A Blast From the Past: My Masters Project

[DonO.]

While purging my files I came across this paper I wrote for my masters. It’s entitled “An Exploration of Issues Relating to the Teaching of Tuba Players”. Submitted by me in April of 1986. It does not rise to the level of a thesis. My university allowed me to do a “lecture-recital” with an accompanying paper. There was the paper itself, which included a survey of area band directors. The lecture part of my recital consisted of presentation of data from the study, me performing and explaining solo literature appropriate for beginners through high school, and school appropriate ensemble literature presented by a local tuba-euphonium quartet. Reading the paper after so many years was interesting. I think it contains a pretty good snapshot of the state of things in the mid-eighties. I thought I would share with our community some of my findings.

I started the project with some hypotheses: that it would be better if more students began on the tuba rather than being switched from something else, that it would be better if band directors would purchase 4 valve instruments so that use of the 4th valve could be introduced earlier, that tuba students should have exposure to solo and ensemble playing early on, and that special arrangements should be made to insure tuba players had sufficient opportunity to practice.

My survey of band directors included the city of Richmond, Virginia, and surrounding counties. I had a 79.5% return rate. Here is some interesting stuff I found out:

1. Two elementary, eighteen middle school, and fifteen high school directors responded, with a total of 61 tuba students between them.
2. Of those 61 tuba students, 22 of them started on tuba, 31 transferred from another brass instrument, and 6 transferred from a non-brass instrument. The remainder were not known.
3. 6 directors reported having had a student tuba soloist in a concert, 7 had a tuba student participate in a state solo competition, 3 reported having a tuba ensemble, and 1 reported their ensemble participated in a state competition.
4. 11 directors described their tuba students’ interest level as “high”, 13 replied “medium”, and 4 answered “low”. 3 directors had no tuba students and 4 did not answer.
5. 35 directors reported having 3 valve instruments. Only 5 reported having 4 valve instruments.
6. 20 directors reported having Conn tubas, 8 used Yamahas, 3 Miraphones, 2 Olds, 1 Bach, 1 Meinl-Weston, and the rest not specified.
7. 38 directors had piston valve horns, only 2 had rotary valve horns.
8. 27 reported using upright instruments, 4 used Sousaphones, and 8 used convertible contras. The rest were not specified.

Note: in 5-8, totals are higher than the 35 directors because some had multiple types of instruments.

Feel free to discuss! Remember, this is the way it was in one little corner of the USA in 1986!

[DonO.]

Hmm. Zero replies? I thought there as a good deal of discussion fodder there. Apparently I was wrong.

Personally, I found it interesting that in the mid eighties, most school tubas were still American made brands (Conn, Olds…not sure about Bach at that time), Yamahas were starting to get a toe hold but not yet a big “thing”, that solo and ensemble participation by tuba students was a rare occurrence, and that rotary horns and 4 valve horns were also a rarity.

Although I have no data to back it up, anecdotally it seems to me that (fast forward to present day), Yamaha is probably the predominant brand, with Eastman also a major player, 4 valve and rotary tubas are seen much more often, and solo-ensemble participation is much more common.

I have met very few high school-college age tuba players in my present circumstances, but of the ones I have met, one had his own horn, a Conn 5J, not a music major but an enthusiastic player anxious to upgrade. Another played a school owned Eastman (the one that’s basically a King 2341 copy). And the third played a school owned Miraphone 186 and wanted to be a tuba major in college, anxious to buy her own horn.

All three of them were ahead of me when I was their age, me playing my little 3 banger in HS and thinking I would just be playing someone else’s tuba for the rest of my life. I had my own mouthpiece after all! It wasn’t until I got to college and tried being a tuba major with a school owned Conn 24J that the kind professor had a heart to heart talk with me about buying my own horn. I absolutely wanted one, for a few years by then, but I just didn’t think I’d ever be able to afford it. When he convinced me of the importance of it, I figured out a way. Borrowed the money from my father, and payed it back interest free over three years with summer job money. When you need something badly, you figure it out. I am grateful to my father for being willing to help.

Anyway, sorry for posting something that the forum at large does not find interesting. It’s probably because I’m pointing out stuff everyone already knows. Yes?

[bloke]

You should feel just fine about this.
Sometimes - on social media - I post stuff (most of my stuff is for laughs, but) and - not being a director (other than one semester after receiving my degree, going on to teach at a university, realizing that academia more resembles corporate America than a vehicle for learning, and verbally turning in my notice in April...as - to me - teaching is emotionally draining: caring much more about students' progress than they themselves usually seem to care), the lists of quantities of students/instruments (to me - from my off-to-the-side repair-guy perspective) just reminded me of van-loads of difficult/challenging repair work - with deadlines...

...so the topic isn't something of interest to me in particular.

Others here are band directors, and - simply - they may not have noticed your post. (??)

in summary:

[tylerferris1213]

What were your findings on the success of students who started on tuba versus those who switched to it? I could see it either way. Either starting on the tuba is better because they start without the embouchure of another instrument, or that starting on a more technical instrument sets a precedent that transfers to the tuba to play more technical things.

This is purely anecdotal, but I know someone who has a career as a low brass musician who started on flute in middle school. He was bullied for his choice, so he switched to tuba midway through the year. When he tried playing the tuba, he was disappointed that it wasn't as "articulate" as a flute and came to the conclusion that it was his fault. He asked the band director to let him practice in a practice room during band while he learned how to play the tuba right. After some time, he felt confident to play in the band and was immediately first chair in every group. To this day, he still treats the tuba as an instrument that should be able to play anything a flute, violin, etc can. His only concession is that, because of the range the tuba plays in, there are some VERY fast passages in which the wave form of a note cannot complete before moving to the next note. He accepts this as a physical limitation of the instrument rather than a player deficiency.

[DonO.]

What were your findings on the success of students who started on tuba versus those who switched to it? I could see it either way. Either starting on the tuba is better because they start without the embouchure of another instrument, or that starting on a more technical instrument sets a precedent that transfers to the tuba to play more technical things.

This is purely anecdotal, but I know someone who has a career as a low brass musician who started on flute in middle school. He was bullied for his choice, so he switched to tuba midway through the year. When he tried playing the tuba, he was disappointed that it wasn't as "articulate" as a flute and came to the conclusion that it was his fault. He asked the band director to let him practice in a practice room during band while he learned how to play the tuba right. After some time, he felt confident to play in the band and was immediately first chair in every group. To this day, he still treats the tuba as an instrument that should be able to play anything a flute, violin, etc can. His only concession is that, because of the range the tuba plays in, there are some VERY fast passages in which the wave form of a note cannot complete before moving to the next note. He accepts this as a physical limitation of the instrument rather than a player deficiency.

I didn’t do anything about the “success” rate of students who started on tuba vs those who switched. After all, how exactly how would you measure “success”? A very difficult thing to quantify. When you get right down to it, anyone who takes 20 or more pounds of a plumber’s nightmare of twisted pipes and manages to make music with it is a success. I started with the preconceived notions that starting on tuba was better, in a sort of self-evident way. But perhaps I was unfair. I myself was originally a (bad) trumpet player who moved to baritone horn and then to tuba.

I had that same argument with a violinist once about how the tuba didn’t have any limitations and could do anything any other instrument could. She said “I’ll bet you can’t do double stops!” And then I proceeded to show her that I could play one set of notes while simultaneously singing another set through the horn. That shut her up, although I’m glad she didn’t mention triple stops!