TubeNet

Hello everyone,

I am a senior music education major at a college in Alabama and our tuba/euphonium studio is not as strong as some of our other studios on campus. We have many quality players, but we do not have a full time instructor. We are trying to break the stigma that we are a bunch of lazy tuba players. (I currently have a petition for the advancement of our student and am collecting letters from the studio). I have been to tuba/euphonium clinics at other schools and these events spoke volumes of the quality of their studios, and I would love to host an all-day clinic for high school students of the surrounding areas. I spoke with the band director and he thought it was a great idea (he played euphonium at Tennessee Tech so he knows all about being a part of a great tuba/euphonium studio), his advice to me was to get a core group of people who are going to be willing to see this thing through to the end and to seek the advice of people who have experience running an event such as the one I am envisioning. We have enough quality players to put together ensembles, solo recitals, and a large full-studio piece. I am looking to do the event in early May due to the fact that International Tuba day falls on the first Friday in May.

So, now that you have most of the full story, what I am asking is this:
-What advice do you have for me in this situation?
-What are some recommendations you have for the event?
-What are some pieces that you would recommend for tuba ensembles of various sizes?
-Do you know anyone in the Alabama area that would be willing to work with me and either be a guest clinician or a guest soloist?

I know that I am asking a lot, but I feel that it is important to seek the advice of those who have plenty of experience before I go off on such an adventure.

Thank you in advance.

From a frequent attendee's perspective (so I won't cover everything...):

Be sure that the contact person for the event checks email frequently (at least a few times / day) and responds to inquiries in a timely manner.

Advertise your event. I attended two in October where the musicians outnumbered the audience. One was at a school where I know that previous events had dozens of attendees (I was there). Post flyers. Post on TubeNet. Post on Dave Werden's site. Send email announcements to every college and high school music program within driving distance. Post everywhere else you can think of.

For many of us, playing in the massed tuba-euphonium ensemble is a highlight of these events. A short warm-up is fine, but the majority of this time (at least an hour) should be spent playing music. It's fun to play with other musicians and for other conductors/audiences. If some part of the program needs to be shortened, don't touch this one. Trust me, it's very disappointing to drag a horn to such an event to play for only a few minutes or to spend the entire time working through an instructor's breathing exercises (a few minutes is fine; beyond that...).

Do not schedule breaks of longer than a few minutes, except for lunch hour. It isn't fun for visitors to your campus to have to kill time, especially if they have gear to monitor. If an event is canceled, explain this to your audience. Don't just walk away from the performance space without an explanation. This happened at a recent Octubafest I attended. Not cool.

Do not schedule a multi-day event. Unless this is a convention-type event (like the Army Tuba Euphonium Conference), one day is plenty. Make it action-packed.

Try to work in performances that includes improvised music. Keep it interesting. Book a guest jazz tubist/euphoniumist.

Please don't play Power by John Stevens. Old and tired. I think I've heard that at every such event I've attended in recent years.

Demondrae Thurman teaches at University of Alabama and is a fantastic clinic instructor. Book him if you can. Now.

You might also check into booking a military band's tuba-euphonium ensemble. It doesn't have to be a premiere ensemble. A good one is fine.

That's all I can think of...

Good luck!

Demondrae is now at Samford University, not UA.

Dont play Power by John Stevens

Gotta disagree on this one, love me some Power! It's fun for the audience and accessible for an inexperienced ensemble.

re: DT
thanks

re: power
that's cool

mceuph wrote:Demondrae is now at Samford University, not UA.

Dont play Power by John Stevens

Gotta disagree on this one, love me some Power! It's fun for the audience and accessible for an inexperienced ensemble.

Here's a fun new arrangement for a Tuba Quartet (3 Euphoniums 1 Tuba BBb)
http://youtu.be/qlljqeSnREk" target="_blank" target="_blank
"Too Many Tubas"
it's an easy piece for intermediate level players.

Some ensemble piece suggestions, most of these were written for the guys at Tennessee Tech: <http://benjaminmcmillan.weebly.com/compositions.html> In particular Tubas of the Apocalypse, Cycles of the Avatar, Wyvernfell, and Dreamscapes might be something that would fit your need.

For a guest clinician/soloist, Adam Frey might be worth contacting.