Posted by Anthony Mason on October 02, 2001 at 05:53:50:
To those of the tuba community and those several octaves higher:
I am a student at the Juilliard School here in NYC and have been under Mr. Deck's tutelage for nearly a month now. There are a few things that I would like to say on behalf of my instructor and those who know him or have known him before.
First of all, I have known the truth about Mr. Deck and his current situation for some time now. It had come up during a recent lesson and I learned so much from just listening to him speak so calmly about the whole ordeal. Second, NO I WILL NOT discuss ANY of the details concerning this whole thing, so please do not ask for me to clarify anything for you, because I won't do it. Third, I hadn't read any of the posts about the circulating rumors until tonight, the reason being that I heard some of the other tubists here referring to the never-ending onslaught of tales and gibberish last week. The immediate response I had while reading these was that I was completely speechless and a little hurt by that single rumor which sparked the whole thing. I couldn't believe that someone could have the nerve to say such a thing (whether it be true or not is irrelevent) about someone else's personal life ON A PUBLIC SERVER! I realize that the one who sent the post has taken full responsibility for his actions and has apologized profusely to anyone else besides me affected by this. I am happy to see that they have at least learned from this and will hopefully make better judgement in the future.
I have only spent a month here in New York as a freshman tuba player and yet I have not only lived through this terrorist crisis, but also this embarassing and rather personal attack as well. I have nothing but admiration and respect for Mr. Deck and I am so very amazed at how open-minded he is being about this entire ordeal surrounding him. In only 3 lessons, he has shown me more about living with the curveballs life throws at you than actually playing the tuba (due to the recent turn of events). He is not only a fabulous teacher, but also a really great guy to chill out with.
All I am really asking of the people who post and read on this network is that you please take the time to reconsider what you are about to say if you believe that it just might upset someone (using common sense of course). Remember, anything you type in here gets plastered onto the screen for ALL to see and react to for a VERY LONG TIME. This not only refers to the rumors concerning Mr. Deck, but also for every other respectable person whom we like to share our thoughts about. I appreciate those who share my feelings regarding this matter and those who had posted their words in order to help silence the rumors. Thank you very much!
Keepin' it real,
Anthony Mason
Juilliard Tubist
PS I CAN'T STAND THE YANKEES, SO DON'T BOTHER ASKING ME ABOUT THEM! hehe ;-)