Happy International Tuba Day!

[Dan Schultz]

Title says it all. I'll be spending the day putting the final touches on a Sonora tuba (B & S stencil).

[Tubajug]

Same to you!

[tubapix]

Jimmy Celebrates Cinco de Mayo, Star Wars Day and International Tuba Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrOUMkKgsvM" target="_blank

[bort]

Jimmy Celebrates Cinco de Mayo, Star Wars Day and International Tuba Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrOUMkKgsvM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I'm no fan of Star Wars (or Rutgers ), but that's pretty amazing.

[roughrider]

No odds were overcome. Smart aleck Grade 7 student who laughed out loud at the band in a school assembly. I was challenged by the principal and the band teacher to help the band instead of making fun of it. Forty-six years later, still very grateful that they did that and I am still playing the tuba. Happy International Tuba Day Tubenetters!

[edsel585960]

Started out in5th grade on French horn. Didn't work out. Moved to Drums in 6th grade then dropped out of band. Missed the band after 6 months or so. Asked the teacher if I could come back. Told me "I need a tuba player, take it or leave it." Played through high school. Took about 20 years off and got back in to it. Was reading an old Bloom County book with Opus and his tuba and said "I'd like to play again." I've moved into repair and debt removal as well. It's a great hobby. I try to get horns fixed up so parents don't have to spend 1000+ for a student horn. We geezers won't be here forever and need to help young plAyers along. Have a great Cinco Dr tuba day!!
!!

[Steve Marcus]

{Can't find delete button to eliminate duplicate entry.)

[Steve Marcus]

When I was 3 years old, there was a picture of a circus scene hanging on the wall next to my bed. I used to stare at the sousaphone player and imagine being in his place, producing the deep bass tones. My father had a lousy record player. I used to put my ear up to the speaker because that was the only way to hear the bass notes. So I did not encounter the tuba by chance or circumstance; I clearly dreamed (literally and figuratively) about playing tuba from a very young age.

I'm the only musician in my family, sort of a "black sheep" among parents and siblings who were never involved with music making. My parents had no idea what to do about their child who plunked out tunes on his grandmother's piano. So I began piano lessons at the age of 5.

Band was first offered in 3rd grade (age eight). I feared that if I asked to play the tuba, the teasing that I received for being the shortest student in class would be exacerbated. So I asked my parents in a more generic way if I could be in band. "No," they replied. "You're already in the school chorus, you have piano lessons, homework. That's enough." So for years, I looked longingly at the lucky students who got to play tuba.

In 7th grade (which was then considered the first year of junior high school), my grades declined significantly. My parents' first response was to eliminate any activities related to music. Fortunately, the art teacher, who was also the school's director of the musical (Broadway show) production, asked my parents to come to school. "If you take away the thing that he loves most about school, he'll never succeed in any of his classes. Grant him another incentive for doing well." So I was able to continue playing piano and serving as "Student Music Director" for the school's production of "The Boyfriend." By 8th grade, my grades shot up to excellent levels. But I still quietly wished that I could play tuba in band.

In my junior year of high school, my parents sat me down for a formal meeting. "We want you to promise that you will not major in music in college. It's not possible to make a career with that."

"Okay, I promise," I answered, "if you let me be in band for just my last year of high school." They agreed.

The band director let me take a sousaphone home that summer, and I taught myself to play. Not long after the fall semester began, I became first chair in the tuba section. Yes, I was teased for being so short and playing the largest instrument, but I didn't care about that. I cherished every minute of band, and stayed late in the building to practice tuba. When I graduated from high school, I sadly resolved that my tuba playing days were over.

After one semester as a pre-med major, I was absolutely miserable--except for the counterpoint class that met twice a week. My grades reflected this with a GPA that would not help entrance into med school. I asked my parents for a meeting.

"I can't continue like this. I MUST study music," I implored.

"Fine, you're on your own," my parents replied. "But as long as you're happy, that's the most important thing."

The next fall, I transferred to Temple University Boyer College of Music. I had to enter as a piano major because, while I had had years of piano lessons, I had never had any formal training on tuba. But I was ecstatic. Since I had never been to a music camp or festival, etc., this was the first time that I "had permission" to totally immerse myself in the study of music--every day, all day. I did very well.

My career choice was initially to either teach High School music or become a "stuffed shirt" music professor (my Masters is in Music Theory). But the last summer before I concluded my grad classes, I took what I thought would be only a single summer's job working in a piano store. My new position (thank goodness, music-related) became a lifelong career and it eventually moved me away from my family in Philadelphia to the Chicago area.

