Tuba Schools

[KevinMadden]

Consider: Ithaca - Dave Unland (I'm biased, I know)
Rutgers - Scott Mendoker
UMass Amherst - Matthew Gaunt

[Alex Reeder]

Well, I guess I'll say Eastman. If you're interested in performance and ed, it is a great place for both. I am a double major in performance and ed right now. It is very do-able and a pretty common thing to do.
You should also check out SUNY Potsdam. Dr. Charles Guy is an amazing teacher, one of the most musical thinkers I've ever had the pleasure of taking lessons from. And cheaper than Eastman, if that is a big factor. Eastman has lots of good scholarships to give, but even with that it is probably more expensive than a state school like Potsdam. But don't let cost keep you from checking out any school. If you like it, and they like you a lot too, magic can happen. Go for it!

[threedognate]

You really have to go and meet the studio teacher at any of the schools that interest you. The relationship you will have with that studio teacher could "make" or "break" you as an undergraduate. Match up your personality and personal learning style with the teacher who fits you best. Most professors are more than willing to give you an introductory lesson - they are as interested in finding out if you will fit into their system as you are. Most universities will also arrange a shadowing experience for you where you can spend a day or two attending classes, lessons, and ensemble rehearsals with a current undergraduate student.

Good luck!

[Jarrad-Bittner]

Even though Lawrence is not on the east coast I would encourage you to at least get a lesson from marty erickson. He is an amazing teacher let alone an outstanding performer. I'm a freshman here and its a great place. Also the wind ensemble conductor was a former tuba player, andrew mast. And if money is a big issue, Lawrence has a lot to give. small school enviornment in a nice size town in wisconsin.

good luck with the auditions
Jarrad Bittner

[jacojdm]

Check out Penn State (not too far from you, plus, you'd have in state tuition) and Velvet Brown.

[windshieldbug]

Great suggestions, and I'd keep Temple and Jay Krush in there, too. I've always enjoyed working with Jay.

[sloan]

I feel it's my duty to start the usual fight:

a) "school for tuba" - ain't no such thing. If all you want is an education in "tuba" - by all means find a first class teacher and take private lessons. It will be cheaper than college tuition, and you won't be bothered by all those pesky "requirements".

If you want a college education, with special emphasis on music (and more particularly on tuba performance) - then your *first* filter should be on the quality of the college - and NOT the quality of the tuba studio. That can come later. If you are at the wrong school - it won't matter how good the tuba teacher is. Either you'll get tossed out (or won't get in) - or you won't get your money's worth. So - look at your high school GPA, your test scores, your druthers on what sort of place you want to live for the next 4 years - and find schools that match. THEN make sure they have a decent music program, and a tuba instructor you can get along with. Always ask the question: what would I do if the tuba teacher left for a better job in my sophomore year? Would I still fit in here?


b) performance + education - possible, but ultimately limiting. Both of these majors are extremely time-intensive. Combining them is a killer schedule that leaves no time for Persian Poetry, Economics, Philosophy, and Calculus. Not to mention Computer Literacy (WHY is Sibelius so much better than Finale...)

If you want to do both, I think music ed is the best one to do as an undergraduate. Maintain performance level "on the side", and consider a performance Master's if you still have the performance bug 4 years from now.

Oh yeah...please don't do Music Ed unless you think of it as an education degree with a specialization in music. If you don't have a calling to teaching, do yourself a favor and just do Music Performance (but also get enough BREADTH in other fields so that you have a chance of getting a day job to support your fledgling music career). It's a lot more fun to be a musician "falling back" on accounting, or computer programming, or short-order cook than it is to be a musician who hates teaching stuck in a room with 50 middle-schoolers every day.

[Allen]

I feel it's my duty to start the usual fight:

........ .......... ..........

Let me join the fight: That's all sensible advice!

Does anyone have figures on what percent of people with music degrees actually make their livings in music (either performing or teaching)? I don't think it's a big number. Students should make sure they get an education that will help prepare them for Plan B, if full-time music doesn't work out.

