Army conference in February

[Mary Ann]

I haven't been to a tuba thing since ITEC was in Tucson in 2010. Would this be a fun one to go to? Obviously not taking a tuba; just interested in seeing what there is to see and hearing what there is to hear. I assume lodging and food are on our own. Fly into Dulles?

I have a funny memory of the Tucson one --- can't remember what vendor it was but they had an old ratty Eb and let me take it down to the practice rooms to try. A friend (who later bought his NStar) went with and we were gone a while, and they were a bit panicked when we got back, thinking we had absconded with it. Of course we had not, and we both ended up later with Eb tubas. My Eb LOOKS ratty but plays just fine.

[Three Valves]

If it in full force as pre-‘Rona, yes.

Elephant room and performances are really fun.

National/Reagan is much closer than Dulles.

[Mary Ann]

Do people stay in nearby hotels? And do they ramp the prices for those days? Need a rental car?

[jtuba]

@Mary Ann

If as in years past, no hotels don't change more for such a minor DC event as a tuba conference. My experience has been lower prices for the weekend days and higher on weekdays for the hotel I usually stay at, but read on that's no longer an option.

You probably will want a car. The closest pedestrian gate is closed and the hotel with the best access to the back gate with a military ID is converting back to apartments. And it's been pretty cold some years for walking anyway

[Three Valves]

Even though the subway stops at the cemetery, I believe you are prohibited from walking onto post from there.

[scottw]

Do people stay in nearby hotels? And do they ramp the prices for those days? Need a rental car?

I have attended for several years, and, yes, it is a terrific 4 days, with superb musical performances. The elephant room is quite an experience and well worth walking a block down from the band building. Meeting others and seeing what is available is great. Bloke and Lee Stofer are worth talking with any time, as well as the huge offerings of Dillons and [hopefully?],Baltimore Brass. The grand concert on Saturday night is a fine experience in and of itself.
We have stayed in the same hotel each year and it is about 4-5 minutes from the gate, inexpensive [by DC standards], clean and perfectly satisfactory in every way. PM me if you are interested in our experience.
Scottw.

[kingrob76]

Also worth mentioning is that this is probably the only time all year you can buy an instrument / accessory and NOT pay sales tax.

Wednesday and Thursday are usually evening only events. Friday historically has some stuff happening in the day time, and mid-day Friday is usually when the elephant room opens. Saturday has LOTS going on but the Army struggles to process the dollars like they used to so the days of master classes led by Gene Pokorny, Alan Baer, etc are probably a thing of the past but I see the Baltimore Symphony Low Brass section on the flyer along with Pat Sheridan (maybe playing with the Army Blues) so it's got some street cred for sure. The snack bar at the bowling alley is underrated (for a bowling alley snack bar).

Make sure you pre-register for the workshop and be prepared for an "extensive" vehicle inspection every time you enter the post. Rental car is a must, really (IMHO), and because of that the hotel proximity could be considered flexible.