Re: Decisions...Decisions...Decisions...


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Posted by Matt G on December 17, 2001 at 08:15:24:

In Reply to: Decisions...Decisions...Decisions... posted by James McNeil on December 15, 2001 at 21:42:10:

First off, if this is who I think this is, write me an email, I would like to hear from you.

If not, well I see your plight. The best I can say to do is have another heart to heart with your director. First, maybe play through the band music on both horns. Hopefully, you will sound much better on the CC than the BBb. Second, ask the director (who plays trumpet) if he were in school and owned his own silver plated Bach Strad trumpet how it would feel if he were made to play a Conn "Director" model cornet in lacquer because the school owned a matching set and the director didn't want him "sticking out". Hopefully a good analogy would get some empathy from him.

If your not the guy, and your dealing with the same Mr. "L", then I had a student in his program who had a Marzan BBb who had no problem using it in the band. Maybe the directo is afraid af a CC vs. BBb difference in tubas like their is in the C vs. Bb trumpet discussions. The best way to make any argument for your own cause is logic. Sit with him make a list of pro's and con's for the both of you on the issue and then see which list makes more sense.

One other factor. Parents. If this is WPHS then a lot of parents might feel that their child is now pressured or doesn't look as good as you because of the difference of horns. Instead of ticking off three tuba player's parents he would rather tick off one tuba player's parents. Parents are often more insecure than their children. Many students get that shiny silver trumpet because they would better fit in with the other students. Since tubas aren't as cheap as shiny new Bach Strads, it is easier to complain to the director about the way the tuba section doesn't look right.

Final point. Ask your director to recall the way every all-state band looks in concert. Every student has on his/her own school's concert uniform. Almost every year there is at least three or four different tuba makes in the section, often times facing different directions. But all of that is irrelevant. People go to hear how the band sounds first, looks come second. I played numerous concerts on a Miraphone 188 that didn't look very beautiful. It had dents in it strips of lacquer missing on the bell, spots without lacquer, every spatula was a different color due to the learning curve of me soldering quarters onto the spatulas, and so on and so forth. I played numerous solos on a Yamaha YFB-621S that the silver was a nice combination of orange, blue, and black throughout the horn.

If none of these points work, than basically you are in the "put up or shut up" situation. Even if the arts magnet isn't as good as the school you are in, it is still an option, and they would welcome you abilities with open arms as well as your horn.

Best of Luck,
Matt G


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