Tubadork wrote:Wow, an incoming junior in high school, all that on a 186 BBb and no audition AND a full ride. I'd love to hear any recording you have of yourself.
Bill
What? You didn't know? 13 year old James Vender from Alma, Arkansas got invited to be the fill in for the CSO...
Connections are great, but remember, they aren't everything. You may be best buddies with the professor, but if you suck *** at tuba, there's not a whole lot he can do.
When I applied to schools, I really really wanted to go to DePaul. My private lesson teacher at the time, Jerome Stover, was finishing up there for his grad work, and I got to spend some time with Floyd through Jerome. He had to give a lesson with a student in front of Floyd, and I got to be part of it. So I got to work with Floyd a little bit then. Later in the year, Floyd had me come in and play for one of his classes, and it was really cool. I never got into to DePaul.
Especially with a conservatory, there a limited number of chairs, and the number of openings are dependent on who graduates. Just keep an open mind and realize there are lots of factors.
Colby Fahrenbacher
Principal Tuba, Danville Symphony Orchestra
Associate Tuba, Civic Orchestra of Chicago
You missed the point of my comment if you had to respond saying you don't suck ***. I have no idea how good you are. I've never heard you play. And "good" is subjective anyways. You may think you are great, have a gorgeous sound, but there's a conductor out there somewhere who wants a sound different from the one you give, so to him, you aren't good.
The point of my post was to emphasize that you shouldn't rely on contacts. Be smart, use contacts wisely, but they aren't everything. You still have to practice lots.
Colby Fahrenbacher
Principal Tuba, Danville Symphony Orchestra
Associate Tuba, Civic Orchestra of Chicago
[quote="richland tuba 01"]thanks. any of you guys know Ithaca school of music? That's where one of my buds that played trumpet went, and another that played saxophone was given a full ride to Eastman. I can assure you, I do not "suck ***" at tuba. :lol:[/quote]
So now we are talking about your friends that go/went to Ithaca. That is A LONG way from Juilliard.
Also, your dad could be the Dean at Juilliard and you would still have to audition. I agree that connections are good to have, but only if they are relevant to the given opportunity at hand.
And finally, anyone can sound good on a saxophone. But I'd rather colleting unemployment now than waste my time learning getting a degree for it now.
"Better schools for tuba than Juilliard" is a judgement call.
First, I think you need to decide if you want to go the university route or the conservatory route. Second, realize that many conservatories only have one or two tuba students at any time--it's not open enrollment; it's what they need for the orchestra.
Universities tend to have larger tuba studios than conservatories; some have called them "tuba farms".
Teachers are a lot like mouthpieces--they're an individual taste. It wouldn't be too early to figure out what kind of school that you want to attend, then what you'd like to study. Then start making enquiries and getting information. When you get to a short list, start talking to faculty and see how things click.
Just as there is no best mouthpiece, there is no single "best" teacher.
First off, don't take it too personally richland...hehe Why is it that all of these high school kids who like to talk about what they can do(or what they THINK they can do) or want to go and become, are from Texas? Just an observation...
I don't think you're an idiot. I had no idea about how schools worked when I was in high school, I had no idea about getting a job when I was in undergrad, but along the way, you learn. The people who have been ahead of you are no smarter or better, they have just been around the block a few more times. I think there is some great info here in this thread along with some (gosh, I remember when I was young like that) ribbing. I wish you all the best, I really hope your college search works out for you. Go check out as many schools as you can, visit or take a lesson from the teachers, meet the composition faculty, know their music, go out to lunch with them ask them how they teach their students, ask what they expect of their them, take anything you have written with you for them to look at and go with the one that YOU like best. Remember you don't have to go to the number one school (whatever that means) to be a great musician. Yo Yo Ma does not have a music degree, Gene Pokorny went to the University of Redlands etc........
Bill
You need to ignore the vast majority of what you read on this board and find yourself a teacher that knows the music business. That being said there is some good advice on this board, but people's advice on a website is severely limited by the fact that they don't know anything about your situation and also that people are not necessarily willing to give you the whole picture (ie all the dirt) on a public forum. If you want to be professional tuba player, find a teacher who makes a living as a tuba player. Someone like Matt Good knows all about schools, jobs, the music profession and he won't B.S. you. I don't know if he's willing to teach H.S. kids but I would certainly call him if I was you (assuming you live near Dallas) and at least see if he's willing to advise you and maybe give you a lesson or two if not dozens. Whatever he charges would be a bargain at double the price for the information you will get from him. If you live near Houston than Dave Kirk is the obvious choice. If you are interested in composition, find a college level composition professor and ask him/her about how they got where they got. Also, if you find yourself posting on this board multiple times a day, you are probably posting too much and in danger of looking like an idiot. Professional players/teachers read this board and may try to avoid you if you make a bad reputation for yourself here. The best advice I could give you is to keep your mouth shut and your ears open.
I'm not the best and never will be but I was blessed to work with people who paid the price to be best and they were amazing. This guy who was the best guitar player in town never put his guitar down. He would rehearse, play a five hour gig and then go to the hotel room and sit on the bed crosslegged with his guitar and play . He would sleep in 15 minute snatches and his guitar would stop and then we could tell when he woke because the music would resume. He played while he talked to people, his love life was in the crapper, his family could barely stand him but he was the best I ever heard.
It seems one must be a monk to music in order to climb those lofty heights to be best . Big price to pay.
