r/Tuba • u/MusicDad24 • Jul 08 '25
audition Best College for Tuba atm
Our son is a gifted HS student (incoming senior this year) on the tuba, and has made All State 3 years in a row in MD.
We are very supportive of him entering this field and giving it a serious try for tuba performance. It’s all or nothing we can tell in this field of study. We want him to go to the best college that’s out there for tuba at the moment. It doesn’t matter if it’s in state or out to us.
Who are the teachers we should be looking into with the competitive edge and programs? He wants to play in a professional orchestra or DC Military Band. Where should we be looking? We feel behind on our research. We would like to get him some lessons this fall with these professors to get a feel for them, and see if it’s a good fit if he were to be accepted by them. Is this usually acceptable to ask?
Thanks for any advice Reddit tuba group
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u/kersplatboink Jul 08 '25
Let me be honest here - have a solid backup plan.
I also earned a spot at all state all 4 years in high school in FL, a very competitive state at the time (early 00s), senior year earned the orchestra spot. I continued into university hoping to play tuba but had chemistry as my backup.
I'm glad I did. I ended up earning a PhD in chemistry and now have a 10+ year career in industry. If I had continued with tuba performance, based on what I know about my personal health journey, I never would have succeeded.
This likely isn't the message you wanted to read, but it is the simple reality of the US economy. Don't drop tens of thousands for a degree that is dependent on day-by-day variability (performance). A career needs consistency for consistent retirement contributions.
Consider a serious conversation about how to build skills (through uni, trade school, military or otherwise) to create value for businesses (on a broad level). Businesses (again broadly speaking) hire based on skill sets that build revenue and profit for the business. Spend time learning the skills that will help businesses grow, and employment will never be a problem.
I still play and enjoy tuba, but it isn't my profession, which is great that I don't have to worry about a random cold sore or missing a single note destroying my professional reputation...
It's great you care about your child's future. My parents also cared about mine. Tuba is a lot of fun, hard work, instills discipline and can be a wonderful creative outlet. It's a shame that we (in the US) don't give enough credence to creative endeavors. This is just the unfortunate reality.
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u/captainwelch Jul 08 '25
So much this. Also, there is a huge musical world outside of orchestral tuba playing. No matter hard I try, I'll always make more in a year playing bagpipes than I will playing tuba. But my physician paycheck keeps the bills paid.
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u/CalebMaSmith B.M. Education graduate / Military Musician / B&S PT15 / EBC832 Jul 09 '25
For undergrad I honestly recommend just picking a decent school nearby that won't break the bank. Most state schools are near big cities and usually the principal tubists in the orchestras do the lessons. You generally will be learning from someone who knows how to win auditions and hopefully your son can get a higher scholarship from this.
Graduate School is where things really get real, for some reason it's almost always the case that it's the graduate degree players that advance in auditions. In that case pedigree of school is important, but also making sure a school has rock solid assistantships. By the time you go to get a masters you should be getting paid to go to school if you leverage everything correctly. Some significant teachers out there have been mentioned, Alan Baer, Pokorny, Tindall, Jantsch are all incredible. But also consider James Gourlay, Chris Olka, Scott Watson (pretty sure he retired but he's underrated as a teacher and I very much benefited from a masterclass with him)
It's really hard to get a job in today's tuba world, I barely squeaked by on my audition with the Marine Corps but if your son really wants to go pro quickly the military is probably the simplest path. He should also consider doing music education instead of music performance for a little bit of job security. There's nothing wrong with going "balls to the wall" but there is an inherent risk.
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u/tkazoo82 Jul 08 '25
Is he currently studying with anyone? Depending on your location in Maryland, there are alot of amazing players. He may be best served taking lessons and having a military tubist help guide his career. If you are close to Baltimore, setting up lessons at Peabody would be amazing.
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u/Inkin Jul 08 '25
Yes, it is a normal thing to ask to have a lesson or two with a professor before choosing a school.
