Good colleges for tuba

[Uncle Buck]

I'm not aware of any college tuba professor who I would not label "good", as your OP asks.

Choice of school depends on your career goals and graduate school plans.

[Rochester2013]

I know for a fact that all teachers are above good they are great.

I don't agree with this. I don't think all teachers are great. For the most part, I have had very good teachers (especially when it comes to my private teachers and my college teacher), but I have also had some that aren't so great. A majority of them, according to my findings, are good, but I wouldn't generalize and say that they are all great.

Also, what do you mean about a music department being good? That they offer the ensembles you want, the department is large or what? I mean, my college (University of Rochester) has an incredibly tiny music department, most of the majors are double majors in a science or something, and almost none of them plan on continuing music as a profession after college. We have some ensembles, maybe 8-10 professors, 3 music major practice rooms (11 non-major that majors CAN use), and the music department shares a building with the post office and theater department. So, on paper it might not look to good. But I think it is a great department, fits me perfectly. And that is what is really important, you like the school. Just because it is "supposed" to be a great school doesn't mean you are going to be all that you can be at that school if you don't like it.

[Bob Kolada]

---Never mind!---

[Virtuoso]

Boston University has a very strong tuba program.

[tubaguy9]

who can forget Tennessee Tech, with the founder of the Tuba-Euphonium ensemble, R. Winston Morris...

[PMeuph]

I think that when you choose a college and a teacher you should try to find a teacher who caters to your personality.You should try having lessons with several teachers to figure out what you like and what you dislike when you are getting lessons.

"Good schools" is really a useless label. Some departments may have way more opportunities than others but usually the competition is stiff and I could be disappointing to never get any good first hand experience.

You can browse the list of players below to get a sense of who is teaching where.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tuba_players

Also a list of Good schools(in no way complete) could include the following

Curtis Institute of Music
Eastman School of Music
Juilliard
New England Conservatory
U Michigan
Indiana U
University of North Texas

If your looking for next year, you might be a little tight on the deadlines if you want to visit two or three schools, but it would probably be worthwhile.

[sloan]

I've heard good things about Harvard.

[tubademon999]

Cal State Long Beach- John Van Houten
Cal State Northridge/ Cal State Fullerton- Doug Tournquist
Colburn- Norm Pearson
Chapman University- Fred Greene

[Primusbot05]

I love how no one lists the University of Arkansas... Ben Pierce is one of the best euphonium players in the world AND he's just as good on tuba.

UofA's where it's at, just sayin'.

[Dylan King]

Who's teaching at UCLA these days?
-Former TJ Bruin

[Tubaster]

Anybody have any views about Juilliard? It always seems like a mystery to me. We all know it's great for piano and string players, but do you think it's a good environment for a very driven tuba player? Just curious...

[Art Hovey]

Julliard worked out ok for the young Harvey Phillips, but that was some time ago.
I have also heard good things about Yale. (Mike Roylance, and no tuition fees)

[tofu]

I've heard good things about Harvard.

Well they do have a big cow.

[tbn.al]

I don't believe anyone has mentioned Tim Northcutt at Cinncinati, and somebody should. So I did.

[LoyalTubist]

If you go to a university without a tuba teacher, you can choose the best tuba teacher in the area who will take you as a student. When I went for my M.Mus. in Church Music/Tuba Concentration I was able to study with Everett Gilmore of the Dallas Symphony. He was one of the best teachers I ever had. And a great friend, too.

I miss him.

[hbcrandy]

Juilliard has a superb tuba teacher, David Fedderly, of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Dave studied EXTENSIVELY with Arnold Jacobs and probably knows Mr. Jacobs' methods better than anyone.

Also, consider Dave Zirkel in Athens, Georgia.

I would also like to second the recommendation of Don Harry at Eastman.

[THE TUBA]

Use Basement Register + Google. There are tons of great places out there to study tuba.

[Eric B]

I love how no one lists the University of Arkansas... Ben Pierce is one of the best euphonium players in the world AND he's just as good on tuba.

UofA's where it's at, just sayin'.

Agreed....I don't have enough superlatives to describe Dr. Pierce's artistry on both instruments.

http://www.benpierce.com" target="_blank

[sloan]

There's only one reason to go to "college for tuba". It's so you can come back 40 years later and do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0rlC9j-IgU" target="_blank" target="_blank"

[NOTE: *all* of the Sousaphones shown were alums - four were borrowed, one brought her own]

[MileMarkerZero]

I'm going to throw one out there that seems a little odd, but is actually a pretty good choice:
Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, TN. AFAIK, the teacher is Gil Long, tubist for the Nashville Symphony for 3 decades, and a pretty good teacher from what i have heard (I've never studied with him). But even more important is the proximity to one of the most active music cities in the world. People hear "Nashville" and they see pedal-steel guitars and goat-roper hats. But the music scene in Nashville is so much more than that. On any given night, there are 50 bands playing in the dowtown area, and the styles run the gamut from acoustic bluegrass, to metal, to pop, to jazz, to...you name it. The opportunities for gigging are immense, even as an undergrad. Even tuba players. Now, you won't get many gigs if you limit yourself to band, BQ, and churches. But if you are willing to put in the work to become a good backing musician, you can get work. The last time I was in Nashville, I saw 2 different bands in 2 different bars on Broadway with tuba players, and they sounded great.

Even if you don't play a lot in the downtown scene, just being exposed on a regular basis to some of the incredible musicians down there is an education in and of itself.