The Dream

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Is the dream alive? Is it possible to make it as a tuba player today? Is making a big time orchestra, no matter how good you are, realistic? Would you ever recommend a high school or college student to go for tuba performance? It seems like there is less work out there then ever, and I just wanted to get some other people's opinions.

[Tuba Guy]

There's plenty of work for a tuba player who looks for it. Obviously not in orchestras (these are dying musical vehicles and will soon only exist in places like the NY Phil, SF symphony, CSO (US examples)) but in groups like rock bands and especially New Orleans style brass bands. You want to make it as a tuba player? Start practicing your rebirth, hot 8, dirty dozen, and Youngblood brass bands. Get a microphone and learn how to use it. Start a studio, give masterclasses in schools, arrange music. These are the best ways to make it as a tuba player.
I suppose finding a significant other with a more "traditional" (lawyer/doctor/dentist) occupation and steady source of income is also a good way to do it

[winston]

Read this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41697&hilit=ethics" target="_blank

[bort]

The dream is clearly still alive, if it weren't, there wouldn't be 100+ people auditioning for the same 1 position, and there wouldn't be tuba studios at universities and lots of new young music students. It may be more difficult than ever to attain, and it may not make any sense, but the desire and dream of that end result is still there.

[Nick Pierce]

I agree with those above, though I wanted to weigh in on your last statement:

It seems like there is less work out there then ever

The fact that so many tuba players are doing so many different things--from the different sousaphone players in jazz and funk groups, to brass quintet players, to symphony players--that I would absolutely disagree that "there is less work out there then ever."

Now, the competition for that work is much higher, that much is true. New orchestras don't pop up every year, while new aspiring musicians do. That holds for other professions as well though; how many industries actually have more positions then they can fill? And less of that work is full time. The jobs in the music business are performing, teaching, arranging/composing, conducting, managing, repair, and recording/technology, and those who make a living do two or more of those at least (google your local symphony tuba player, and find out what college he teaches at).

All of that being said, if you look at the number of people in the world who are paid to do something musical each day, or even the number of people who are paid to play tuba each day, I'm willing to bet that number is higher then it has ever been before. It's just spread out over a lot more of us then it used to be.

[eupher61]

Ya doesn't hafta have a kolij paper ta play da tooba. Ekcspshilly in a street band. Just do it!

[Donn]

Obviously not in orchestras (these are dying musical vehicles and will soon only exist in places like the NY Phil, SF symphony, CSO (US examples))

Dying or not, I think it would be fair to say that isn't where the great untapped opportunities are. Orchestras are the embodiment of everything you don't want to get mixed up with: an organization with a lot of mouths to feed, management bureaucracy, institutional rigidity, not necessarily popular music, the list goes on. People love the tuba (really!), more than they love orchestras. Start your own group with no more than 6 players. The gig money won't be much, but it goes a lot farther.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

While I know people who make better (albeit perhaps less stable) livings doing freelance than they would in 99.9% of symphonies, I was specifically referring to the dream of being the next Arnold Jacobs/Gene Pokorny/Alan Baer/Roger Bobo, etc. I think that freelance may indeed be the tuba-playing medium of the future, but what I meant was the dream of being an orchestral powerhouse. I think so many kids go to college every year believing that they're going to be the person to take the Chicago Symphony spot when Mr. Pokorny retires, and the reality is that the vast majority of said students will not meet their goals. Is that wrong? Is it a matter of being the most skilled or being in the right place at the right time or a combination of both that enables someone to become a "successful" tubist? What do we tell incoming college freshmen who want to major in tuba performance?

[Tuba Guy]

Another car analogy but I like Top Gear, so I don't care. The orchestra is like a Lamborghini Countach. Absolutely beautiful and striking and you'll never forget when you first heard or saw one.
But then, it's not as great. You spend hundreds of thousands of dollars (hours of practice) and finally afford one (land a job). Then you realize that most of the time, the tuba can't fit into the trunk (set). Even worse, you'll get a few good weeks out of it (or even a year if you're lucky) before the engine falls out onto the road, gearbox explodes, mirrors get knocked off, and the tires leave for a different orchestra.
Again, there are some cities that can afford to keep one of these in working condition, but it's still a relic and you know that as soon as they stop pumping money into its veins, their orchestras will start to deteriorate as well.

I was a "performance major". Worst decision of my life. My tuba teacher retired after my sophomore year and we got a (somewhat hostile) euphoniumist as his replacement. At that point, I was no longer able to really study. But it didn't matter. Classical music is a fundamental. A building block. But you can't limit yourself to just one avenue. If you're going to save up for the (hypothetical) Countach, you should also have a Camry to get you around on a day to day basis.

[Donn]

I am not that much of a car guy, outside of a casual enthusiasm for old stuff, but I have a hunch there's room for a third car in this picture. Is counting rests in an orchestra the ultimate tuba player's experience, so the alternative, if no orchestra seats are available, is a budget every-man's car? What I think people are saying is some of the alternatives are a little hotter than that, stuff where if the orchestra guy had any sense he'd be green with envy. I don't know ... how about a '58 Impala convertible, 348 V8, showroom condition? Park your Lamborghini heap beside that.