The summer after my wife, children and I settled in one of the suburbs of Chicago, the VFW put out the word that they needed anyone who had ever played a band instrument to show up for rehearsals for a July 4th parade band. I saw my chance to re-acquaint myself with the tuba.

"But I don't have an instrument," I responded.

"Don't worry. We'll borrow one for you."

There I was on July 4th, playing a sousaphone and loving every minute of it.

That fall, a concert band in a neighboring community had a vacancy for a tuba player and an instrument to loan out. I joined the band, attended its weekly rehearsals, and quickly became comfortable playing at an acceptable level. Before the band's season was over, friends in the band said to me,"You know, if you really love playing the tuba as much as you appear to, you should take formal lessons."

So, at the age of 42, I resolved that if I was going to take lessons, I'd study with one of the best. I emailed Rex Martin at Northwestern University and told him my story. When he asked me what my goals were, I answered that I wanted to be fluid enough with the tuba that I could play any community ensemble music competently (by this time, I was also playing in a brass quintet). He invited me to come to his studio. After I played a couple of etudes for him, he said, "OK, I'll take you as a student."

As my lessons and my playing in ensembles continued, opportunities came to play with professional-level ensembles. So I raised the bar of my personal goals accordingly.

Now, tuba performing and practicing is a significant portion of how I spend my time. Every minute with a tuba in my lap is precious. I'm always aware that I'm "catching up" for time and opportunity to play tuba that was denied me when I was much younger.

Addendum: A number of years ago, my mother (who has since passed on) phoned me and asked,

"Are you still playing tuba?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And piano? Do you do any playing besides demonstrating instruments for customers?"

"Yes, Mom."

"And your wife and you still sing in that chorus?"

"Yes, Mom."

Long pause.

"Steven," (she had always called me Steven instead of Steve when I was in trouble) "Your mother was wrong, and you were right."

Imagine the bravery of this woman to
--(1) come to the realization that she had prevented me from enjoying and enriching my life with music/tuba/etc. for so many years,
--(2) not keep it to herself, instead admit this to anyone else such as a friend, and
--(3) express it to the very child who had been so deeply affected by her decisions and positions.

My father, OTOH, never really accepted that I had gone into music as lifelong pursuit, let alone love playing tuba--THAT he really couldn't understand.
The closest he ever came (before he passed on) to reconciling "my son, the musician" is when he was listening to a recording that I sent him of an orchestra concert in which I was playing tuba.

He phoned me and quietly murmured, "I'm crying as I listen to this."

[Dan Schultz]

I began piano lessons when I was seven and HATED it. In sixth grade the call went out for kids interested in being in the band. Per my normal personna... I farted around and by the time I made it to the bandroom... all the cool stuff was gone. The teacher handed me a fingering chart and a Conn Eb tuba. I was told to take the horn home and learn it.

[Travis99079]

I was sick the day of instrument tryouts. The next day, a director asked me to buzz into a tuba mouthpiece and well, the rest is history. Wound up a music major and now I'm a director myself!

[arpthark]

Was told I would "grow into" tuba as an 11 year old.

15 years later, I am still 5'7".

[Michael Bush]

I started out on trumpet in the second half of fourth grade. (In the first half, we were all "flute-o-phone" players.)

In sixth grade I got vicious 1970s-style braces, which were basically knives strapped to your teeth. There was not enough wax in the city to keep a trumpet mouthpiece from turning my mouth to hamburger. I loved band and didn't want to quit, so the band director showed me a tuba mouthpiece, and that was that. Played a Yamaha 103 for the rest of elementary school.

Junior high band went by. Took lessons from university students and got good enough to where the new university professor (well, instructor at the time) took me on as a student when I started high school. Had lessons with him the rest of high school. Made All-State every year I was eligible, as well as the honor band at another clinic that was always directed by Revelli, as we've discussed on here before. I never was first chair in either of those, but did fine.

When I graduated I just sort of slid into that university professor's studio without even auditioning. After all, I knew his teaching and he knew my playing. We'd been doing it for nearly three years by that point. But then somehow a switch flipped and we just couldn't stand each other once I was in college, and I quit after one semester.

And that was that until my kids started high school, and their director wanted to start a community band and said to my daughter, "Do you think your Dad could still do anything with a tuba?" I was overjoyed to give it a shot. (That band is another very interesting and even inspiring story, at least to me.)

Loving every moment of playing and doing other tuba stuff now.