Meanwhile, if you don't wind up majoring in music, make sure you take lots of music courses -- I wish I had.

Cheers,
Allen

[Ryan_Beucke]

Oh yeah...please don't do Music Ed unless you think of it as an education degree with a specialization in music. If you don't have a calling to teaching, do yourself a favor and just do Music Performance (but also get enough BREADTH in other fields so that you have a chance of getting a day job to support your fledgling music career). It's a lot more fun to be a musician "falling back" on accounting, or computer programming, or short-order cook than it is to be a musician who hates teaching stuck in a room with 50 middle-schoolers every day.

I agree with what you said, but I'd amend this part a little bit. There's nothing wrong with being music ed if you're not dead set on the teaching thing, but make sure you want to do it before you make a career out of it. Myself and many other music ed majors I know were a little unsure on whether or not we'd love teaching music when we came into college, because we'd really never done it before. I can say that most of us, including myself, absolutely LOVED it after student teaching and really knew that's what we wanted to do. Some people however decide it's not their bag, but hey, they got a good education that can help them with other things in life.

[Biggs]

As a real live college student who is obsessed with the college search, application, and admission processes (to say nothing of my affinity for the lifestyle), I feel compelled to weigh in.

Do not go to school for tuba.
Go to tuba for school.

That is to say, instead of seeking out the school with the "best" tuba program, strive to be the "best" tuba player so that there will be no argument when it comes to acceptance, and eventually, scholarship offers.

Also, I recommend double-majoring in something that is not related to music. You will, regardless of attitude or talent level, experience the burnout all music students suffer from. When that happens, it is nice to to have a way to escape. In addition, you may find out you are exceptional at something else, exceptionally interested in something else, or receive exceptional offers because of your demonstrated ability to manage your time, cultivate multiple skills, and ultimately be that much more capable of a human being.

I could say more. Eventually, I just might.

[threedognate]

I agree with sloan's comments regarding choosing an appropriate university for your needs/expectations/aptitude. The quality of the COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY (not the studio or tuba teacher), and how you match up to the institution, should be your first considerations.

When you have short-listed those schools you match up with, be sure to go and VISIT them. See how you fit in with the academic/social life, and see how you match up with the teaching style of the studio teacher, as well as the rest of the faculty (if possible).

Good luck!

[gregsundt]

Does anyone have figures on what percent of people with music degrees actually make their livings in music (either performing or teaching)? I don't think it's a big number.

As one who has spent most of the last twenty years earning a full-time living in something other than music, I don't have the numbers, but they can't be too encouraging. After earning performance degrees from Wayne State (Wes Jacobs) and Ohio State (Bob LeBlanc), life, children, and a love of eating indoors sort of caught up with me. I don't guess you would call either place a "tuba school", but the lesson is the same: Get good in at least one other area that can make you a living while you put the finishing touches on your chops. Wasn't Charles Ives an insurance salesman?

Having said that, I would suggest the University of Michigan. Fritz Kaenzig is a great player, a terrific person, and the school has an excellent reputation. Fritz has been turning out players for a number of years. Hopefully you could offset at least a chunk of the out-of-state tuition with scholarships; it ain't cheap, but neither are most conservatories.

[joebob]

I tend to disagree with those that say if you want to study the tuba, that you should just study with a good teacher and not worry about going to a music school. To me it is equally important to be surrounded by top notch students on all instruments (especially all brass instruments). It's hard to do that just practicing in your basement and getting weekly lessons with a great teacher. Going to a school like Juilliard, Eastman, Curtis, NEC, Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern (I'll stop there but there are other great schools) is the best way to have a great teacher and also be surrounded by great players. You will learn at least as much from the other students you play in ensembles with as you will from your teacher. And if you want to make a living in music, the network of connections you will make with all these great players will be invaluable (that is if you take advantage of that network).

[LARSONTUBA]

This is not exactly east coast, but it is more east coast than Kansas or Southern Cal...

Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA has an amazing school of music. The band department there is well supported by the alumni and the athletic department. Dr Joseph Skillen is a fantastic teacher and mentor. He got his degrees from Tenn Tech, Penn St, and Mich St. He then studied in Sweden with Michael Lind on a Fulbright Scholarship. The music education faculty is second to few with Dr James Byo leading the way.

Do some research, and you may find LSU to be a hidden gem that you did not think about. I know I did not expect to end up in Louisiana for my undergrad. Especially being from Florida. I wanted FSU or Miami all the way. But LSU was the right fit. Plus, their athletics are second to none. It is such a great atmosphere for learning, and fun at the same time.

That's all I suppose!

[joebob]

As far as costs go, full-time tuition for non-resident freshmen:
Kentucky: $6,985.00
Michigan: $14,471!

Make sure you look at all the factors involved before choosing.

-Rob

The only way you can find out what your cost will be for any school is to apply for admission and to apply for financial aid and any and all available scholarships. A large group of students at any given school pay much less than the listed price for full tuition.

[Tubaguyjoe]

I feel it's my duty to start the usual fight:

........ .......... ..........

Let me join the fight: That's all sensible advice!

Does anyone have figures on what percent of people with music degrees actually make their livings in music (either performing or teaching)? I don't think it's a big number. Students should make sure they get an education that will help prepare them for Plan B, if full-time music doesn't work out.

Meanwhile, if you don't wind up majoring in music, make sure you take lots of music courses -- I wish I had.

Cheers,
Allen

I find it best NOT to have a plan B. Music is too hard, if you have a plan B, you will take it eventually. You have to keep your focus---shoot straight for gold and MAKE it work. This may be a little harsh, but my plan A will work.

[jeopardymaster]

There is already a great deal of good advice in this thread. But let me add another point.

If the school has a very strong teacher of one instrument, but lacks the overall depth to field a number of good ensembles - orchestras, bands, wind ensembles, brass choirs, quintets - many players of that one instrument will find themselves limited as to playing opportunities. In this case size does matter, as does quality.

[CrappyEuph]

joebob said:

The only way you can find out what your cost will be for any school is to apply for admission and to apply for financial aid and any and all available scholarships. A large group of students at any given school pay much less than the listed price for full tuition.

This is very true, specifically at Northwestern. If you audition at NU and Professor Martin admits you, the financial aid office will work very closely with you to make sure you are awarded enough grants, loans, and work-study allotments that you'll be able to afford tuition. If it weren't for financial aid, Northwestern's music school would have about 10 students.

Moral of the story: don't let scary tuition figures keep you from auditioning - you probably won't have to pay that much.

- Jamie

[windshieldbug]

I find it best NOT to have a plan B. Music is too hard, if you have a plan B, you will take it eventually. You have to keep your focus---shoot straight for gold and MAKE it work. This may be a little harsh, but my plan A will work.

For me, keeping focus was key. I went with plan A only, then found out that, for the time, plan A was going to take longer than I originally thought. So I developed a plan Ab to keep me continuing on plan A.

I think that everyone finds their own way. Keeping the proper focus at the right time is the key.

[sloan]

I find it best NOT to have a plan B. Music is too hard, if you have a plan B, you will take it eventually. You have to keep your focus---shoot straight for gold and MAKE it work. This may be a little harsh, but my plan A will work.

For me, keeping focus was key. I went with plan A only, then found out that, for the time, plan A was going to take longer than I originally thought. So I developed a plan Ab to keep me continuing on plan A.

I think that everyone finds their own way. Keeping the proper focus at the right time is the key.

Focus is certainly good. But...

The "But..." is that the most common mistake I see being made by college students these days (not just music majors) is pre-mature commitment and over-specialization. Undergraduate years should include a major *breadth* component - students should explore things that they've never heard of before. The "major" should be a focal point - but not the ONLY activity.

If nothing else, remember that music is about communicating. Nothing is so boring as a superb communicator who has nothing to say.

In other words: "get a life".