Teaching: Good tuba curriculum for High School Tubists

[sinfonian]

Blazhevich is another good one.

[r smith]

C. Pares
Daily Exercises and Scales
By Carl Fischer
If it is still in print. A very good book for All Instruments in the Band.

[djwesp]

Most common mistake...


PLAYING MUSIC THAT IS TOO HARD.


It should be challenging but should still ENFORCE all fundamentals... don't push the range too much (hs kids will cheat to play high notes sometimes and not develop a good embouchure)

[tubajoe]

There really is ONE book to rule them all.

Hal Leonard Advanced Band Method, with special studies by ARNOLD JACOBS. It costs under 5 bucks and it's blue and white. (just use the AJ part in the back of the book, forget about the HL method in the first 2/3.)

It is such a fantastic foundation, it gives the WHY to all the other books and is such an amazingly clear guide to brass pedagogy in general.

ETUDES support the METHOD. Dont confuse the two.

From the HL/AJ bible, work outwards and supplement with Kopprasch, Schlossberg, Arban, Blazevich, Roschut/Borgdoni, Pares scales etc etc etc.

The HL/AJ method has excerpts from all these books and is a great jumping off point.

Gettin them high school kids rockin on the foundations of playing will reap HUGE rewards. It also makes them understand how the process works and teaches them HOW TO PRACTICE.

This might be a bit more info than you asked for -- but I WISH someone had introduced me to that way of doing things when I was in high school!

[AndyL]

I recommend:

Complete Solfeggi

(Legato Etudes)
by Concone
arranged for tuba by Wesley Jacobs

http://www.encoremupub.com/9159info.htm

Excellent book at a bargain price.

[MartyNeilan]

Whatever method you choose, please emphasize SOUND and breathing (related, aren't they ) and maybe even playing in tune ( )
Most H.S. (and M.S.) tubists are so concerned about how fast and how high they can play that they seldom realize their tone needs attention. Low register excercises will also help with this.

I have actually written a lot of relatively simple exercises - putting on paper what I was taught for years - to serve as warmups and tone builders. I find this type of material sorely lacking from most brass methods, which would rather introduce a new note everyday and its associated catchy little ditty instead of learning to play any of them right.

Marty "who wishes he had any tubas (or trombones or euphs or french horns) at the school he taught" Neilan

[mTaUrBkA]

I like the 2nd book of Practical Studies for tuba. I was introduced to it from allstate auditions.

[adam0408]

Most common mistake...


PLAYING MUSIC THAT IS TOO HARD.


It should be challenging but should still ENFORCE all fundamentals... don't push the range too much (hs kids will cheat to play high notes sometimes and not develop a good embouchure)

Please excuse me while I introduce a slightly different stance on this issue. I played part of the Vaughn Williams WELL before I was ready, and worked it up to a (sort of) passable performance level. Though I am sure that if I heard myself play it at that level now I would quit playing.

Anyway, I attest much of my skill to working on that piece before I was ready. I know that it extended my range drastically and actually gave me a reason to practice.

I have never taught a large pool of students on a regular basis but I have been taught by quite a few different people, and I think perhaps the opposite of what you said is often true: Teachers don't put hard enough stuff in front of their students. I get bored with my playing really easily, so it helps to have a lofty goal to try to attain. You may have to watch the student extra carefully to make sure they aren't doing anything foolish, but thats what lessons are for, right?