What do you want from a conference?

[LeMark]

We might have already had this thread in some form, but I want to fish for more input and strong opinions

Tell us (as specifically as possible) what you would like to see happen at a tuba/Euph convention. The format, length, time of year, what kind or recitals, product showcase, everything you can think of that would either make ITEA more successful, or a new conference attractive

[bloke]

Maybe instead of tooting contests, more really good teachers doing master classes and maybe more than just one. I think it's good for students to hear the same things their own teachers are saying to them from other teachers who are nationally and internationally recognized, it probably encourages them to pay more attention to their own teachers.

I'm setting myself up for being accused of just supporting what I do better, but I think - as far as jazz is concerned - more tuba players are employed playing early jazz rather than styles from the 1950s and later. Even though we are obviously not in the middle of yet another dixieland jazz revival at all right now, I still think what I just said is true. There are some high profile early jazz bands that use tubas, because the Internet brings attention to them. I would maybe bring one of those bands to a conference and probably one that's particularly good and it also features a particularly good tuba player, and maybe there would be some way that they could even do a master class, and maybe even have different students who have some ability to sit in with the band while he's coaching them and critiquing what they did with their bass lines and solos, and maybe even make a list of songs ahead of time that participating students can prepare and study to play along with the guest band. I think it would be more interesting to have conferences be more education-oriented and hands on rather than pontificating platitudes, and rather than college teacher show off recitals or tooting contest between students.

It might even be interesting to have someone do a lecture demonstration about classic interior shapes of mouthpieces and how they work with general sizes/lengths of tubas, without really talking about the brand of the tubas or the brands of the mouthpieces that they are demonstrating, but how classic shapes of mouthpieces work (or don't work particularly well..
??) with general sizes of tubas... and so what if it's only one lecturer's opinions.

Maybe even encouraging people how to learn how to take rotors apart and maybe some basic dent removal techniques. People seem to be afraid that they're going to ruin their instruments - and they should be, but it would be better if people knew enough about how to repair their instruments themselves that they could make them better - and without ruining them - until they got them to an expert's shop... how to unstick slides without doing crazy stuff that wrecks instruments - like jerking on them with a belt, or other tubacide types of techniques to avoid... how to unstick mouthpieces, how to unstick sousaphone tuning bits.
Stuff like don't try to take dents out of handmade instruments with magnets, and what parts of instruments to never use magnets on and how different sizes of magnets work with different strengths of magnets and how all that stuff sort of works the opposite way of regular dent tools, and all sorts of other insights that are things about which people are basically clueless. Most people today engage very little with the real world and mostly stare at screens. Right at this moment that's what I'm doing, as an example.

[Dents Be Gone!]

I agree, guys. This is the way to go.

[UncleBeer]

I like everything Joe mentioned. In addition:

- less kolidge perfessers trying to pad their CV's by playing stuff no-one wants to hear or perform later. Or is that what ITEA is predominantly for...?
- more accountability in choices of participants. What exactly were they thinking when they rejected Aaron Tindall? I'm told by ITEA higher-ups that there's "no way to know what the criteria were" in the performer choices in Arizona. Seriously?

Unfortunately, I don't think the current incarnation of ITEA is capable of either of those things, so I'm pretty much done with that 'tuba club'.

[Grumpikins]

Im keeping this short.

First. I agree with Joe's points.

Second. I recently inquired about going to a conference that's nearby....

---There is no Avenue for non members of the host organization to attend....

---The fees to attend are really high. My sons horn teacher said that many teachers dont go because of this.

So.

How about a registration system for non members. A low fee, plus individual charges for specific things like going to the one lecture that interests you, walking the vendor floor etc.

All I was interested in at this conference was walking the vendor area. Bring my eb tuba and try out mp's on it. As mp dealers dont carry them for you to try but will order anything with payment... I can do that from home but I'm not going to spend $2000 to find one I like on this horn.

My humble opinion. Thanks.

Sent from my SM-S367VL using Tapatalk

[bloke]

I'd like to make something really clear:

I believe that male white tuba players view it as being really cool when there's a female tuba player or a tuba player of a non-white race who is doing some demonstration teaching or performing or whatever, but anyone brought in to teach or demonstrate should be really damn good - and playing really good music. In other words: the same as anyone else

It would also be nice if cronyism were somehow eliminated, but that's really difficult to eliminate in anything.

I do see discrimination against women musicians.
One of the best trombone players I've heard - also with an incredible singing voice and a great ability to teach - was turned down for tenure in this area and went on to teach at a more prestigious school elsewhere, one of the very best trumpet players in this area is moving on to other things while still playing trumpet, and one of the very best set drummers (if not THE best - along with being a great classical and pop keyboard player) in the area shrugged their shoulders and left the area to go work with Jimmy Buffett, and then decided to go into a different profession as well.

