Hey! I'm a freshman at FSU. That's cool that you're considering this school, it's got a really solid music program. The tuba instructor is Paul Ebbers, and as far as the audition requirements go, 2 contrasting etudes or solos would do the trick. I'd recommend a Bordogni etude and, if you have it, Marcello's sonata #1 in F, that's Mr. Ebber's favorite piece. If you want, i could show you around the school of music while you're up in Tallahassee, and if you have any more questions, just send me an email at <jca04e@fsu.edu>. Good luck!
-Caleb
florida state university
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Christopher Lair
- bugler
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 5:35 pm
Hello! I'm a GTA at Florida State, and I can say with absolute confidence that the music program here is outstanding. If you like, send me a PM and we can talk in person both about FSU and your audition. When you get here, I'd be happy to talk with you about the program and show you around. The tuba studio at FSU is made up of a great bunch of people.
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Christopher Lair
- bugler
- Posts: 66
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 5:35 pm
Hello! I'm a GTA at Florida State, and I can say with absolute confidence that the music program here is outstanding. If you like, send me a PM and we can talk in person both about FSU and your audition. When you get here, I'd be happy to talk with you about the program and show you around. The tuba studio at FSU is made up of a great bunch of people.
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tubarepair
- bugler
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2004 10:45 pm
- Location: Flagler Beach, Florida
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ahowle
- bugler
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2004 9:41 pm
- Location: Houston TX
Hi,
I too am a freshman here at FSU. I feel that I can't really contribute to this thread, as Caleb, Joaquin, Paul, and Chris have all posted saying basically what I'll say - the music program here is great. You can PM me and ask me some questions about it and I'd be happy to help you out. Also just as they, I'd be more than willing to show you around the college of music and what-not if you should come audition. I really like Ebbers as well.
As for your audition, just play two or three etudes or solos of contrasting styles that are examples of pieces on which you can sound good. I think I played the cadenza of the 1st movement of the Barnes Concerto and (stuff from) some random Marcello suite (maybe no. 3? They're all good, but Caleb is right about no. 1 - Ebbers loves that one!).
Good luck in your search for schools!
I too am a freshman here at FSU. I feel that I can't really contribute to this thread, as Caleb, Joaquin, Paul, and Chris have all posted saying basically what I'll say - the music program here is great. You can PM me and ask me some questions about it and I'd be happy to help you out. Also just as they, I'd be more than willing to show you around the college of music and what-not if you should come audition. I really like Ebbers as well.
As for your audition, just play two or three etudes or solos of contrasting styles that are examples of pieces on which you can sound good. I think I played the cadenza of the 1st movement of the Barnes Concerto and (stuff from) some random Marcello suite (maybe no. 3? They're all good, but Caleb is right about no. 1 - Ebbers loves that one!).
Good luck in your search for schools!
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Matt G
- 5 valves
- Posts: 1196
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:24 am
- Location: Quahog, RI
There was a time that I would have recommended another school...
UCF (41,102 students as of Fall 2004)
$99.40 per undergraduate credit hour.
I don't think I can anymore. I went there. Chris Olka went there. Mike Roylance played in some ensembles there. Paul Weikle went there and so did Gail Robertson. However, when the music scene was good in Orlando for tuba players, there was a lot of secondary experiences to be had either from lessons or from playing work. This was the main factor for going to UCF: The possibility of working as a musician while going to school. Getting to play in seasonal Disney groups and listen to full-time professional players and take lessons from and sit next to great players in rehearsals and concerts were par for the course if you were a capable player. In this sense, UCF was unmatched by numerous schools for real-time experience. A student quintet I was in could have earned significant revenue if we were to have kept working and had continued to network. Unfortunately, Disney has cut back on their need for musicians and therefore tuba players. A town that at one time supported dozens of full-time tuba/bass doublers now supports only a handfull. The experience just is no longer there in that regard.
Other schools to keep in mind (possibly)
UF (48,765 students as of Fall 2004)
$98.50 per undergraduate credit hour.
An old student of mine is attending UF. He is having a good go of it and they have an excellent teacher there now, Mr. James Jenkins. I would say that UF may give a good player better exposure to ensemble work due to the studio size. But FSU has a lot of ensembles to play in to meet the needs of the tuba studio. UF is trying to step it up. I think that their program is in a definite growth phase, always a good time to be involved.
FSU (38,886 students as of Fall 2004)
$101.25 per undergraduate credit hour.
Everyone has already mentioned how good FSU is. What they really haven't mentioned are the facilities. They have something like 250 practice rooms and two full size halls and a recital hall. It is like Julliard near the Redneck Riviera. Be prepared for serious competition. The Tallahasse Symphony is a per service orchestra. They have some good programs on the schedule, but they aren't playing every weekend.
UWF (9,508 students as of Fall 2004)
$101.31 per undergraduate credit hour.
Did anyone know there is a University of West Florida? Probably not. They actually have a Music Performance degree, but the website does not even specifically mention if they have a tuba teacher.
UNF (14,120 students as of Fall 2004)
$103.37 per undergraduate credit hour.
Good jazz program. If you double well (tuba and bass) this might be very promising. You could still take lessons from James Jenkins on the side since you'll be in his hometown. The Jax Symphony Orchestra is a good orchestra to go hear and they do some very high quality programs. For example, they still have the Organ Symphony, Verdi Requiem, and Mahler 1 left on the season schedule.
USF (42,590 students as of Fall 2004)
$103.09 per undergraduate credit hour.
