Flea now teaching tuba?

[UTTuba_09]

Found an neat article, with a cool picture!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18617938/?GT1=9951

[eupher61]

bass and trumpet, it says in the article.

[TonyZ]

bass and trumpet, it says in the article.

Holding the tuba just makes you look better than holding the others!

[Biggs]

Thirty-five years ago, we did *SO much more with SO much less.

Really? And you still had time to hide from the Tyrannosauruses?

[bearphonium]

We've got a middle school in town that is having to give up its beginning band program (as a during school time class) in order to provide physical education. PE will now be during school, and beginning band will be a before-school activity, prior to bus times, so that any kids who want to play will either be driven, walk or take public transit.

35 years ago, for me, both band and PE were part of the junior high class offerings, as were other "elective" arts classes such as crafts, choir, languages, HAM radio, technical arts, shop. Still got math, english, history, science, and geography as part of the "required" class load.

I am not in education, nor am I a professional musician--I play in a New Horizons band. I do see people, both kids and adults, on a daily basis, that either failed the education system, or the education system failed them. Almost none of them had any background/exposure to music or sports. Some of it is financial, some of it is personal, most of it is attitudinal, but the need to expose kids to the broad spectrum of education is pretty important, as not everyone learns in the same way, and involvement in other activities can facillitate learning in other ways.

Ally"who stayed in school mostly because of band and sports and notes that none of the kids who have precipitated school shootings were involved in either activity" House

[Biggs]

Ally"who stayed in school mostly because of band and sports and notes that none of the kids who have precipitated school shootings were involved in either activity" House

Who can afford to buy guns with all the music and sports fees?

Seriously, the reference to school shootings is deeply offensive and unnecessary. Those who committed horrible acts of violence on the campuses of high schools and universities had problems stemming from severe medical and social conditions; no academic, athletic, or artistic issues were involved.

I don't mean to be argumentative, but you've really touched a nerve with me. In the town where I grew up, the school suffered most because the town's senior citizens refused to allow their property to increase in value by helping to fund a better school system through higher taxes.

I'll do my best to discontinue reading this thread, as it serves only to raise my blood pressure. Anyone wishing to discuss the topics invoked here should feel free to PM me.

[circusboy]

Back to the original post . . .

I live in the Silver Lake neighborhood and have visited Flea's Conservatory. They do have two instructors on board who are willing to teach tuba, but none who teach it as their primary instrument.

Nice facility, though.

[SplatterTone]

Although support for band music is rather good around here -- the area sporting a championship band:
http://tinyurl.com/2jof7p
next school year, my son, entering 8th grade, will be leaving band because of the requirement to take a year of Spanish: a case of "Culture" losing out to "Multi-Culturalism".

Knowing that his innate interest in music is casual, and knowing that woodwinds are generally more amenable to the casual musician, a Barrington alto sax now resides at the house (there sure are a lot of keys on these things).