Adult Private Lessons

[Three Valves]

Oh, for auditions. I thought you were asking about "adult" tuba lessons, as if Masters and Johnson had been teaching tuba...

Go to the Gold Dragon House of Tuba and ask for the Happy Ending!!

[sousaphone68]

I went back to having professional instruction after a 25 year hiatus from lessons (playing every week)last year, work schedules and teachers availability started to be a problem both for having a lesson and arriving prepared.
Last lesson was May 2015 and I am still using the warm ups he recommended and I still feel the benefits of those lessons.
I would not hesitate to recommend adults returning to professional lessons as often as they can.

[PaulMaybery]

When you are this old, one usually does not think in terms of "Lessons" perse. But very often when I am playing with someone that I happen find a rather remarkable player, I tend to pick up things. Often times something that they said sticks in my craw. I wind up trying it and in more cases than not, I add another trick to my bag. Often times it is something I already knew, but now offered in a new light. This happened a few weeks back with my symphony bass trombone buddy. Something he said about shaping the tongue in the extreme high register hit a chord - the light when on - poof - epiphany - voila. The important thing is to keep your mind open to others. But also a lot depends on whether the other guy knows what he is doing. our own personal wisdom here will hopefully moderate your take on things. Then that same weekend, a very young (to be taken seriously) professional player was over for dinner and we were playing each other's horns. Sometimes just watching someone do something you always thought was difficult can be the best teaching/learning experience. Picking up your horn an simply mimicking them proves that you can do much more than you think.
So adult lessons? Yes. rather recent, but informal and rather random and/or spontaneous.
And in these cases, one small perk, they are free. Althought 50 years of hard knocks may be considered ample tuition paid.

[jtuba]

A poll:

For those not in 'school', or those not pursuing auditions/etc, when was your last tuba lesson?

February 12th, the next one is June 6th.

[hup_d_dup]

At 60 I resumed playing the trumpet (after 40 years) and almost immediately started with a teacher. Was two years with him when dental problems pushed me to the tuba, which was a new instrument for me. I switched teachers and have been with the new one for 4 years.

Both teachers are the best symphonic players I could find and afford (both sub for the NY Phil). Their teaching methods are VERY similar. The differences between trumpet and tuba are almost incidental when comparing their pedagogical methods.

The lessons I'm taking now are nothing like what I remember from high school.

Hup

[The Big Ben]

I'd like to take lessons. I took a few when I first started the tuba after years of the trumpet but didn't get a lot from them. I would like to have someone to play duets with and pick up things that way. Playing and practicing alone really isn't much fun.

[Radar]

A few years back after many decades of playing Euphonium, our Fire Department Band was missing Sousaphones for several parades. Since we had two Euphoniums I decided I should take one of the sousaphones home and work on it so we wouldn't be in that position again. Since then I've got the Tuba bug and I've been taking Tuba lessons from a very competent former President's Own Euphonium Soloist, and former Eastman Community School of Music Teacher. Taking lessons on the Tuba (and we occasionally work on my Euphonium playing as well) has really helped me with Tonal Concept, and to develop a good Tone on the Tuba. For most of us there is always someone out there that we can learn from.

[pecktime]

I get a proper tuba lesson every couple of weeks. It keeps me focussed on my weaknesses (breathing blargh) and the fundamentals.

Plus i hear all the orchestral gossip.

[Heavy_Metal]

Oh, for auditions. I thought you were asking about "adult" tuba lessons, as if Masters and Johnson had been teaching tuba...

Or Hite.............

[Donn]

I actually did have a lesson on the tuba. That was not quite 30 years ago. I play several instruments, and that's more lessons than I've had on most of them. I did get several lessons on bassoon and bass trombone, but then stopped playing them. Partly coincidence, partly not.

My tuba playing has kind of gotten a second wind in recent years and I'm getting noticeably better. I'm not great, but I was really bad! If a teacher could have brought that on 30 years ago, what a difference it would have made, eh? But I've had fun with it the whole time, with no teacher, and that could have been different too. And now it's easier to improve, because there's so much room for improvement!

[Charlie C Chowder]

I pursue several instruments, right now I take two lessons a week for the flute. The first teacher works on my musicianship, the second, on my flute chops. Both have really helped with my tuba playing. I pay for both. But as I am retired, I have the time to do as I want. I have been taking lessons the flute for about five year now.

Charlie C. Chowder

[ken k]

never had a tuba lesson...I guess that is my problem....

[bigboymusic]

I try and take a lesson with someone about once a year now. The odd part is I am at the age where the pros are are starting to be my age or a little younger. My reason is just to keep the bad habits from creeping in, and because I really enjoy 'staying up' on whats going on in the tuba world... Its also a way of getting to hear some of the masters upfront and personal. I forget how much we learn just by sitting next to someone and mimicking what you hear..... I only took with Mike Sanders for a year, but I owe him SOOOOO much just by sitting and playing for me....

[jmerring]

As a coll0ege student, I had lessons for two years (dropped out - Hearing.) In junior and senior high At the same time, a cello professor tried to get me to switch.