[bort]

I started on trumpet in 4th grade, when I was 8 years old. I went to a music store in the mall and bought a cassette tape of "The Canadian Brass Greatest Hits." The trumpets were fine, but I heard Chuck Dallenbach playing tuba, and I was hooked.

I played trumpet through 9th grade, and was pretty good at it... but never really loved it. I'm not sure why I didn't change to tuba sooner, but the entire time I truly wanted to play tuba instead of trumpet. My opening came in 10th grade, when there were no tuba players in the band. My band director wasn't really thrilled with the idea that one of the best trumpet players wanted to switch to tuba, but he allowed it. I found the change to be quite easy, and I found success pretty quickly after that (all county, honor bands, etc.).

Looking back, I can't believe I played trumpet that long, I hate the thought of it now. I should have created my own opportunity much sooner. It was a good life lesson though -- if you want something to happen, go out and make it happen!

Oh, and about 15-20 years ago, I got a chance to meet Chuck Dallenbach, and tell him that he was the reason I started playing tuba... and that I'd been listening to him since I was 8 years old. He thought that was pretty cool.

[roughrider]

Great stories! Keep them coming!

[opus37]

My story is similar to a lot of you. I started out playing cornet in 5th grade because I asked to play an instrument and not having a clue, asked my mother what I should play. She said clarinet or cornet. I didn't know which was which so I randomly chose cornet. Being there were 12 cornet players and no baritones or tubas, those that were 3rd chair 3rd cornet and hadn't quit, were upgraded to baritone or tuba. I was the tuba upgrade that year. I played through high school and must have been pretty good because the band director bought a Getson Meir Weston model 25 (that should date me) for me to play in my senior year. I was asked to play in the city band during that time which was a great honor. (Only the best students got asked.) College was focused on my engineering studies, with very little time to play an instrument. About 15 years later, a friend gave me an old Eb sousaphone he found. It really didn't play, so I sold it (now I wish I still had it). My wife bought me a 1912 Martin Eb at an auction for $20. It played, so I cleaned it up and played in the local Shrine Band. Years went by with little playing until they needed a tuba in church for the Christmas program. I then learned about Tuba Christmas and my friend insisted I come back to play in that old city band. Then I retired and my wife let me buy a new tuba. Lee Stofer sold me a Kanstul 66 which was a great improvement for me. I started playing in local community bands, church quintets and my old city band. Then people started giving me tubas. I have been fixing them up and have been trading, using or selling them. I had 9 for a while. I'm down to 7 and am working down to 5 or 6 that I do use. Tuba has been part of my life for better than 50 years in one way or another. As long as I can pick one up and blow into it, I suspect it will continue.

[seanburke]

I grew up in the kind of family that went to perform at folk festivals and was singing on stage with my parent's bands from a very young age. Kind of did the eight year old thing and took up guitar and found it really easy. One of the kids in my class had a dad who was a brass player in the navy band, and one day he came in and showed everyone all of the brass instruments. I LOVED the trombone and was infatuated with and desperate to play it for the next two years.

When I got to my secondary school we got to choose which instrument we wanted to play, and all the band instruments were demonstrated for us. I saw the head of music playing a trombone and my eyes were locked on the prize - I was going to play the trombone (at this point in time I don't think I even cared about what a tuba was at this time). I put in my form and before I knew it I was learning the trombone. Dream come true.

Not... I got to the age of about 11 or 12 and wanted to play some rock guitar riffs again (probably to try and impress girls or something) and hardly practiced trombone for the next 6 months, but managed to get by playing 1st parts in all of the school ensembles with what I'd already learned coupled with a little bit of talent. Fast forward a few more months and my guitar playing was getting pretty good and I had started a few gigging bands, while still doing some trombone on the side. At a lunchtime at school I was playing touch football and through an unfortunate turn of events, broke my right collarbone. This was rather problematic, being a trombone player.

I decided I would just go to my next lesson knowing I won't be able to play trombone for a couple of months and coming to terms with the fact that I would be learning theory for a while. When I turned up, though, my teacher had an instant solution. He told me not to move from his room and disappeared for a few minutes, only to return with a Yamaha baritone horn. I learned all the fingerings with my left hand and was back in band (now on baritone horn) the next week. Once my collarbone healed I was trying to decide on which instrument I should learn. I ended up doing both for the rest of my schooling, however Euphonium (I'd managed to get a bit bigger and play well enough to warrant an upgrade) was the one I was excelling at. I ended up auditioning and winning spots at both local universities by the time school finished and headed off to study music.

