Posted by Lew on August 08, 2001 at 06:31:28:
In Reply to: sousaphone playing position posted by Zanne on August 07, 2001 at 23:34:08:
The correct way to assemble a sousaphone is so that the bell continues the line of the body. Another way to say this is that if you look head on into the bell you should see the front of the front branch, not the opening. I even have a couple of sousaphones with alignment marks on the bell that have the bell facing this way when the aligned.
The only "proper" way to hold a sousaphone assembled this way is on the right hip, with the bell facing forward. Assembling and using a sousaphone the way you describe is just wrong and does put stress on those using it that way. They are assembled that way in pictures to make it easier to see the bell and valves at the same time, but they should never be used that way.
I bet the band director is a clarinet player, or at least NOT very familiar with low brass, and just has them putting them together the way he or she has seen them in catalogs. I suggest that you tactfully and in private mention this to the director, but don't expect any change. In my experience, teachers in general don't take kindly to parents who think they know more than they do, even if the parents are correct.