Posted by Doug on February 06, 2002 at 23:21:55:
I know this isn't exactly tuba related, but.....
I got to school early the other day in time to hear our concert band rehearshing. Everything seemed fine until the low brass had this "soli" section. The sound was...well, imagine the worst thing you can think of and double it. Im not kidding. Anyway, our band director is a low brass player (tuba but some tbone and euph, and he absolutelyw ent off on them, and with good reason. You might say, "well why doesn't he teach them to play well?" and the answer is "How do you teach people who dont care and who put no effort into what they do?" In the ocncert band trombone section one person actually sounds good, one cannot articulate and must be tone deaf, one seems afraid of making a sound, and the fourth, aside from being a special ed student and seeming to take great pleasure in not doing what she is told to do, doesn't even know her slide positions. I went home and picked up my tenor trombone (which i havent even gotten out of the case since august) and tried to recreate what i heard. I couldn't do it. I could not make myself sound that bad. It was physically impossible for me to do it.
As low brass section leader ofr the band, and Band Co-captain, i feel that i need to make an attempt to remedy the situation. We had secitonal rehearsals back in august at band camp, but once school starte di never got to work with these guys. Even if i get the chance, what sort of stuff can you do to help a section that a)cant play and b)doesn't care.
I guess in order to make this tuba realted i'll say that the highlight was hearing the freshman who has just recently switched to euphonium from trombone.
Dug "at my wit's end" G