TUBA


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Posted by Brian Paul on March 30, 1999 at 07:03:23:

After the recent thread about TUBA, I was thinking about something that Winston Morris said in an interview with the TUBA Journal, how all the college and high school kids that enjoy the fringe benefits of TUBA's existence should be required to join the organization.

I don't want to debate the merits of what he said,nor the merits of TUBA,but I would rather discuss the problem of why there are so few college players that are members of TUBA. Unfortunately, I do not have any figures for how many tubists and euphonia are in college bands, and the only reference point I can use is collegiate athletics, because of the high visibility of the sousaphone.

So let's take an athletic conference,say the Big 12, and guess how many tuba players are in the conference. With 12 teams, and an average of 15 sousaphones per school (I made up that figure, all of the BIg 12 shools are state schools except Baylor, so it might be higher), there would be 180 potential members.

Of course, not all of the 180 would be tubists, some would be music education majors, doublers, etc., and of those that are tubists some just don't care, so the actual number of prospective members would be much lower. In any case, given the number of potential members, why doesn't TUBA create an option other than, or supplemental to, a regional chapter, a student organization, which they could call Tau Upsilon Beta Alpha (if that name isn't taken, if that is the "appropriate" Greek representation of the letters TUBA, or if they would actually want that to use that name). Then they can start a membership drive, and a campaign to get the group recognized at all the campuses where there are members. Student group memberships are only $20 per year per person, (though it's cheaper over the long run for the serious student or enthusiast to buy a lifetime membership). So money would not be a big problem (I understand the difficulties of some college students with coming up with $20). This could increase TUBA's membership substantially.

This is just an idea I had and it is not fully formed. I don't know if it would work, though I know some ways it could work based on unstated facts and assumptions about college. If anyone is interested (especially prominent TUBA members), please let me know so that I will develop this idea more over the course of the next few months,(which I'll do anyway but probably in a different manner if no one repsonds or the respondents are not favorable).




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