End of year thoughts

[bort2.0]

Even by my standards, it's been a weird tuba year... The first time since 1999 that I haven't played a CC tuba.

Started the year with a Besson 983 Eb in-hand, plus a Rudy 5/4 BBb in the shop with Lee Stofer. And a Conn 20J in the garage. I planned to keep the Besson, but sell it only when my Rudy 5/4 was ready. Those plans were accelerated when I had the opportunity to sell it to and meet my tuba hero, Chuck Daellenbach. I immediately had to use that money for school tuition.

After that, I started in my local orchestra, and I was tuba-less (can't take a 20J!). Days before the first rehearsal, I fell into my 1922 Martin Eb through a craigslist ad posted by a local stranger... who turned out to be @ronr, who isn't a stranger at all.

I used that Martin exclusively for about 6 weeks. How did it go? well... it went okay... But then the Rudy 5/4 was ready (and I traded the 20J towards the repair costs).

From the first note in a parking lot of the shipping depot, that Rudy Might have been my best tuba sound, ever..... After 6(?) weeks with the Rudy, I got Covid, and was out of commission for a good 3 weeks. Had a concert in early June, when I was finally over it, and barely made it through due to lagging lung/capacity issues from that crud. Made me reconsider the Rudy as a long-term tuba solution, so I sold it.

I planned to use some of that money to buy a replacement (Rudy 3/4 CC) and the rest to cover some immediate renovation costs in our house. I ended up using $0 for either of those, because I had to back-pay a few things (e.g., contractors took months to cash checks... And I had long since thought it was paid for... my own fault, but still sucks.)

So in the end, I have no money and no tubas besides the Martin. I'm not sure either situation will change much any time soon.

We all have to decide our life priorities, and how to spend our money. For me, major house renovations and 2x Catholic school tuition are dominating our life right now. Love the kids' school, and we are doing better than 1-for-1 return for our renovations (buy low, sell high... Worst house on the best street etc... But still needs a few $$$,$$$ of changes to be a sensible house... And again, still coming out on top.). Long term outlook is very positive, and my wife and I are both fortunate to have good jobs (Mrs bort2.0 makes way more than I do!), and I thank God daily for all that we have and are able to for ourselves and others.

But, as selfish as it sounds, I still miss owning a "real" tuba, especially something large and in CC. I'm grateful to have this Martin... but such a large shift in priorities and in tubas wasn't expected, and it's been hard to accept some days. I've owned a lot of really nice tubas along the way... All gone now... even the worst of them was a good tuba, and I wish I had it now... looking at you, B&S GR41...

Big picture, I'm blessed in life more than I ever have deserved, and if that means I play a small bore 100 year old 3v Eb tuba, then I accept that... I also accept that the Lord must have quite a sense of humor. Lord, I'm in no rush to meet you, but I'm gonna have some questions for you when I do.

Thank you all for reading the nonsense that I post, and for the help, advice, and good-natured jabs along the way. Things don't get better if you don't talk about them... So, thanks for giving me an outlet.

Peace, love, and tubas to everyone in 2023.

[Three Valves]

Mrs. bort2.0 makes way more than I do!)

This is the way!

[2nd tenor]

Life throws lots of stuff at us, eventually I realised that the simpler things are the better and that large and or expensive does not equal happiness.

Enjoy your simple old Martin Eb, maybe life and The Lord are telling you something …

Years ago I got similarly caught out with banking and cheques. I now keep an ‘account book’ of my balance and when a cheque is written the balance is reduced straight away, just a different way of doing things that might help. One of my children is even more obsessive and does it all on their computer, heck they can tell me what they spent on groceries, petrol, electricity, meals out and cloths in any month.

Wishing all my friends here well in 2023 , may it be a better year for us all.

[bloke]

Life throws lots of stuff at us...

Brett,
You've decided that private school is more important than a tuba.
Most every personal decision involves some sort of trade-off.
I just wish that more of our decisions were personal, rather than so many being coerced by others.

Merry Christmas !!!

[sweaty]

Continuing the great Tubaforum tradition of going off on tangents, I'd like to continue those comments on choosing a school for kids.

What makes a school "better"?
How do you know it really is "better"?
If it actually is "better", how much does it cost?
How many hours of after-tax labor does that require of you?
What do those hours take out of your life?
Is it possible to make up for a school's deficiencies with your own parent-provided education?
How significant is the "right" school in the upbringing of a child?
Most importantly, how good is the band program?

I have my own opinions about these, but I'd like to see yours. This is not a political discussion; it is about education, music, and life.

[bloke]

I respect classroom teachers very much, but don't respect some of the things they're required to teach in "curricula".
(...not even referring to socio-economic stuff, but 3D type of stuff represented as "so" that just ain't, plus the intentionally-confusing ways that arithmetic and mathematics are now taught, with the obvious intended message being "This stuff is really hard and really complicated, so just rely on your phone to give you the answer".)

Another factor is that most all schools feature battalions of "junior drug dealers"...and the private/highfalutin schools probably more so than the not-so-fancy-neighborhood ones.

I would absolutely teach at home (even back in the 80's/90's) if I had it to do over again...

