Re: Grad schools for doublers


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Posted by tubatheorist on March 31, 2001 at 12:10:49:

In Reply to: Grad schools for doublers posted by Scott on March 31, 2001 at 00:19:57:

Hi Scott,

I may not be help suggesting exactly what you should do, but I can share my experience and maybe you can take something from it. As an undergrad I played both euph and tuba. My former teacher and current teacher both tell me that (obviously) being able to double on tuba and euph, and do it well, is a huge asset. I have chosen (a couple of years ago) tuba as my "primary" instrument. After doing so, admittedly, my euph chops have slid a bit, okay a lot.
I am now a grad student in tuba perf. This quarter, however, I am doing a lot of euph playing again, both in the tuba ensemble and a quartet. I am slowly, painfully, getting my chops back. I am trying to devote some time to both now, although proportionately with my tuba playing, I only spend about an eighth of the time on euphonium.
My best advice would be to stick with both, but perhaps choose one as a primary that you will do your "major" audition on. I think it is possible to maintain your chops on both. Let potential grad teachers know of your aptitudes on both horns, this may help you when pursuing scholarships and assistantships as well.
I think that being able to double skillfully on tuba and euph will make you stand out from the crowd. I might be wrong, and someone correct me if I am, but it seems there are many more trombone-euph doublers than tuba-euph doublers. Best of luck!




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