“professional tubist” fb pages

[UncleBeer]

...teachers encouraging their students to make recording, videos, etc for public consumption.

Sometimes that's the bulk of the what their professors apparently excel in: self-promotion. Look at some of the CVs: obscure brass quintets, little-known ensembles, Phi Mu Alpha membership, and plenty of ITEA journal contributions.

"Those who can, do, ...."

[bloke]

Barely past my 21st birthday, I played what was technically listed on the degree program for music education as a “junior recital“, with very minimal requirements. That having been said, I very greatly exceeded those requirements, the recital lasted about an hour and a half, and included quite a variety of music, not just tuba/piano crap, but some arrangements I wrote for jazz band, tuba quintet and trap drum set, a couple of tuba duets which included my teacher with a narrator, and a suite for tuba and horn with piano.
Just to check off a box (along with another composer’s bass trombone sonata, as well as the “Effie Suite” - which I played just because my girlfriend asked me to), I did the Paul Hindemith - Tuba Sonata, but brought in a piano virtuoso who played every note and didn’t miss a single note (since it is actually a “piano with tuba” sonata). Without bragging - and just being matter-of-fact, it was a very well-played and a very entertaining recital, even though I caught quite a bug one day before, and was taking a tremendous amount of drugs to get through it.
Even though it was quite good, I’m not willing to digitize it and upload it, because I play much better today. I’m glad that the Internet did not exist when I was 21 years old, because I might’ve been dumb enough to have uploaded it at that time, which would’ve been an example of a young person exercising poor judgment.

Also, I performed the Tennessee premiere of the John Williams Tuba Concerto approximately 28 years ago. I have a recording of that, but have also chosen to not digitize and upload that, because that performance – ironically – coincided with yet another ice storm, which defined that the two dozen or so ringers hired to play with the orchestra only read through the piece one time prior to the performance. I played fine, but the orchestra was scrambling. At that time, I was 38 years old, so I believe I would have been wise enough to hold that recording back, as I continue to do to this day.

[Dan Tuba]

I understand, to some extent, some of the "business, optics, and reputation" aspects of being a professional musician. I also understand that we as a community of musicians, especially tuba players, seemingly enjoy "eating our own." Instead of encouraging the pursuit of excellence, in hopes of achieving something that we all can enjoy, we oftentimes choose to tear one another down. You see it all over... social media, YouTube, and at conferences. I have been to several conferences over the years, some specifically for tuba players. I was always amazed at how many people showed up for the "who's who" of the time, and how few showed up for the lesser known performers. It's really telling, when you are at smaller, regional conferences, where there's nothing else going on...no schedule conflicts. Just not much support for those in the middle, and lower tiers of our profession, from what I have seen. It's rather interesting that those in the middle tier and lower tier of "professionals" are primarily the ones in the trenches training our next "who's who" of the future. Not much support for those guys and gals. Oftentimes, just the usual "criticism" that may or may not be constructive.

It's the same for many of our up and coming student/professional/amateur performers... Rather than supporting those willing to slug it out in the trenches of public opinion, those willing to experience a certain degree of vulnerability to offer a brief period of art) entertainment for all of us to enjoy, we tear them down and in so doing, harm the very thing that we claim to love, and spend so much of our time and energy on.

I'm not advocating for "drowning in the sea of mediocrity." However, I am just thinking that we might be able to support and enjoy others journey to "perfection" in hopes of simultaneously ensuring that our art continues inspiring others.

Although a different context/application, I'm also reminded of the following quote:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,…"

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

[bloke]

I shared my 12-year-old granddaughter‘s audition performance of all three movements of the Mozart horn concerto on social media, but I (as well as I suspect would her father, who is a professional horn player) would discourage her from sharing performances she might do at age 17, if she were to plan to continue pursuing the horn.

[LargeTuba]

How Is amazing for a 12 year old different then amazing for a 17 year old?

[YorkNumber3.0]

.

[bloke]

Here’s the point that I’m going to attempt to illuminate better:
- At age 12, she looks like a child and everyone knows that she hasn’t reached the anywhere close to the pinnacle of her ability.
- At age 17, she’s going to look mostly like she will look as a young adult, and years later people rifling through videos on the Internet (including possible audition committee members) might confuse her age 17 playing ability with her age 27 playing ability, and thus forming a lower impression of her capabilities than would be actual.
—————-
I hope this offers a better clarification.

How Is amazing for a 12 year old different then amazing for a 17 year old?

[UncleBeer]

Of course, as you probably well know, that’s all necessary for the academic process. Their admins and the associated machines require evidence of participation in those activities. Professional hoop jumping.

Let's not mistake those 'academic requirements' for the pursuit of musical excellence. Hopefully that's also somewhere on the list of college priorities, as well as button-polishing, bean-counting, conference-attending and CV padding.

[bloke]

Of course, as you probably well know, that’s all necessary for the academic process. Their admins and the associated machines require evidence of participation in those activities. Professional hoop jumping.

Let's not mistake those 'academic requirements' for the pursuit of musical excellence. Hopefully that's also somewhere on the list of college priorities, as well as button-polishing, bean-counting, conference-attending and CV padding.

fwiw...
I've never associated "quantity of degrees in music performance" with "music performance prowess".
THOUGH THEY WON'T ADMIT IT PUBLICLY, orchestra audition committees ACTUALLY look askance at resumes loaded down with performance degrees...ie. "Oh...I see that this person is 28 years old, and hasn't been about to audition into a playing gig, so let's put this resume in this pile, over here - with the others that receive the 1-page letters."

Rather than viewing "performance degree facilitators" (full-time/tenured studio teachers) as anything else, I view them much in the way that I view the requirements of becoming a new car salesmen:

ie. "You can't SELL Buicks - here at this dealership - UNLESS you friggin' BUY a Buick YOURSELF...OK: even if its only an Encore GX - as long as it's some sort of Buick."

[russiantuba]

I have one of those pages, and I have received a couple of gigs and students via that page. I also have a website and have recordings, because “kollij” jobs want those. Recordings are merely a snapshot, and even as I listen to ones, I see how much I improve. An ancient platform I used to use has some undergraduate recordings, but I can’t delete those as I can’t access them. I sure do hope I can play better.

Bloke has a good point, I tend to actually practice fundamentals and small sections of pieces that actually seem to give difficulties, and not the easy stuff.

Back to the pages. Richard White, in his book, mentioned how Harvey Phillips taught him to be a businessman with a tuba. My wife, who managed small online businesses and her family owned a brick and mortar craft mall for several years a couple of decades ago, and have mentioned the importance of having this storefront concept. She did a ton of online trainings for digital presence and promotions from a few leading online marketing experts too, about having this and a balance of personal, business, and interests.

Lastly, I asked Joe Skillen at SCRTEC 2009 about a website, as he had a mighty fine one. He suggested having one, and putting your best stuff on there if you feel like you have something to market. I would encourage a student to have a page, and if the only thing is a resume they can edit, then you can go from there.

[bloke]

I suppose if "tuba" was all I did (and I've refused students since nearly forever, though I actually taught Joe Murphy for a short time ), I might have a "tuba" webpage...but (were it that I taught college children - particularly were it obvious to me that they were still on the uphill side, playing-mastery-wise) I would strongly discourage this. If they (same college children, scuffling their way through Tyrell, Air/Bouree, etc.) wanted to teach middle school children, I'd encourage them to network - face-to-face - with band directors, and avoid vanity fb "tuba" pages.