[matt g]

I like everything Joe mentioned. In addition:

- less kolidge perfessers trying to pad their CV's by playing stuff no-one wants to hear or perform later. Or is that what ITEA is predominantly for...?
- more accountability in choices of participants. What exactly were they thinking when they rejected Aaron Tindall? I'm told by ITEA higher-ups that there's "no way to know what the criteria were" in the performer choices in Arizona. Seriously?

Unfortunately, I don't think the current incarnation of ITEA is capable of either of those things, so I'm pretty much done with that 'tuba club'.

The person you mentioned directly I was a bit subtle about in the other thread.

It still blows my mind that the guy who has been helping get students into legitimate full time (and some high profile) jobs, multiple per year nonetheless, gets passed over for people who have recordings out in public wherein they barely sound competent on the instrument.

Having someone like that available for two sessions would be awesome:

1. Typical masterclass for younger/aspiring players

2. Philosophy/approach to developing young players

That way people get to see the theory and practice at work.

There are some fine players making solid money playing sousaphone. I think a session on that would be interesting. You have people laying down a lot of stuff that’s trad jazz like @bloke mentions, then you have some fantastic funk/pop work going on, and finally a lot of norteno music that uses a lot of technical sousaphone playing.

The repair stuff would be cool, but I think that’s possibly more involved, so it would be harder to coordinate and implement. Unless you’ve got access to one of those cool surgery theater things.

[bloke]

I believe a repair/maintenance demonstration could work if you had a talented videographer with a compact camera who was doing close-ups while managing to mostly stay out of the way and close-ups were going onto a screen in the same room with (even) a large number of people in there.

[matt g]

I'd like to make something really clear:

I believe that male white tuba players view it as being really cool when there's a female tuba player or a tuba player of a non-white race who is doing some demonstration teaching or performing or whatever, but anyone brought in to teach or demonstrate should be really damn good - and playing really good music. In other words: the same as anyone else

It would also be nice if cronyism were somehow eliminated, but that's really difficult to eliminate in anything.

You slipped this in while I was fumbling with my thumbs, and I wholeheartedly agree.

My own opinion has been that the tuba community has been pretty damn open minded regarding non white dude players. Lots of peeps have huge respect for Connie Weldon and her legacy. Same with many of the younger up and coming female players. Carol Jantsch is a well respected player in a high profile position. If anything, it’s outside of the community where the novelty effect (small girl/big tuba) still gets traction.

Same goes with other minority groups as well. But yeah, you won’t get a pass based on the color of your skin or what restroom you choose to use, you have to have chops.

Unfortunately, there are some people in the academic group trying to gain notoriety without having legitimate chops.

[matt g]

I believe a repair/maintenance demonstration could work if you had a talented videographer with a compact camera who was doing close-ups while managing to mostly stay out of the way and a close-ups were going onto a screen in the same room with (even) a large number of people in there.

Sounds quite plausible, but this would probably just require paying someone to transport and operate the required stuff.

[bloke]

I'm really not trying to respond to every post, but isn't this compact camera technology super common and something that people can do with their phones while Bluetoothing into some device that goes to the auditorium's own screen?

me?
I've never messed with Bluetooth anything.

[LeMark]

Im keeping this short.

First. I agree with Joe's points.

Second. I recently inquired about going to a conference that's nearby....

---There is no Avenue for non members of the host organization to attend....

---The fees to attend are really high. My sons horn teacher said that many teachers dont go because of this.

So.

How about a registration system for non members. A low fee, plus individual charges for specific things like going to the one lecture that interests you, walking the vendor floor etc.

All I was interested in at this conference was walking the vendor area. Bring my eb tuba and try out mp's on it. As mp dealers dont carry them for you to try but will order anything with payment... I can do that from home but I'm not going to spend $2000 to find one I like on this horn.

My humble opinion. Thanks.

Sent from my SM-S367VL using Tapatalk

I can't make promises, but let me say this.

Without the overheard to pay for a facility, there is ZERO reason to charge more than a token registration fee.

When my local church found out that the Arlington community band was playing $400 per concert to rent a methodist church to hold our concerts, they volunteered to host the band for free

Just this morning I was telling our pastor (a trumpet player who graduated from TCU with a music degree) that TCU jacked up the TubaChristmas fees to the point that we had to cancel this year's event, his FIRST reaction was the ask "well, can we host it here??" I told him we might be having that conversation in the upcoming months

It's nice to have a band geek as your pastor

[LeMark]

I'm really not trying to respond to every post, but isn't this compact camera technology super common and something that people can do with their phones while Bluetoothing into some device that goes to the auditorium's own screen?

me?
I've never messed with Bluetooth anything.