I got to uni and was told that they didn't have a concert band, so I needed to play trombone in the orchestra. We had auditions (where I was competing with about 7 trombone majors) and I ended up playing bass trombone for one piece in our concert on a pea shooter, but the uni always brought in a tuba player for the concerts. Not liking the idea of having so many trombones to compete with who were so far ahead of me, I bought a BBb tuba and started learning. At this point my parents expressed their concern for the exponential growth in size of the instruments that I was accumulating, but I wasn't too stressed - I was having fun. One night I was practicing late at uni and the orchestra conductor heard me, came into the practice room, and asked me if I was confident on tuba. I lied and said yes, but it was the best lie I ever told. The seatings for the next semester came out and I was listed as the tuba. The program for this semester was Elgar 1, Kakadu by Sculthorpe and the Overture to Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, and my lie came back to bite me. Every week rehearsal would be stopped just so the conductor could tell me I "sound terrible" or "can't make the damned thing sound anywhere near a tuba". I don't know about your experiences but being publicly told you are terrible at the instrument you are trying to play was one of the most frustrating situations to be in. Fast forward a few weeks at the concert and I nailed the part (partly because I would stay back after rehearsals and fix what I'd been pulled up on that night). At the pub afterwards the conductor walked past me and gave me a thumbs up and I was so excited.

I haven't really looked back to my other instruments too much since then, and I've not needed to. Tuba makes me too happy.

[pecktime]

I started on saxophone at 17, no music lessons before then, after i was inspired by my brother taking up piano. I wanted to play double bass but couldn't find a teacher so sax was my second choice.

When I turned 30 after 12 years of gigging and gaining a Bmus in jazz performance (possibly the most useless degree in existence) I signed up for a credit card and maxed it out on a double bass.

When I turned 38 I bought a Wessex bass saxophone and started playing ragtime and trad jazz. I realised that I was pretending to be a tuba so i bought myself a King 1241. Great horn but I blamed the horn for my crappy technique and acquired a Yamaha 621CC. That was 5 years ago, and My technique is still not where I want it (even after lessons!) but i'm gigging on tuba every week and the bass sax is a bit sad. I am playing the bass sax today on a gig so i'll see if I can remember what the buttons do.

[ken k]

I was rummaging around in my grampop's attic one day when I was 8 years old and found my dad's old Cavalier trombone. the following year in 4th grade I started lessons. The Cavalier was one of those old silver trombones with a brass slide. When you left the water out of the spit valve a green sludge would come out. Nevertheless I continued on and got a used King Tempo in 6th grade (still played that horn in college marching band!). Anyway I played trombone through high school and college, although I switched to bass trombone in college and then took a few tuba lessons along the way. I ended up playing contra bass bugle in a D&B corps for a few years which really built up my tuba chops. After college I found that I was getting more gigs on tuba than trombone, so I started a brass quintet and we got to be pretty good and then the phone calls kept coming for tuba gigs. I do still play some trombone but not as much as tuba, and honestly I enjoy paying the tuba more

ken "Equally bad on trombone and tuba" k

[weops]

After two years of violin lessons my family moved to a town with no string program. My Mom made me play my fiddle for the band director. He listened, smiled and pointed to the corner of the band room, where sat a big old brass sousaphone. I played it for two years in Junior High and made good progress. But in 9th grade I quit Tuba to play soccer, basketball, track etc. That Band Director was disappointed, to say the least - he had taken an interest in me and devoted a lot of time and effort.

I entered college as a Joournalism major never expecting to play the Tuba again. While going through the Registration line I came to a table listing some instruments needed for the Jazz Band. They needed a player for a few optional Tuba parts on some Sammy Nestico charts. I told the Director I hadn't played in four years, but would try to get back up to speed. Surprisingly, it didn't take long. I took up Bass Trombone so I could be a regular member. Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton's Bands came through for Concerts and clinics. (I told one of Kenton's Trombone players I wanted to be a musician - he said: "Do you like riding in buses?") . That was 1975. I finished my Associates Degree in Journalism, got a Bachelors of Music and a Masters from Juilliard and have made my living playing the Tuba ever since.

I thank the many great and generous Teachers who helped me. Years ago I ran into that Band Director (Eugene Barnard) who had introduced me to the Tuba. He was retired - and I thanked him. He has passed on, and I still feel indebted to him for my life in music.

Thank your Teachers. They will appreciate it!

[ken k]

Jimmy Celebrates Cinco de Mayo, Star Wars Day and International Tuba Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrOUMkKgsvM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I'm no fan of Star Wars (or Rutgers ), but that's pretty amazing.

Hoo RAh! Hoo RAh! Rutgers Rah!!!! (my alma mater)

kk