Posted by tubagoo on July 14, 2000 at 13:40:04:
In Reply to: Clueless in Mississippi posted by Brad Martin on July 13, 2000 at 23:35:50:
Congrats on your acceptance. Between now and the end of August, you will not be able to alter your playing too much. The school is basically expecting the guy on the tape to show up. To them, you have the raw materials to become a fine tubist/student/educator/etc... The best thing you can do is show up in YOUR best playing condition. This way, you can start learning in your first lesson.
Daily long tones, and plenty of them, to build your tone.
Lip slurs in the full range of the instrument, and they don't have to be fast lips slurs, accuracy is better.
Single tonguing exercises. Try to play 5 Bb in a row that begin and end the same; its more of a challenge than you might think.
SCALES SCALES SCALES twelve keys major and minor. You don't want to waste your first semester like i did playing my C# minor scale.
Buy a metronome, it is your friend.
It is common to have a placement audition in the first week of school, for placement in symphonic band, wind ensemble, orchestra, or concert band. This is also when they decide in which chair you will sit. Work up the solos and etudes that you put on the tape. If you have time, work on a band or orchesta excerpt (the tuba part from an actual piece). A great piece to have under your fingers is the tuba part from Stars and Stripes forever March(sousa). Make sure it is the original arrangement, not a watered down version. Watch those 16th notes in the first phrase after the intro. Nag your band director to get hold of it. Practice sight reading, expected on auditions. Find music or etudes that you have never seen before, and try to plow straight through it. You can only sight read a piece once. Be especially conscious of tempo and key signature!!
Hope some of this helps. It is not as dauting as it my seem at first. 10-15 minutes on each of these points, every day, goes a long way.
good luck, happy tubin'