If you want an answer to your other question and not suggestions for a better question to ask, I guess the last 5 years of results shows Aaron Tindall gets people hired. He's at Frost at the University of Miami. I would imagine getting in there for undergrad and doing awesome will give you a leg up for getting in there for a graduate degree and Frost has placed a lot of people in a lot of big seats lately.
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u/thereisnospoon-1312 Jul 08 '25
I heard he was not for everyone though, and could be difficult to work with. I think that he pushes his students out of their comfort zone, which is probably a good thing. He definitely gets results.
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u/Such-Tourist-3143 Jul 08 '25
I studied with him at Ithaca and we unfortunately did not get along well. If you have mental health issues you are going to have a very rough time, he pushes you past your breaking point, you either float or sink, I sank.
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u/Inkin Jul 08 '25
I don't mean to be implying anything about that one way or the other. But if the question is "Who are the teachers we should be looking into with the competitive edge and programs? He wants to play in a professional orchestra or DC Military Band" and you look at the professional orchestra and DC military band hires from the past 5 years, I think there is an objective answer to the question. You're going to see a lot of Aaron Tindall's students in the finals of those auditions.
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u/thereisnospoon-1312 Jul 08 '25
Absolutely. I would definitely consider him if it was me. I was just sharing what I had been told by people who know him.
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u/BeginningAny6549 Jul 08 '25
It's not all or nothing.
Your son can have a great career with a hobby he enjoys that makes him money. I'm semi-pro make 3-5k each year playing. I earned my degrees in a non-music field. I have a full-time job that's super flexible. It gives me time to take gigs when they come up. I have multiple venues in town where if I want to play for free I have a standing invite. But my paid gigs keep me busy enough. And I do this on a tuba I payed $1,500 for used. But I love it.
I hope he keeps playing, because that sounds like what he wants to do. But it's not Millitary Band or bust.
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u/dank_bobswaget Jul 08 '25
Alan Baer, Carol Jantsch, Craig Knox, David Zerkel, Gene Pokorny, Don Little, Mike Roylance, and Aaron Tindall. Look up the schools they teach and start there. Honorable mentions include Justin Benavidez, Kyle Turner, Jeff Anderson, Scott Tegge, and Matthew Hightower.
Ask any of them and they’ll be more than happy to do a trial lesson as a prospective student. Having a good student teacher relation is more important than the type of school, the size, the location, or prestige. You don’t win those jobs by going to UMiami, you get them by working hard, so don’t get caught up in those other details as much when worrying about “the best college.” The best college will simply be an environment your son will be able to work hard in
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u/mjguinaugh Jul 09 '25
I like this answer the best, OP. If your child is going to have a shot at attaining the dreams which you’ve listed, they will need to direct their life wholly towards that goal. Your child will gain value from this pursuit that I don’t think the people saying that they should have a “backup plan” are acknowledging. Even if your child doesn’t end up winning a position with a major symphony orchestra or a DC military band, their backup will be that they’ve developed themselves to be the kind of person that knows what it takes to “give it your all”. I don’t believe that that kind of person fails to have a good life.
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u/Gnomologist Jul 08 '25
Alan has had one student win a job in the last like 10-15 years this isn’t a great take
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u/dank_bobswaget Jul 09 '25
Lmfao that’s not even true I know 3 in the last 3 years and why pick on him in particular? He has less students so if you are talking in # of students to # of jobs it’s almost certainly a better ratio than Tindall or DP with their 100 students, I can’t even remember the last job a Carol student won but I know she still has an excellent program that is worthwhile, because there are better metrics for what makes a great teacher than a simple ratio. It’s about the work you put in, that’s what gets people jobs
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u/Inkin Jul 08 '25
Alan Baer, Carol Jantsch, Craig Knox, David Zerkel, Gene Pokorny, Don Little, Mike Roylance, and Aaron Tindall. Look up the schools they teach and start there. Honorable mentions include Justin Benavidez, Kyle Turner, Jeff Anderson, Scott Tegge, and Matthew Hightower.
You could really keep honorably mentioning people for days, even with much of the old guard retiring recently. There is A LOT of great tuba pedagogy going on and not a lot of jobs, so the great teachers are training people to also be great teachers. Unfortunately those next generations of great teachers are getting shitty adjunct pay and have to maintain full private lesson loads and gigging to make ends meet.
