3/4 BBb axe lined up for when my youngest needs it, but playing EEb didn't hurt my kid at all! In fact, it was easy for her to nail the open 1st. partial Eb, and she was so proud to be able to honk that pitch out!

Good luck,
Al

If there were a bunch of horns donated then they must have vanished cause we only have a few strange CC tubas. We thought about using the marching brass but the Marching band does gigs all year so there still wouldn't be enough horns to go around.

I will be going in front of the Dean and the student senate to see if any money can be put to this but I'm still looking for an outside source. I really have no idea how grants are asked for or obtained so I'm wondering if that is an option.

Thank you all for the help and suggestions! It looks like we might already have three baritones donated to the program but I'm not stopping to we get all the horns we need. Again, thank you all for the help and keep it coming.