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1) Community band that is letting me borrow a King 1241 to play.
2) Wife that likes drinking beer as much as I do.
3) Opportunity to have attended an amazing college, despite $70k in student loan debt.
4) Finally have a job that will allow me to start buying and tweaking tubas as well as pay rent etc.

1) My King Symphony Bass BBb tuba. I absolutely hated this horn when I first saw it in 1976 and now if I had to give up either a MW 2145 CC or Yamaha 321 BBb or the King,
the first two would be gone in less than a heartbeat.
2) The very good community band that I have played in for a long time. The music is always challenging and requires a tremendous amount of work and yet the feeling of
satisfaction after a very good concert is terrific.
3. Our director who is kind and patient and in his own words said " My problem is that I insist on treating you people like adults"
4. My parents. They bought the King tuba in 1976 for the sum of $250.00. This horn has provided me with so much joy that it has repaid itself one thousand fold.
5. My dad. He died this past fall and often came in to hear me practice. He loved Handel's Royal Fireworks so that is what I played every day for about 4 months. He said
it was the only thing that made him feel better in trying to deal with his advanced Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
6. Music in general

...for not being the TubeNet moderator!

Here's to Schlepy who has to deal with all the grumpy old ladies of TubeNet

I need to move to germany!

Thankful for my family, my wife for putting up with my musical obsessions, my career for funding my obsessions, and my own persistence to not waver or back down from the interesting journey.

Don't ask me which horn I'd give up last... love them all for their different strengths

I am thankful for opportunities to give the gift of music back to the world in so very many ensembles and the graciousness of my family for allowing the time away.

I'm thankful that I don't live in North Korea. It reminds me that even though the US can be a messed up place sometimes, its still the best messed up place around.

I am thankful for my new house...
Mark

I'm thankful that I finally pulled my head out of my *** & started playing again after 23 years!
I've been playing for 3 months now & just played in my first concert today since re-joining my local community concert band.
It was such a blast & the guys I play with are awesome

TubaMusikMann wrote:I'm thankful that I finally pulled my head out of my *** & started playing again after 23 years!
I've been playing for 3 months now & just played in my first concert today since re-joining my local community concert band.
It was such a blast & the guys I play with are awesome

VCCB Concert 4_14_2013 program.jpg

VCCB Concert 4_14_2013 members.jpg

What a great concert program!! Good for you in getting back into playing!

I thankful for being able to have such joy in playing and listening to music

My thanks there goes especially to my (late) father and first conductor and my mother

And if God could give us Mozart back, that'd be great too
There's a lot of guys we could trade in

I am thankful that I started playing again after 20 years, and am finding much joy in playing in several groups.

I am thankful for a good public school education that gave me a solid foundation in music, and for a four year college that let me play in the band, letter in two sports and come away with a major that was neither education nor music.

I am thankful for my partner of 30 (well, 29 years and 5 months) years whose support has gotten me through a career in law enforcement, breast cancer, the death of both parents, major abdominal surgery and doesn't say (much) about the 3 tubas, 1 euphonium and 4 motorcycles cluttering our space.

I am thankful to have had a rich, almost 28 year career as a deputy sheriff with 26 years of that as a street cop doing some of the toughest, rewarding work I can imagine.

I am thankful for a good pension plan that I will begin to enjoy on August 1st this year.

My family and friends who have been so good to me over the years.

The wonderful students I get to teach at Wilson Avenue School (Newark NJ).

Switching to tuba and making the Michigan Marching Band (including the pe-game block) as an older grad student (what a rush marching in front of 100,000+ people).

Spending time with my mom who has been in a dementia unit for 6 months.

Adam

Memories of fine people who were very good to me and now are gone.

That I have a job I like and have been in it long enough that, when I am finished here in 5-10 years, I will have enough money to not work if I don't wanna. (I would like to be one of the old guys who shows people to their seats in the concert hall. Free concerts! Free opera! Getting paid enough money to park the car and buy a sandwich afterwards.)

Depression era parents who taught me the value of waiting and paying cash.

Thanks for all of those responses. Nice to hear positive energy.