Posted by Alan Herold on March 10, 2003 at 09:58:30:
In Reply to: A couple of euphonium questions..... posted by Heather McDown on March 09, 2003 at 14:42:33:
I'll try to be brief. E-mail me if you want to discuss these or any other points further.
School selection... I'd look for any school with a good teacher. There are TONS of them. Call around. You might find a good scholarship offer out there at a smaller place you didn't think of (even at this late date!). Those schools you listed are great places. I'd add Arizona to your list right away. Your practice routine is what is going to put you over the top.
Military bands... I had the same attitude as you - then I decided I didn't want to teach and there weren't jobs out there for me. I got in the Army band system and (this is soooo going to sound like a commercial) I developed the skills necessary (Oh my God, it DOES sound like a commercial!) to start and develop my own job. I'm out now starting my own gig. AND, I got $$$ for school, a house, and a nice new truck along the way. The military isn't so bad if you REALLY look at it rather than looking at just the negative (steroetypical) aspects of it. Any gig is what you make of it.
Major... why not try a Liberal arts degree w/ a business minor or double major in business? If you are going to try to get a college teaching job or you are going to try to carve out your own niche, you'll need to be able to sell yourself and your abilities. After you begin to play at a certain high level, it all (I'm generalizing here folks) is marketing at that point. Marketing is extremely important.
Learn trombone. Play it well. Know the repertoire.
Finally, if all you want to do is play, then you are likely going to fail. Sorry, but it is true. You need a hook (marketing!). You need some life experience. Military bands, teaching, or some other experience you can share with kids to help them along is going to REALLY help your cause. Just playing euphonium and selling CD's isn't going to help you get into TMEA, Midwest, or other places that help you get known out there. You need to be able to give music teachers and listeners something that they don't have now... or at least something that they don't know that they have.
My personally biased advice... Go to a big expensive school or conservatory and rack up big $60,000+ loans. Do an Army stint for 4 years top pay off those loans, and during that time plan for when you'll get out of the military and go make your big mark. You'll have some great stories to tell and life experience that gives you instant credibility.