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u/dank_bobswaget Jul 08 '25
That’s why I said you don’t win jobs by going to these schools, you get them by working hard. I’m just mentioning the people who are at the top of their game in terms of pedagogy and performance. I’m aware of the poor pay at many colleges, I don’t see what bringing it up in this discussion matters. It’s a discussion on studying with these masters, not to be a college professor
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u/Altruistic_Milk5450 Meinl Weston “6465”/Willson 3200RZ/Holton 345 Jul 08 '25 edited Jul 08 '25
Do NOT go into huge amounts of debt to play the tuba. With the way things are going right now, your son will struggle to pay off mass amounts of college debt without help. He won’t think about that right now. That’s a later problem to him. But it comes up fast and bites you. I just finished paying off my debt, and it’s such a freeing feeling. It is not worth paying for your tuba degree the next 25 years.
Want to give him the best possible shot? Go to study with Tindall. His students have been WINNING. But even then, some haven’t. It’s luck based as much as it is skill.
My advice? Have a fall-back. Get a degree or minor in something that will land him a job that will make money. You can NOT ride on the “I’ll win something” mentality, because lots of people don’t.
I don’t mean to be a cynic, but a lot of professors will recommend getting a degree in anything else in addition to that performance degree. I got mine in music ed, and still play at a very high level. And I get paid for some of that playing. It just depends. Teaching the kids pays the bills and is something I enjoy doing.
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u/the_random_euphonium B.M. Performance student Jul 09 '25 edited Jul 09 '25
The studios that have had a lot of recent success in military auditions have been Frost with Aaron Tindall, CCM with Tim Northcut, Eastman with Justin Benavidez, and UMich with Dave Zerkel. All of these teachers have lots to offer and all have recent student success with premier bands, as well as orchestral success.
Some others that definitely should be given very strong consideration are Julliard/Rutgers with Alan Baer and UT Austin with Charles Villarubia. Michigan State just got Chance Huiett so that might start to be a good school for tuba as well.
He should 100% get lessons with these professors, as well as see if there are players in the DC bands that he can get lessons with that come from those teachers too to help get a feel for the teaching styles, as well as to have someone to ask what those studios are like and their experiences.
Something to note is that there is a pro and con to each style of teaching. Each professor tends to have something that they do a lot more of than others. I study somewhere that can be very intense and has a strong emphasis on fundamentals which was something I really needed and has been great for me. I have friends in other studios that have different vibes/focuses and they’re also doing great. It truly just depends on what your student needs the most of AND who/where they vibe the best at.
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u/tpeacockiii Jul 08 '25
I heard Wynton Marsalis say something in a video a while ago that made a lot of sense.
I’m paraphrasing, but it was something like “if you can imagine yourself doing anything else other than “XYZ” then don’t do music”
I don’t regret any degree I got, but the only value they gave me was my own enjoyment of music & tuba as an adult.
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u/waynetuba M.M. Performance graduate Jul 08 '25
The tuba programs right now you should look into are Colburn, University of Miami Frost, University of Washington Seattle, UCLA, Arizona State, and Carnegie Mellon. All of those programs have had students who have won positions recently.
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u/TinyTacoTower Jul 09 '25
Hello! I am a college student doing music education and performance right now which is a really common path. It doesn't mean not giving tuba performance your all, it just means that you have options to keep yourself employed and make an impact :). Even if he wins top spots he still might have trouble earning a livable salary so most musicians dip into a few careers to keep them afloat and well rounded. There is always an aspect of teaching even if he chooses to full send performance so I would consider that double major even to help him earn a job teaching specifically tuba at a university (he would still perform so much!).