"...but bloke, what about..."

exactly: "What about."

This is not a political discussion; it is about education, music, and life.

bullcrap. Teachers are auto-triggered every time anything about "school" is mentioned, and there are no things more "political" than drugs, gangs, and school curricula (things that are some of the most serious issues within ALL schools). If your question wasn't political, you wouldn't have been compelled to state that it isn't.

[sweaty]

It looks like my attempt to trigger bloke was successful. I'm still interested in others' answers to those questions.

[Mary Ann]

I can reply only based on what my parents did; I have no kids and therefore no experience from that end of it.

In Indianapolis where I grew up, the Catholic school system was inferior to the public school system in terms of education, except for spelling, for some reason. I had a fifth grade teacher who did not know basic English grammar (and it wasn't a nun.) My first grade had 60 students with one nun trying to teach who eventually had a nervous breakdown. It took a very long time for my mother to convince my father that a good education was superior to a Catholic education, in that particular circumstance.

When I was in 7th grade we were pulled out and put in the MUCH better public school system (1950s; things were far different then.) The public school had an orchestra, shop, phys ed, home ec (I won't comment but it was there.) And far more educated teachers of all subjects, 30 or fewer students to a class. I played violin in the orchestra and on the volleyball and golf teams. I would have learned to sew in Home Ec but my mother had already taught me (as she did English grammar.)

In most places nowadays the private schools are far superior to the public schools. To me, it is the access to learning that makes a good school. It STILL is and should be the parents who drive education for the kids, but if the parents cannot think critically, how can they possibly demand that for their kids' education? Part of it is choosing a school, and part of it is making sure the kids take advantage of what is available. I would do whatever was necessary to get my kids in whatever kind of better / best school was available. They "graduate" now and can't even spell simple words or form sensible sentences, sometimes even after COLLEGE. I don't get it, never will. Just go read what is "written" on social media. My favorite is when someone "defiantly" agrees with something.

[cjk]

@bort2.0 I assume both kids are going to the same school? Just wondering, is the second kid not at a reduced tuition rate? My brother and I both attended the same private school. IIRC, additional siblings were significantly (?) discounted.

[Three Valves]

It looks like my attempt to trigger bloke was successful. I'm still interested in others' answers to those questions.

If one is Catholic and wants their children to participate in faith based education then a private/Catholic education is the only answer as nothing short of that would be acceptable.

The Bullshitery pushed by local schools vary greatly by county here in MD. If I had kids I would have to move.

[bloke]

The Bullshitery pushed by local schools vary greatly by county here in MD. If I had kids I would have to move.

Red flags include the nonsense that is taught - via requirement - and the things that were formerly taught (which were remarkably useful and instructive) which have been cast aside.

As just a couple of examples, even back in the '80s and '90s I discovered that my children weren't being taught to learn basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts up to the 15s or so, and that they were not being taught to diagram sentences - in the "best" school district. There's no mystery why very few younger people write very well, and feel compelled to rely on phone calculators.
An hour ago, I had to figure up sales tax on $500. What an astonishingly simple multiplication problem that is. My customer was grabbing their phone and finding their calculator app, while I was already telling them how much the tax was.

I'm going to reiterate that I don't blame teachers. They are required to teach curricula exactly as it's laid out, and many of the younger teachers also just don't know any better.

As just one more thing (as there are too many things to mention) the common usage of the term, "The Science", demonstrates how those who use the term don't understand or don't want others to understand) what science is.
Ironically - as it's almost topical, the quoted term means the same thing as it meant a half a millennium ago - when The Church, via coercion, defined what it was.

re: starting a politically charged topic and then at the end stating that it's not political, but just a serious discussion, etc...
...totally reminds me of when bad pieces of music are programmed, and the conductor - or someone in the chamber ensemble - feels obligated to stand up and "explain" the piece.

[bloke]

...and that they were not being taught to diagram sentences...

As someone who taught high school math, I think this is one of the largest losses in curricula.

One from math:

Two-column proofs are often skipped over in high school geometry. Note: math is about reasoning, not arithmetic.

In order to teach successfully and get through the meat of the content, one has to ignore certain aspects of the system, develop one's own plan to execute the curriculum, and execute that plan relentlessly.

Nonetheless, I hope everyone learned something this year that helped them be a better person.

[bort2.0]

@bort2.0 I assume both kids are going to the same school? Just wondering, is the second kid not at a reduced tuition rate? My brother and I both attended the same private school. IIRC, additional siblings were significantly (?) discounted.

Yes, but the discounted rate doesn't apply to Pre-K (which is where my younger son is now).

Catholic school is WAY cheaper than daycare, though.

Paying for 2 kids in daycare at the same time was insane -- and the younger the kids are, the higher the cost. (My older son had just turned 1 when he started there... younger son was 3 months old...). At it's height, I think we were paying about $1500 every 2 weeks -- full-year. At the low point, I think it was still about $1300 every 2 weeks.