At my church we don't have Bluetooth streaming to the big screens, but we can put a broadcast quality PTZ camera on stage that will feed the screens. Great for close ups of objects that you want on the screens. (or recorded)

[LeMark]

Here's by far the biggest downside to having it Arlington.

Arlington is the largest city in the entire world to not have any type of public transportation. To get from the airport, get to the host facility from a hotel, or even get to any restaurant that isn't walking distance away (yes there are some right across the street). Would require a rental car, your personal car, or Uber

As long as everyone understands that from the get go, I think we could put together a really good gathering


One more thing, if we do this, I think it shouldn't be until 2025, I wouldn't want to put this together feeling rushed for 2024, and it would be an alternative to anyone who is not willing or able to go to Spain.

[russiantuba]

A lot of the stuff mentioned above sounds great. My big thing is playing opportunities for all members outside of a morning warmup session.

My most memorable conference experiences have been where I have played in an ensemble of some kind. SERTEC 2022 had the professors’ choir, and it was fun getting to play with everyone. Cleveland Tuba Day had a similar event as well. As a student, several of the people I played with in the SCRTEC 2009 student ensemble I talk to on a weekly basis.

Imagine forming groups, even smaller groups, we all take leadership, share our own rehearsal techniques and musical ideas, learn from our peers by playing with our peers.

With that being said, I’ve attended too many of these conferences where if I wasn’t doing a recital performance, there was absolutely no reason to tote a tuba around (and this should not be the case!).

[LeMark]

We could spend a whole year compiling stories and ideas and impressions of what people have been around for a long time considered to be the best of the best of what they have done at a conference.

I like the idea of a reading session, I think we could also find some people to arrange or compose special music for the conference that we could premiere as a tube euphonium ensemble, or maybe even bring in local musicians and friends to help us make a full Brass Band

[bloke]

You know it would be a boring job for someone, but a secure personal tuba "cloakroom" would be an awfully cool thing. Something where a picture of a driver's license is matched with the person's driver's license, or something like that. That way people could have access to their own instruments yet without having to lug them around or risk leaving them in their cars and stolen. Arlington is probably a wonderful place, but every place features people who break into cars and take things, and even at church parking lots.

Were this to happen and really get talked up by those who went to it (because they enjoyed it so much), it would be interesting if it would end up changing the formats of the ITEC get-togethers.

[tclements]

• Some different faces. It seems we see the same people presenting. I know there is a submission and approval process, but how about going out and ASKING some people to present.

• How about a time that is not during the school year. Some of us are working, are unable to miss performances.

• A stipend for those presenting. It's expensive to go to these things. Travel, hotel, meals, time off of work, etc....

My 2¢.

[Mary Ann]

For those us who would have to travel significant distances to an ITEA, cost is prohibitive. Yes I CAN afford it, but I'm not going to. The one ITEA I went to was here in Tucson in 2010.

I would love to see more technical tuba things; as bloke suggested, what effects do the various dimensions of mouthpieces have? It's still a Mystery School and you have to either find a way to try (like, um, at a conference) a large number of them, or you have to buy some different ones and see what happens. Why does putting a dent in your rotary F tuba suddenly make the low C available (yeah I know I dwell on that one, but -- in general, the acoustics of brass instruments and tubas in particular.)

My impressions of master classes, which I have only attended at horn workshops, are that the participants are so terrified that the "problems" that appear to be "fixed" (in most cases, anyway) are simply the difference between when they first get on stage and are falling apart, and after they calm down a bit and can play normally. The hero who "helped" them gets the credit for what would have happened anyway if they were not terrified to start with. Of course there are situations not like that, like the time I was at a horn workshop and the poor schnook on stage could not play a metronomic rhythm of steady 8th notes, pointed out to him kindly by Phil Myers. But even from midway back I could see that the poor schnook was mortified and maybe even so much so as to give up playing. So that's my feeling about master classes. I'm not sure they are good things. But -- here's what I would do in my crazy way of doing things differently; get a PRO up there and have the PRO do things "wrong or not right anyway" and then have the PRO demonstrate the difference between doing it "wrong" and the "fix" for that problem, as opposed to emotionally beating on a schnook whose teacher made them get up there. I saw similar in a master class here given by another famous horn player; the guy being "taught" was so nervous he basically couldn't play.

[bloke]

There seems to be somewhat of a tradition of a grand concert at the end of many of these type things, and if a 1920s/1930s jazz band were brought in to do a masterclass on the last day with students, what if they also played during a final get-together meal, and people could ask if they could sit in for the tuba player or even stand in the front and play euphonium next to or instead of their trombone player?

(Just to be really clear, I would stay seated, enjoy the dinner, the music, and the conversation.)