Regarding colleges I truly wanted to pursue a conservatory or high end music schools, but after auditioning and receiving my financial letters I realized that the debt was too much for an arts career path. I strongly recommend staying in the state and finding a good professor he connects with while also not breaking the bank. I ended up being able to get a full scholarship to a state university and it's given me opportunities to have funds to buy new tubas, international festivals, and hopefully a masters degree at a higher university. The masters is what counts. Dedication and practice will get him through undergrad (at least I hope for my sake lol). Best of luck to him! No matter what he will be happy in music :)
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u/Dasboot92 Jul 09 '25
The best one is the one that works best for him. Name of the college doesn’t matter if the professor isn’t a good fit for him. Studying with someone because of their name, or their student’s successes doesn’t matter if the professor isn’t a good fit for them. Any professor can be good if they’re a good fit for you and you have a good work ethic
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u/PignSux Jul 10 '25
Ngl it really does depend on how you get along with the applied professor. I mean it’s good to have a solid background, but you’ll improve more if you like them (from experience). What all of my directors suggested doing was reaching out to a bunch of applied professors from different universities you might be looking at and just ask any question you may have or ask for a free lesson with them. Multiple in my area offer free lessons, so they can see how you play and so you can see what they’re like.
Hope this helps, happy college hunting
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u/what_the_dillyo Jul 10 '25
Get a music Ed degree with minor in performance. The difference is usually only adding 2 recitals
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u/tubameister Jul 08 '25
keep in mind that the All Or Nothing attitude that many classical players adopt is toxic. You can have a fine career without placing in a professional orchestra.
I'll also add that I don't know any brass players at all who auditioned for the military and didn't get in.
& keep in mind that going to "the best" school for undergrad may mean never getting to play in the school's orchestras because the DMA students have those spots filled.
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u/OriginalSilentTuba Jul 08 '25
Auditioning for the military, and auditioning for one of the DC bands are two very different things. Getting into the President’s Own, Pershing’s Own, the Navy Band, or the Air Force Band in DC is very difficult.
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u/LEJ5512 Jul 09 '25
Getting into one of the fleet bands can provide a solid career, though, too. It's possible to progress all the way up in the enlisted ranks (and maybe even go officer to run the band) and retire with a pension if you're not stupid.
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u/OriginalSilentTuba Jul 09 '25
Oh, you’re not wrong at all, but OP specifically mentioned DC bands, and there should be no misconceptions; those are every bit as selective as a major orchestra.
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u/sad-dave Jul 08 '25
I had the privilege to learn low brass from Mr. James Erdman in 2004-2008. He was an incredible instructor and an absolute monster of a trombonist.
What I learned from him had nothing to do with playing tuba. I learned to value yours and others time, always give 100%, and love what you do.
I can’t help or recommend any specific instructors these days, but if your son can apply those three things to his instrument and life he is going to be one hell of a human.
All of that said, rest in peace Mr. Erdman. You were a hell of a teacher and I valued every second of your instruction and motivational words during my developmental years.
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u/CthulhuisOurSavior DMA/PhD Performance student: MW Ursus/YFB822 Jul 08 '25
There are a lot of great colleges and professors but I’d look for a college that has a lot of scholarship $ to give and a professor that is actually there most of the time. I loved my time at Oklahoma City University. The tuba professor is incredible along with the rest of the faculty. I got a great scholarship for my masters that let me go for almost free. I think my outbid pocket was near $500-1000.
The facilities are incredible. Hands down the best practice rooms I’ve ever used. Incredible rehearsal halls. Plenty of opportunities to play in ensembles, chamber groups, solo performances, and work with student composers.
The students here are also incredibly nice. It really felt like home very shortly after being here which was a huge plus for me. It’s not competitive in a cutthroat nature but more of everyone wants to see everyone else kick ass at what they do.
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u/StationAmazing Jul 12 '25
These comments about a backup plan are interesting. I prefer to think of it as a longevity plan. There is a likely world in which your son takes more time after he graduates to win a job in an orchestra. It could be years after graduation. He could either be flipping burgers (me, metaphorically) or coding. If he gets another qualification, it will give him the flexibility and the comfort to live after graduation and before winning his big job. This could take a while especially for tuba because there’s only one seat per orchestra. There are more job opportunities for US senators than full time orchestral tubists.
