[Trombone-l] do you object to teaching euph/baritone?

[George Butler]

Chris Ann has made a lot of good points.  Here in Tallinn, there's the Police Band, the Defense Forces Band, the Border Guard Band.  There may be as many euphonium positions (51?) as there are trombone jobs at the national symphony and at the opera.
 
Larry, if your colleague is worried about employment prospects, why does he accept orchestral trombone students?
 
Adam Frey wakes up every morning unemployed, yet he's a one-man industry.  I can't think of anyone more involved in making music.  He performs, he records, he commissions new works, he teaches, he writes, he sells, he travels the world.  When he isn't living on an airplane, he lives in a nice house in Atlanta.
 
Adam is a bright guy, he's talented, he works hard.  Not all of us can do what he does, nor can we all do what Christian Lindberg does.
 
What if someone had told Adam, "Sonny, there's no future in euphonium, go be a lawyer/banker/consultant."  What if someone had told Christian to keep his orchestra job?  Same with Sheona White on alto horn, or Bruce Dickey on cornetto?  Our world wouldn't be as rich, would it?
 
--George in snowy Estonia 



--- On Thu, 2/5/09, mcclurefamily at srt.com <mcclurefamily at srt.com> wrote:

From: mcclurefamily at srt.com <mcclurefamily at srt.com>
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] do you object to teaching euph/baritone?
To: trombone-l at samford.edu
Date: Thursday, February 5, 2009, 4:05 AM

Just got done playing a symphony gig. The theme was "Out of This
World" and featured, amongst other selections, 2 of the Holst
Planets--Jupiter and Mars.

We had a tenor tuba (aka euphonium) there. He's an outstanding
conductor of orchestras, concert bands and choirs and his
musicianship and leadership is stellar. In part, I'm sure, from
counting 97 measures of rests with the rest of us in the trombone
section.

Would this instructor also be against the woodwind instructor
teaching bass saxophone? We had a member of the orchestra playing
that as well [covered the contrabassoon parts  with great finesse!]

The only fact your colleague has correct is the soloist gigs are
few. So, too are vocal performance gigs. Does he hold that those
students shouldn't get instruction, too?

I played in the field bands in the Marine Corps. When I was able
to do my music ed degree, my professor also had USMC band
experience. He was a euphonium soloist with the President's Own.
Where would I be if he had refused to teach me in his low brass
studio? (yes, he knew the trombone well...)

I'd be thrilled to see a trombone or euphonium student in MS or
HS. I am in a rural area and they are getting rarer (students in
band as well as low brass). If they get out of HS and want to
major in Euph OR Trombone at your college, you can bet I'm going
to go to any length to get you or an instructor recommended by you.

Hmm. 12 service bands in the Marine Corps, 18 in the Army, 14 in
the Navy, 12 in the Air Force. That's not counting the reserve
bands and the National Guard. Full time pay and insurance and
other benefits. Yep, a real dead end job... That's why I had it
for 14 years, right?

Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to be lecturing you...you're not the one
with the misinformation.

Common mindset? I do not think this is a current reality in my
area. The trombones are much too busy picking on the trumpets and
cornets (in brass band) to pester the Euphoniums.

more than my two cent's worth!

Chris Ann McClure Sgt USMC, Retired
Quantico, Camp Lejeune, Okinawa and Parris Island Band, retired
Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Baritone, Minot Symphony Orchestra,
Brass Band of Minot, Minot Area Community Concert Band, & freelance
K-12 Music Teacher, currently teaching PK-5, out in ND

quote:
******************************************************************
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 14:39:18 -0600
From: "Borden, Lawrence" <lawrence.l.borden at Vanderbilt.Edu
Subject: [Trombone-l] do you object to teaching euph/baritone?


Folks,

 I have a colleague who objects to teaching euph since there is
no continuing path except (in his opinion) a band director,
community band,or service band.

 

I feel this is wrong since it is only the rarest case that we
find someone wanting to major in euph performance. Do you think
this opinion is common among our brethren?

 

Larry


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