Help us fix our tubas?

[k001k47]

[Dean E]

Anyone ever try suction to clean out tuba blockages?

[DevilDog-2013]

If you guys need a horn immediately, I can bring up my old Conn BBb.

Where are you located? We are in Lincoln CA

Anyone ever try suction to clean out tuba blockages?

We just though of that today. The only problem would be the size of the vaccume hose, right?


To everyone, We tried taking a video of the tubas today, but there were too many peopl in the background playing other instruments. So it will have to wait untill our low brass sectional.

Thanks

[SousaSaver]

If you guys need a horn immediately, I can bring up my old Conn BBb.

Where are you located? We are in Lincoln CA

Anyone ever try suction to clean out tuba blockages?

We just though of that today. The only problem would be the size of the vaccume hose, right?


To everyone, We tried taking a video of the tubas today, but there were too many peopl in the background playing other instruments. So it will have to wait untill our low brass sectional.

Thanks

Hey, don't mess with the vacuum, it won't work.

Your band director needs to take care of this. I know you mean well, and are an excited young player, but your band director needs to take care of this. Stay on top of it for sure, but he/she needs to handle it.

If you were in my area I would recommend you come to my shop, but since your not, have your band director call the local music store to take care of it. Any music store should be able to fix this stuff quickly and probably cheaply.

Best of luck.

KS

[Tuba Guy]

If you guys need a horn immediately, I can bring up my old Conn BBb.

Where are you located? We are in Lincoln CA

I'm in Stockton, and go up to Sac occasionally so you're pretty much on the way. PM me if you want to use it.
I know you probably don't have much control over where you'd get them fixed, but I highly recommend Tim's Music in Sac. It's where I bring my horns, and (when I get some time) will be bringing them again.

[DevilDog-2013]

Okay, thanks I emailed my middle school band director today, maybe we can borrow one of the school's tubas. If not, I will let you know

[DevilDog-2013]

A quick update:

Today we preformed at a college. It went rather well. But because of all the dead tubas, we now have one guy on baritone. It worked out because it is easier for him to play and I got to play the fancy tuba x]

We have a concert in two days and still no way of fixing any of the tubas. We got a hold of one of the middle schools, but their only available tuba is having problems as well. So our director is trying to reach the other school. If it doesn't work out, then i guess we are just going to keep one guy on bari.

And we wasted 2 hours walking to a place to fund raise, only to be told we can't. So the future does not look good for our tubas. Looks like we can't do anything at all until summer.

But for now, everything is working out.

Thanks for all the replies

[MartyNeilan]

We have a concert in two days and still no way of fixing any of the tubas. We got a hold of one of the middle schools, but their only available tuba is having problems as well. So our director is trying to reach the other school. If it doesn't work out, then i guess we are just going to keep one guy on bari.

I have been trying not to post lately, but I can sit on the sidelines no longer.
THIS IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! THIS IS PART OF WHAT THE TEACHER IS PAID TO DO!
It is absolutely ridiculous that thousands of dollars of instruments are unusable due to negligence. If the teacher will not address it, then you need to go to the principal. A note from the parents of all the tuba players who can no longer play their instruments would carry a lot of weight. If the teacher does not want to do his/her job, there are plenty of freshly minted music education graduates just waiting to jump in.

[rodgeman]

We have a concert in two days and still no way of fixing any of the tubas. We got a hold of one of the middle schools, but their only available tuba is having problems as well. So our director is trying to reach the other school. If it doesn't work out, then i guess we are just going to keep one guy on bari.

I have been trying not to post lately, but I can sit on the sidelines no longer.
THIS IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! THIS IS PART OF WHAT THE TEACHER IS PAID TO DO!
It is absolutely ridiculous that thousands of dollars of instruments are unusable due to negligence. If the teacher will not address it, then you need to go to the principal. A note from the parents of all the tuba players who can no longer play their instruments would carry a lot of weight. If the teacher does not want to do his/her job, there are plenty of freshly minted music education graduates just waiting to jump in.

I agree completely. After the principle go to the school board.

[Rick F]

What Marty said, I totally agree!

I have been trying not to post lately, but I can sit on the sidelines no longer.
THIS IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! THIS IS PART OF WHAT THE TEACHER IS PAID TO DO!
It is absolutely ridiculous that thousands of dollars of instruments are unusable due to negligence. If the teacher will not address it, then you need to go to the principal. A note from the parents of all the tuba players who can no longer play their instruments would carry a lot of weight. If the teacher does not want to do his/her job, there are plenty of freshly minted music education graduates just waiting to jump in.

[pgym]

We have a concert in two days and still no way of fixing any of the tubas. We got a hold of one of the middle schools, but their only available tuba is having problems as well. So our director is trying to reach the other school. If it doesn't work out, then i guess we are just going to keep one guy on bari.

I have been trying not to post lately, but I can sit on the sidelines no longer.
THIS IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY! THIS IS PART OF WHAT THE TEACHER IS PAID TO DO!
It is absolutely ridiculous that thousands of dollars of instruments are unusable due to negligence. If the teacher will not address it, then you need to go to the principal. A note from the parents of all the tuba players who can no longer play their instruments would carry a lot of weight. If the teacher does not want to do his/her job, there are plenty of freshly minted music education graduates just waiting to jump in.

Do you feel better now?

Have you paused to considered (doubtful) the possibility that 9 months into the school year, there may not be money left in this school year's budget to pay for the repairs? In case you haven't noticed, public school music programs aren't exactly flush with money these days ... and haven't been for several decades. If the money ain't there, the repairs will have to wait. Or maybe you expect the teacher to pay for the repairs out of her own pocket or some repair tech to do the work for free?

