Posted by Tubachristmas story on August 20, 2002 at 15:03:09:
In Reply to: Re: Re: bringing Tuba across the Canadian border posted by Kenneth Sloan on August 20, 2002 at 07:45:17:
Speaking of 'youngest at TubaChristmas' I have a tale to tell on my youngest. He started tuba at ten with lessons from the local Army Band tubist and played in the middle school band. That year we first learned about TubaChristmas and, when he was eleven and had been playing about a year, he and I went to our first gathering. We were a little late getting in, so I bought us both books and we went around back of the group to set up and play. He seemed to be doing Ok, so I started paying attention to playing. After a few minutes I looked around at him and he had this horror-struck look on his face. I asked and he said "I can't play ALL those notes at the same time!" He had never seen a four part staff before and didn't know which line to read. I showed him how to read the bottom line and he was all right after that, but I never forgot his consternation at trying to figure out how to play four parts at once.
John (TubaDad) Breyer