ITEA Regional Conferences for 2024

[bloke]

master classes:
It probably helps some kids to hear the same things said by others that their own teacher says to them every week...sorta like if your own dad is a really good golfer - and gives you tips, you're likely to have a "whatever, dad" attitude, but if "that guy on cable TV" works with you and your skills for five minutes, that's a really big deal, and you pay attention.

lectures:
ick

elephant room:
noisy, shiny, a handful or so of good things for sale (assuming a large elephant room)

student farting contests:
They prompt a dozen or so young people to practice.

[LeMark]

I could see Austin custom brass or BAC setting up shop at as many as 4 of these. Being in Kansas City, it's not any more than a 10 hour drive to get to Ohio, and three of them are even closer

[matt g]

It seems to me these things should be in places that are major metropolitan areas that have good airports/highways/amtrak stop/mass transit and a real core of professional players and surrounding universities plus being high population centers lots of HS students within easy travel times. I would guess that NYC, Chicago, DC, LA, Seatle would be within a 1.5 hour car ride for 90% or more of the tuba/euph playing population.

Drop a location in Florida/Atlanta and you’ll cover most of the population for sure.

In my job, I’ve had to host various conferences/symposiums/meetings as they like to rotate things around the country and my location is preferable for summertime meetings.

Herding cats at this level is a lot of work. It’s worthy of being noted on a CV/resume.

However, these tuba get-togethers have three different participant populations (with diversity in each): professionals (there are professional players and professors, sometimes the same person, sometimes not), students (some aspiring professionals, some music education students, some just young tuba nerds), and amateurs (which have a fairly wide gamut of personalities and capabilities).

What corresponds to these tuba shindigs is vendors showing up to hock wares, as it’s a captured population and it’s often a bit easier to get transactions to happen from the extra hype. This helps drawn in these populations because instruments like the tuba cannot be found en masse in regular hometown music shops.

It’s pretty evident over the years that some of the largest investments in tuba collections are coming from the amateur realm. Lots of smart men and women with good jobs that just happen to play the tuba and have plenty of disposable income.

This would seem to imply that the vendors would want that group to show up as well? But my guess is that they also get enough business from the younger student crowd such that bringing more stuff might just be a hassle. I honestly have no idea. It would seem like vendors might push back on ITEA to make these conferences a little more accessible for the amateur crowd but maybe not.

There’s probably a decent market for a big tuba meeting that’s more like a “TubaCon” where it’s just a flat fee for access and there’s no membership. Maybe people pay more to get into “exclusive” events but stuff like the exhibit floor (where 80% of the people are at in these various ____Cons hangout) would be included in the basic fee. Maybe not even yearly. Or maybe it should be more of a “BrassCon” simply for getting enough of a crowd to truly drive participation. But then the music educator conferences kinda dabble in this space but also have some pretty steep one-day non-member fees.

I’m not sure what the solution is for the amateur market that wants to go to something like this. However, it’s pretty clear that the current ITEA stuff is aiming at the academic community only and that the idea of including all groups of tuba users has kinda gone away from the old days of T.U.B.A. A bit ironic considering the current agenda.

[Mary Ann]

It probably IS all about marketing, because it seems everything is now. I think there has been quite a change in the last ten years, in that respect. As with everything, follow the money, or the anticipated money. Maybe some day it will swing back the other way and become about the people again.

[jtuba]

It's not like anyone is checking badges at these things. If you want to go try horns, just go. If you want to check out the evening concert, just go. Sure if someone makes a stink about it you'd be "wrong", but the conference host will be too busy running around to notice who played that Eastman 6/4 at 12:27 and which student do you think is actually gonna confront you over going to a lecture? Just don't be obnoxious and I think you'll be fine

Most of the time I've seen day passes available too if you are indeed a member

Anyone have any insight how Horn Call, ITA, ITG handle their conferences?

[UncleBeer]

lectures:
ick

If I ever have to hear another "Art of Breathing" lecture by the tooba perfesser from EastNorthEast Springfield Community College, I'm gonna . . .

[gocsick]

I've never been to one of these meetings so I was curious and looked up the cost. Not cheap... but compared to scientific conferences this is almost free. I am currently at a small specialized scientific meeting (250 ish total participants) where registration for the meeting (no hotel or food) is $900 and single day passes are $625... and that's the discounted price for people presenting a paper!. Granted I am not paying that out of pocket. But the $100+ annual membership fee to the professional society that is required for conference participation I do have to pay myself. The ball park estimate for a national meeting for me and my students is about $3k per person for a 4 day meeting when you figure in hotels, airfare, and food.

$35 e-membership and $75 conference registration seems really reasonable by comparison. Granted that is more than $100 of real money to get on the door...

I was planning on driving out to the Mid West Regional with my son just to see what's up and maybe get to play some fancy horns for a bit.

[bloke]

If I knew what horns were going to be in Memphis, I might consider ponying up...but Mrs. bloke would probably scold me for spending (including r/t gasoline from over here in the next county) $125 to blow through tubas that I wouldn't be buying and shootin' the $h!t with people (instead of fixin' horns or pulling out one of the chainsaws and cleaning up stuff from this bad storm we had last summer)...

...I guess it would depend on a couple of other things...(??) ...We worry - for each other - until the other one of us is home safe-and-sound - when either of us goes into Memphis, for whatever reason.

THANK-YOU @UncleBeer for that information !

[Mark]

Question. I didnt see it on the webpage, do you have to be an itea member to register/attend a conference?

IMPORTANT: You must be a member of ITEA to attend NWRTEC.

[Grumpikins]

Thank you for the clarification. I hope everything goes well.

Sent from my SM-S367VL using Tapatalk

[bloke]

Via Zack's generosity, I believe my section buddy and I are going to to scramble over the Memphis to check out the elephant room on Saturday...It seems as though there's enough time between our dress rehearsal and our (outah-town) show.

I wonder who's showin' their wares?

[bloke]

I've always assumed that regional conferences are light in that department. Let me know if I am wrong

[Mark]

Question. I didnt see it on the webpage, do you have to be an itea member to register/attend a conference?

IMPORTANT: You must be a member of ITEA to attend NWRTEC.

I was thinking I would go to the NWRTEC this year until I found I had to join ITEA to do so. So, the university lost my attendance fee. A local motel lost two nights of room rental and some local restaurants lost several meal sales.

[bloke]

I don't see why you would have to join the International Test and Evaluation Association to go to a tuba thing...As long as it's a sisterhood, it should be okay though.

[Mark]

I don't see why you would have to join the International Test and Evaluation Association to go to a tuba thing...As long as it's a sisterhood, it should be okay though.

Nope, but I might have joined T.U.B.A.

[bisontuba]

I don't see why you would have to join the International Test and Evaluation Association to go to a tuba thing...As long as it's a sisterhood, it should be okay though.

I am member of ITEA...just say you are me, and get a Mark name tag....I just want a pic of you wearing a Mark tag...