[rodgeman]

Have you paused to considered (doubtful) the possibility that 9 months into the school year, there may not be money left in this school year's budget to pay for the repairs? In case you haven't noticed, public school music programs aren't exactly flush with money these days ... and haven't been for several decades. If the money ain't there, the repairs will have to wait. Or maybe you expect the teacher to pay for the repairs out of her own pocket or some repair tech to do the work for free?

Yet you expect the student to pay for the repair?

There should be a repair budget. If it is blown by month 9 it wasn't used accordingly. Lots of schools here have instruments repaired over the summer.

Ultimately it is the band director's responsibility for the school horns.

[Chadtuba]

Have you paused to considered (doubtful) the possibility that 9 months into the school year, there may not be money left in this school year's budget to pay for the repairs? In case you haven't noticed, public school music programs aren't exactly flush with money these days ... and haven't been for several decades. If the money ain't there, the repairs will have to wait. Or maybe you expect the teacher to pay for the repairs out of her own pocket or some repair tech to do the work for free?

Yet you expect the student to pay for the repair?

There should be a repair budget. If it is blown by month 9 it wasn't used accordingly. Lots of schools here have instruments repaired over the summer.

Ultimately it is the band director's responsibility for the school horns.

More than the budget constraints though this band director needs to address this problem with those who may be causing these problems. If students are causing damage then those students need to be called on it and that is his, and his alone, responsibility.

As far as getting the horns fixed or a working solution, check with other area schools and see what can be done to help each other. I've been playing this same game since I started teaching. I borrow/loan equipment that the school doesn't own that we need for a certain peice, I borrow/loan equipment that has broken and I can't get fixed last minute, I borrow/loan equipment that the school doesn't own so that I can show the students other instruments they may never get to see or use . . . I think you get the picture. You do what you have to do to get by, especially in the small rural schools I teach at.

It still comes down to the director and him being responsible for his own job and program. Use the students, ask for their help, but do not put it all on their shoulders.

[DevilDog-2013]

To all the recent posters:

Sorry I didn't make this clear. Our director is NOT the problem. It is her first AND last year with us (NO, she didn't get fired, new oppertunities arose.)

Our band was screwed over several times starting years ago. We have had WAY too many band directors in the last few years. We are broke. We didn't even have uniforms this year. How are we supposed to be able to afford to fix 4 tubas? The reason why us tuba players are taking responsibility is because we are trying to do everything to help. We love our band director, we are devastated to see her leave. And after all we are the ones that are going to be playing the tubas over the next few years. It is not that we are being told we have to pay for them out of our own pockets, it is that we are trying to everything in our power to help.


And update on the tubas themselves:

I ditched biology to fix the tubas and you will never guess what I got out of one of the sousas today. Half eaten bag of popcorn That explains the stench. Well now that one works at least. Our director was pretty upset when she saw that. She is going to make an announcement to the band tomarrow.

I tried the shop vac, you were right, it didn't work.
But a friend tried to powerwash one. We think it works.
I'm going to go give one a bath.

*sigh*

[DevilDog-2013]

Gave it another bath. Didn't help

[toobagrowl]

^That sucks. I have this feeling that someone may have stuck something up in the leadpipe......like maybe a cellophane candy or bubble gum wrapper or something. Could be wrong though. Do you have a "brush snake" to clean through the leadpipe, tubes and slides?
Glad you cleared out that one souzy though

[derrenba]

There should be a repair budget. If it is blown by month 9 it wasn't used accordingly.

Maybe your school district does things differently, but around here the SCHOOL YEAR beings the Thurs before Labor Day, but the FISCAL YEAR begins July 1, so nine months into the SCHOOL YEAR (which also happens to be the last month of the school year) is 11 months into the FISCAL YEAR.

Lots of schools here have instruments repaired over the summer.

In other words, during the part of the FISCAL YEAR that is NOT part of the SCHOOL YEAR.

Around here, the vast majority of instrument repairs take place in July/Aug (the first two months of the FISCAL year) and during "marching"--aka, football--season, so most band programs start the SCHOOL year with a significant chunk of their repair budget already spent, and it's not at all unusual for the repair budget to be used up nine months into the SCHOOL year.

[tubaforce]

Hi!
I feel for you, but at least your School owns instruments! Many( especially smaller) Districts in the Northwest(Oregon, Washington) Have ZERO money to maintain their inventories! In fact, they're LUCKY music is available at all! If there is no money for repairs, you need to drag your parents to a Scool Board meeting, and POLITELY(yet FIRMLY) COMPLAIN! Traditionally, even small Schools budgeted money specifically for regular maintennance and overhaul of instruments the School was expected to provide(Tubas, Baritones, Baritone Sax, Bassoon, String Bass...), and money for new uniforms and instruments! Budget cutters love to hit Music programs that have a revolving door for teachers!!! Why would a teacher fight for a program someone else will be stuck with the following year? And once you give money up, it takes an act of God to get it back! Look at how many Band programs start kids in the 6th or 7th grade these days, and Elementary music is totally gone! The only thing that can save music is for kids and parents to GET INVOLVED! Go to those board meetings with as many folks as you can muster!

Good luck,
Al

[DevilDog-2013]

Great news!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One guy took a tuba and a sousa to the shop today (the day of our biggest performance). And guess what?! We got the tuba fixed for free! It turns out the vavle guide was just turned! The sousa's vavles are shot, it's getting fixed for around 50 bucks.
So we all had working tubas for the concert!
And it turns out, we can only hold the drummers accountable for 2 tubas: the Miraphone which is done for anyways, and the sousa which I fixed.

Problem solved,
Thanks for all the replies!

Erica

[Elbee]

That IS Great News... Best wishes for a fine tuba future..