There are some really fine teachers at USF. Jay Hunsberger is a great player and teacher. I had some friends over at USF remark about his abilities. There are a lot of playing opportunities in Tampa if you know where to find them. Networking is key. The Florida Orchestra is good and they are playing Bruckner & and Mahler 4 this season.
_____________________________________________________________
These are the big, public schools in the state. I have known/do know personally a tuba player from each school. The reasone I mention them all is that you can easily visit each one and see which one is the best fit for you. Forget about the football teams. Make sure you get a chance to meet and, if possible, a brief lesson with the tuba professor at the school. Just you and him/her, one on one. This way you'll get the best vibe from them, without all of the other nonsense going on.
If I were in your shoes, I would pick either UF or USF. Being a Tampa area native and playing gigs in high school, USF would have been easy, mainly because I could have kept some decent gigs I had and possibly added a few more. UF looks to be moving in the right direction. FSU is simply too big of a School of Music (for me) and Tallahassee doesn't seem to offer big-city culture, but neither does Gainsville for that matter. UNF would have been an option if I had some upright and electric bass chops or had decided to pick bass trombone as my main instrument (very close). Their Jazz program is still top notch in many ways and the city around the school affords excellent secondary experiences. UCF offered a lot of opportunity once, hopefully the area changes to allow UCF to have those unique abilities again.
I put in the per credit hour just as another dimension of comparison. Most of the tuition rates vary in a small amount by roughy only $5 per hour.
UCF (41,102 students as of Fall 2004)
$99.40 per undergraduate credit hour.
I don't think I can anymore. I went there. Chris Olka went there. Mike Roylance played in some ensembles there. Paul Weikle went there and so did Gail Robertson. However, when the music scene was good in Orlando for tuba players, there was a lot of secondary experiences to be had either from lessons or from playing work. This was the main factor for going to UCF: The possibility of working as a musician while going to school. Getting to play in seasonal Disney groups and listen to full-time professional players and take lessons from and sit next to great players in rehearsals and concerts were par for the course if you were a capable player. In this sense, UCF was unmatched by numerous schools for real-time experience. A student quintet I was in could have earned significant revenue if we were to have kept working and had continued to network. Unfortunately, Disney has cut back on their need for musicians and therefore tuba players. A town that at one time supported dozens of full-time tuba/bass doublers now supports only a handfull. The experience just is no longer there in that regard.
Other schools to keep in mind (possibly)
UF (48,765 students as of Fall 2004)
$98.50 per undergraduate credit hour.
An old student of mine is attending UF. He is having a good go of it and they have an excellent teacher there now, Mr. James Jenkins. I would say that UF may give a good player better exposure to ensemble work due to the studio size. But FSU has a lot of ensembles to play in to meet the needs of the tuba studio. UF is trying to step it up. I think that their program is in a definite growth phase, always a good time to be involved.
FSU (38,886 students as of Fall 2004)
$101.25 per undergraduate credit hour.
Everyone has already mentioned how good FSU is. What they really haven't mentioned are the facilities. They have something like 250 practice rooms and two full size halls and a recital hall. It is like Julliard near the Redneck Riviera. Be prepared for serious competition. The Tallahasse Symphony is a per service orchestra. They have some good programs on the schedule, but they aren't playing every weekend.
UWF (9,508 students as of Fall 2004)
$101.31 per undergraduate credit hour.
Did anyone know there is a University of West Florida? Probably not. They actually have a Music Performance degree, but the website does not even specifically mention if they have a tuba teacher.
UNF (14,120 students as of Fall 2004)
$103.37 per undergraduate credit hour.
Good jazz program. If you double well (tuba and bass) this might be very promising. You could still take lessons from James Jenkins on the side since you'll be in his hometown. The Jax Symphony Orchestra is a good orchestra to go hear and they do some very high quality programs. For example, they still have the Organ Symphony, Verdi Requiem, and Mahler 1 left on the season schedule.
USF (42,590 students as of Fall 2004)
$103.09 per undergraduate credit hour.
There are some really fine teachers at USF. Jay Hunsberger is a great player and teacher. I had some friends over at USF remark about his abilities. There are a lot of playing opportunities in Tampa if you know where to find them. Networking is key. The Florida Orchestra is good and they are playing Bruckner & and Mahler 4 this season.
_____________________________________________________________
These are the big, public schools in the state. I have known/do know personally a tuba player from each school. The reasone I mention them all is that you can easily visit each one and see which one is the best fit for you. Forget about the football teams. Make sure you get a chance to meet and, if possible, a brief lesson with the tuba professor at the school. Just you and him/her, one on one. This way you'll get the best vibe from them, without all of the other nonsense going on.
If I were in your shoes, I would pick either UF or USF. Being a Tampa area native and playing gigs in high school, USF would have been easy, mainly because I could have kept some decent gigs I had and possibly added a few more. UF looks to be moving in the right direction. FSU is simply too big of a School of Music (for me) and Tallahassee doesn't seem to offer big-city culture, but neither does Gainsville for that matter. UNF would have been an option if I had some upright and electric bass chops or had decided to pick bass trombone as my main instrument (very close). Their Jazz program is still top notch in many ways and the city around the school affords excellent secondary experiences. UCF offered a lot of opportunity once, hopefully the area changes to allow UCF to have those unique abilities again.
I put in the per credit hour just as another dimension of comparison. Most of the tuition rates vary in a small amount by roughy only $5 per hour.
Dillon/Walters CC
Meinl Weston 2165
Meinl Weston 2165