Posted by Steve Dedman on April 29, 2003 at 22:52:34:
In Reply to: I was fired from the University of OK. posted by Ted Cox on April 29, 2003 at 06:18:12:
My letter to the President of the University of Oklahoma:
President Boren,
As a former Tuba player at OU, I feel compelled to write in protest of the manner in which the non-renewal of Mr. Ted Cox's contract was handled. As a private high-school tuba instructor now living in Knoxville, TN, I can also understand his umbrage at the way this situation appears to have unfolded.
The fact that some of his students knew of his termination before him smacks of the lack of professionalism I learned to expect from the School of Music in the days when I was there. I had hoped that that situation had changed in the 10 years since I departed. Obviously, there are personality issues entering into the situation. I know that some of the School of Music faculty have a particularly Ozymandian way of dealing with their students and colleagues. But that is never, ever an excuse or reason for communicating a person's job status to anyone other than the person affected.
I would like to provide a brief recent history of tuba study at OU to put Mr. Cox's service into context. In the first half of the 1980's, the tuba instructor at OU was Mr. Mark Mordue. An excellent teacher and musician, he built a respectable studio that attracted the top high school tubists in the state. In 1986, the Oklahoma City Symphony, of which Mr. Mordue was Principle Tubist, went on strike and eventually folded. The OU school of Music elected not to continue Mr. Mordue's services, and eliminated his position due to budget cuts. This left OU as the only university of its size in the U.S. without a dedicated tuba instructor. This occurred after many of us had elected to attend OU to study with Mr. Mordue; a situation now facing the entire incoming class of tuba students next fall in their desire to study with Mr. Cox.
The School of Music did not have a tuba instructor for five years. The situation was disastrous from a student's point of view.
Finally, in 1990, Mr. Pat Crumpley was hired as the Principle Tubist for the newly-formed Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and was appointed to the tuba position at OU. A fine player and teacher, Mr. Crumpley's tenure was cut short after only two years by a physiological problem that ended his ability to play the tuba. Another year passed without a tuba teacher until Mr. Cox was hired.
For six out of eight years, the OU School of Music did not have an instructor in that position. When Mr. Cox arrived at OU there was no tuba studio. Tuba students did not have the opportunity to play in an ensemble comprised of their own instruments as the members of the trombone studio had. Tuba students didn't have the opportunity to play for each other and receive critiques from their colleagues as members of the French Horn studio had.
Under Mr. Cox, the tuba studio has grown and by all accounts is doing very well. Tuba students now have access to those activities that were denied them for several years. Building a studio is not just a matter of plopping a teacher into a situation. Rather, it takes years of work, an excellent professional and personal reputation, and the time to show results. Some of Mr. Cox's students have gone on to prestigious music conservatories as graduate students - an unthinkable goal when there wasn't a studio or teacher. Mr. Cox has built a studio with a respectable national reputation in only ten years, only to be summarily dismissed with no explanation. This is not the way to attract qualified faculty or students in the future.
I know Mr. Cox on reputation and results alone. I have not met him personally. But two things need to be made very clear. First, if Mr. Cox retains his position with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, it will be nearly impossible to attract a replacement for him at OU that is nearly as qualified. Most top instructors are also professional players, and if the opportunity to play in a professional orchestra is not available, most top instructors will seek a position elsewhere. This will have a seriously negative impact on the quality of instruction the students receive. Second, with the circumstances surrounding Mr. Cox's termination, very few qualified instructors will look twice at joining the faculty of a school that allows students to know such details before the parties involved are made aware. In fact, the international tuba community is already aware of the situation through various electronic sources.
This decision has ramifications far beyond the halls of Catlett Music Center. I have a very talented tuba student here in Knoxville that is one of those students on the brink. He can either, with the proper encouragement and guidance, become an excellent tuba player, or he will continue down the self-destructive path he is on. The tuba is his best way out. His parents had agreed to send him to the International Tuba-Euphonium Workshop at OU this summer. I fear that that is now in jeapordy. I had hoped that the ITEW would be the spark this student needs to get himself on track.
Finally, I have to say that despite my personal experience with the OU School of Music Brass Department, I am very proud to be a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. I now live 900 miles away in the epicenter of Volunteer country, and continually find ways to brag on my alma mater. From what I'd heard, I had thought the brass department was turning itself around since my experience at OU and I had even considered coming back and attending Mr. Cox's International Tuba-Euphonium Workshop myself this summer. However, from what I've heard about the termination of Mr. Cox, I can see that it hasn't changed at all. Obviously, I've only heard one side of this situation, but I can not agree to the terms of how Mr. Cox has been treated, and will bear this in mind the next time I open a solicitation for alumni donations.
Sincerely,
Steve Dedman
OU Alumnus
Knoxville, TN