That was a major sacrifice and it was very difficult... but it allowed my wife and I to both work and develop our careers. Both of us (especially her) have grown in our jobs, and those years of financial sacrifice were worth it. Plus, we had our kids in a *great* place around other kids and a LOT of high quality staff. We got what we paid for. But we sure had to pay for it.

Again, we all make our choices. I don't make yours, and you don't make mine either. :)

[bloke]

If you BOTH can EVER completely work remotely (perhaps a handful of flights a year to the home office)...

"kinfolks said: Jed, move away from there!"

(There are very high quality places around here to park your kids that charge a w-h-o-l-e lot less than that....)

...and you might even be able to afford several acres where they can run around, and you wouldn't have to worry about somebody trying to yank them into their car and driving off.

[sweaty]

I'll give my answers to my own questions. Sorry- long post ahead. More specific = more real.

What makes a school "better"? In summary- civil behavior, high achievement, and strong programs.

How do you know it really is "better"? Usually, you don't. A slick school website and good marketing don't really tell much about what really happens in the building. Published test scores tell something, but they often reduce education to a numbers game. You can't really tell the atmosphere of how kids treat each other, the subject of their conversation, or the real skill of all the teachers. Having taught in many communities in my school system, I think it gave me insight from the inside but there was only so much I could tell from my own kids' schools. Lists ranking schools and online reviews should be taken with a huge grain of salt. FWIW, one son's high school was usually listed as the #1 public high school in the country. It was great for certain things and typical for other things. To know as much as you can, get involved.

If it actually is "better", how much does it cost? For us, our local property taxes are about $8000/year. About half goes to the school system.

How many hours of after-tax labor does that require of you? I'm a moderate-income earner. My wife does not earn an income (joint decision).

What do those hours take out of your life? My current job takes me out of town about half the time. I do not feel good about not being around for my 14-year-old, but I really like the job. I try to spend as much time with him as I can when I'm home. Our older kids are in college.

Is it possible to make up for a school's deficiencies with your own parent-provided education? Absolutely! NEVER depend on any institution to raise your child- schools, churches, or government (this from a retired public school teacher, active church-goer, and current government employee). When our kids were 4, they could speak, read, and write in English and Spanish. One son, at age 5, learned multiplication through the 12's one morning at breakfast. At this point, he'll be able to get his Bachelor's degree at age 19 if he wishes. If schools, churches, and government ceased to exist, we'd make sure our kids moved forward. We provided quality books for them, took them to great concerts (mostly free), and discuss history, culture, and the meaning of life. It is a huge mistake to rely on the screen, institutions, pop culture, and groupthink to raise one's kids. Keep careful track of how your kids spend their hours and what is going into their heads.

How significant is the "right" school in the upbringing of a child? Since kids spend a huge chunk of their lives in school buildings, they will be affected by that environment. But parents have a much bigger effect because kids know who loves them. Parents' own example is more powerful than anything else, I believe. We also made it a point to travel and do real things; classroom material is mostly abstractions. We emphasize independent thought; our school board is terrible and our kids know the difference between education and indoctrination. Our college sons have been awarded full scholarships- tuition and room and board.

Most importantly, how good is the band program? I asked this because you all love music or you wouldn't be reading this. In my area, most public schools have very strong music programs; most private schools' music programs are weak or non-existent. However, there are now many quality private band and orchestra programs and brass ensembles available in the evening for any student who can pass the audition.

Public, private, or home schools all have their pros and cons; I don't believe any is perfect. I regard any teacher as my colleague. Full disclosure- I have never attended or taught at any private school. My mother attended Catholic schools; my father attended public schools until he got a scholarship at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA (one of the most "elite" prep schools) during his last two years of high school. He never pushed or recommended a school like that to us. My siblings all started at public schools and finished up at Catholic schools. I stayed in the public school because the band was great and it was my main thing. When we briefly home-schooled one of our sons (his teacher was a clunker), none of my teacher colleagues objected to our decision. In spite of the unions, most teachers know the difference between schooling and education.

[jtm]

Life throws lots of stuff at us, eventually I realised that the simpler things are the better and that large and or expensive does not equal happiness.

Trying to convince myself that a 40 year old 188 is simple, small, and inexpensive.

[bort2.0]

Life throws lots of stuff at us, eventually I realised that the simpler things are the better and that large and or expensive does not equal happiness.

Trying to convince myself that a 40 year old 188 is simple, small, and inexpensive.

OMG, it wasn't until I saw your name pop up that I remembered... I also bought and owned an F tuba this summer, briefly... A gorgeous and nearly new old Miraphone. Had to sell that too. Ugh, it's been a year...

[jtm]

...
OMG, it wasn't until I saw your name pop up that I remembered... I also bought and owned an F tuba this summer, briefly... A gorgeous and nearly new old Miraphone. Had to sell that too. Ugh, it's been a year...

The valves are dreamy. I played it in a couple of brass band concerts last week, and the bass trombone player said, about an exposed entrance in a quartet under a soloist tenor horn, that it had a great sound and was reassuringly in tune. Some of the exposed notes are those that are naturally the least in tune on that tuba, so I was happy to have succeeded. So that tuba is now, to me, officially a useful instrument, and not just a curiosity.