top 20

[iiipopes]

Nothing posted here would be of necessarily any more help then the US News & World Report list of best colleges each year, based on rather artificial criteria.

Here's the main reason: as a performance major, your #1 contact will be your private instructor. A university can have the best reputation, but if you don't get along with your instructor, you're going nowhere. So if you really are going to pursue the rarefied stratus of tuba performance, (remember, there are more NFL quarterbacks than there are persons holding the tuba chair in the top eschalon orchestras nationwide) then you need to be interviewing, in person, the tuba instructors at some of the various universities and conservatories, and see how you get along with each of them.

All universities teach music theory and history about the same way. All universities that have such a specialized program as a tuba performance major will have decent liberal arts to round out the degree. All will have decent ensembles for you to apply yourself. But a university with a good instructor that in addition to helping you develop as a player, but has the reputation and connections that can help you get introductions to ensembles that might be a good "fit," both them to you and you to them, is the key.

[Chris Smith]

I think it would be interesting to compile a list of school/teachers and # of job wins from their students.

[BVD Press]

Not sure it is always the school, but what one decides to put into their studies once they get there. You can have the best program and teacher in the world, but if you do not give 100% effort it won't matter.

I think generically speaking many state schools should find their way onto a list.

[Tubaguy56]

Alot of it depends on what kind of performing you want to do, some places can have a more orchestral oriented program versus other types that focus on broader spectrums of music.

[eupher61]

here's another way to say, it's an unanswerable question...

My undergrad tuba teacher was a trombone player who 1)had never played tuba whatsoever 2) had taught tuba for some 15 years before I got to him 3)told me after 3 semesters with him "well, you know all that I do about playing the tuba".

Whether I did or not is beside the point--I probably did, which, looking back, wasn't much.

BUT...being the only tuba student for a couple of years, and one of 2 the other years, I played everything the orchestra and both bands did, plus the community orchestra (in residence at that time) on occasion, and anything else that came around. So, I did more ensemble playing as an undergrad than most performance majors at a big tuba-studio-school.

Was it a good experience? In some ways, it was great. As far as learning literature, building chops, getting the performance experience, yep. As far as a TUBA PLAYER...nope. The chops I built had lots of problems, which required a major overhaul in grad school. Lost time, lost years, lost interest after realizing even getting into a decent DMA program would be difficult at best for me, given my level of playing. It still hurts.

But, all things considered, it was a good experience. I'd have done a lot different--trombone player didn't like the idea of my taking lessons with anyone else, and I was too naive to call him on it--but playing almost every major tuba blow in the literature, aside from Tchaik 4 and 6, was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for someone destined to not be an orchestra player.

[windshieldbug]

To prove teaching effectiveness, you'd need an unmeasured, unprovable statistic like HOW MUCH IMPROVEMENT did players make under So-and-so's tutelage.

But even that is irrelevant compared to HOW WILL YOU (specifically) work with and improve working with So-and-so? (Who cares how anybody else does?). There is no quick substitute for your own evaluation of their effectiveness with you.

[Jonathan Fowler]

The school that makes you realize that you are 95% responsible for your own advancement and improvement.

[BVD Press]

If you want to go with some percentages, the US Coast Guard band have 5 players. 2 went to Ithaca College for their undergraduate studies. 2 (one of two from Ithaca) also studied at Eastman. 40% of the section studied at either school which seems like a quite a nice percentage!

[THE TUBA]

US Marine/Navy/Air Force Bands

John Stevens
Tucker Jolly x 2
Ronald Davis
Daniel Perantoni x 7
David Randolf
Jeannie Little
Jeff Williams
Karl Hinterbichler
Fritz Kaenzig x 6
Scott Mendoker
David Bragunier
Kevin Stees
Robert LeBlanc
Don Harry
Charles Winking
Ivan Giddings
Robert Gray (taught trombone)
Brian Bowman x 5
Stan Dittmer
David Zerkel x 2
Floyd Cooley
Gene Pokorny
Harvey Phillips x 4
Tony Kniffen
Don Little x 2
Abe Torchinsky x2
Ev Gilmore
David Fedderly x 2
Ed Livingston
Arnold Jacobs
Dave Kirk x 2
Winston Morris
Rich Matteson
Milt Stevens
Arthur Lehman
Earle Louder
Charles Isley
Leonard Falcone
H. Dennis Smith
James Desano
Murray Crewe
Roger Hanson
Barry Morrison
Patrick Carmody
Les Varner
Paul Ebbers
Michael Sanders
Lee Hipp
David Finlayson
Steve Norrell
John P. Weber
Timothy Northcut x 2
Michael Grose
Jay Bertolet
James Jenkins

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The tuba/euphonium players from the D.C. Navy, Marine, and Air Force concert bands (including the Air Force's ceremonial brass) have had over 50 different teachers. Although there are a few names that reoccur more than others and some of the people listed are deceased, I think it is obvious that there is a plethora of talented instructors out there.

I would not be surprised if the number of teachers/schools of music that have produced true professional tuba/euphonium players is over a hundred. This leads me to say that the responsibility lies more with the student than teacher.

I have to echo what Jonathan Fowler said. Picking a school with a big success record or a famous teacher will not ensure you can duplicate that success. All Dr. X and the University of Y can do is guide you along the right path- you are the one who must travel it.

[Chris Smith]

I personally was more curious to find out what the numbers are as listed above. Not necessarily conclude that because they had the most students win a job they were the best. But just for the sake of tracking what the turnout of teachers were.