Posted by Rick Denney on August 23, 2003 at 14:00:44:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Buying New Tuba - NEED HELP PLEASE! posted by But... on August 23, 2003 at 00:20:53:
You are right--nobody said anything about it being a public school.
I agree, let's take the "money is no object" at face value. I'm thinking that spending over ten grand on a school-owned tuba for high-school kids is, in fact, making money an object. I think it would be spending money for the sake of spending money, and I have a hard time discerning how the musical product or the experience of the student is enhanced by playing such an instrument. It isn't a matter of whether or not it will be trashed. But developing the potential of such an instrument (assuming it's a good one, which might be hard to ensure in a school-buying scenario) requires a high degree of musical commitment. I think that commitment goes with ownership, if the student has a vested interest in that development. Even with really talented students, I suspect it's hard to achieve using a school-owned isntrument, however good.
I played a sousaphone through school except for one semester when my band director managed to borrow a Miraphone from Rice University in my behalf. I appreciated it as much because it was cool as because it had more musical potential than the plastic King. I certainly did not appreciate it the way I would have a few years later when I was having to buy my own tuba with my own money.
The 20J I owned actually had a reasonable amount of resistance compared to a Willson 3100 or an HB-21. It also had resonance and feedback that is quite useful for those of us who don't have the ears of professionals. When I play a Willson, I feel completely disconnected from the sound coming out. A pro can work with that, but I can't.
The poster did say it had to be new, so even if you could find old Holtons that are good enough players to be worth restoring, that wasn't an option.
Rick "thinking that teenagers who can properly appreciate a >$10K tuba will find a way to own their own" Denney