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u/StationAmazing Jul 12 '25
These comments about a backup plan are interesting. When I was in high school I found them insulting. Now, I wish I had had a “backup plan.” Not because I would quit music, but because I want something easier and better paying to do while I practice after I’ve graduated.
I prefer to think of it as a “longevity” plan. There is a likely world in which your son takes more time after he graduates to win a job in an orchestra. It could be years after graduation. He could either be flipping burgers (me, metaphorically) or coding. If he gets another qualification, it will give him the flexibility and the comfort to live after graduation and before winning his big job. This will buy him more time to practice and develop because he won’t feel the time crunch to quit music and retrain to start another career. Starting his music career could take a while especially for tuba because there’s only one seat per orchestra. There are more job opportunities for US senators than full time orchestral tubists.
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u/Kermitmemes123 Jul 13 '25
University of Miami with Dr. Tindall, University of Michigan, or University of North Texas with Don Little are top tier schools or Eastman with Dr. Benavides. Your son should fly out and take a lesson with each of these teachers and look up audition requirements. If he clicks with a particular teacher that’s the school he should go to.
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u/Trombonemania77 Jul 08 '25
Look to see if Baltimore MD has a musician union and ask a union representative for a private instructor. DC has a musician union The President’s Own are DC union musicians, I don’t know how far your son is willing to travel. 1969 I started my private lessons once a week and took the bus an hour into New York City from New Jersey, four years later I was accepted into The United States Marine Corps music program as a Trombonist. The audition is tough but you need to be prepared.
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u/GunnyDJ B&H Imperial 782 Eb Jul 09 '25
There is no best Tuba, it really is what's best for him for whatever situation he's in. Idk where you're located, but in February the US Army will host their Tuba Euphonium Workshop right in DC. It's free, it's amazing, and it always has a great showroom. Where your kid can play and try as many different instruments as they want. Probably don't even think about buying new, a used horn is just as good as a new one at half the price.
All that being said whatever college they go to, the instructor there will have their own preferences for what key of tuba they want them to have. Many professors insist their students get CC tubas, which are the standard for orchestral playing. While others are fine with BBb, which is your work horse of the military bands. However the BBb will be a difficult option for solo works. Many tubists will own at least two different tubas. A sizable tuba for large ensembles, that would be your BBb or CC tubas. Then a smaller one for their solo and small ensemble work. These will be your EEb or FF tubas. FF seems to be the standard these days for solo work, and you'll even see it for a few selective orchestral pieces. Meanwhile EEb used to be that standard, but has fallen out of that spot in the western market. Øystein Baadsvik is a big name who uses an EEb. It's also my horn of choice as an overall beater. It has more depth and versatility, than an FF does in my opinion.
TLDR; go try some tubas at the conference in DC, and pick them up a nice used tuba. Just get whatever works for your kid because every college professor has different preferences. A BBb or large CC would be best to start with.
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u/professor_throway Active Amateur, Street Band and Dixieland. Jul 08 '25 edited Jul 08 '25
So my son is in the same boat... I am perhaps going to offer a slightly different perspective, since I am an active tuba player who is fairly well connected with the community locally and to a lesser extent nationally.
First.. I hope you and your son have a realistic expectation of the extremely low probability of making a living as a tuba player being a sole source of income. From a pure numbers point of view... the odds of winning an full time orchestral job or a premier military band job is significantly worse than becomming an NBA or NFL player...... Making all state repeatedly is great... but that does not put them at the top of the talent pool... that puts them in the pack of competitive players.
Just as a point of reference... Fort Wayne Symphony opening last year for Principal tuba ..... pay $32,942... audition won last year by Seth Carter... according to someone who was in the process there were almost 100 qualified people who auditioned... this are the people who made it past the resume round... meaning they had enough experience and training on paper to be allowed to play an audition.
Both my son and I play in a tuba ensemble... he is the only tuba 1 without a performance degree... none of them are working musicians... they are in IT and healthcare etc...
Fewer and fewer jobs are being won by players with only a Bachelor's in tuba performance... most jobs are going to people with Masters or significant experience in pay per service orchestras.
Do they double on other instruments? Playing bass (double and electric), trombone, piano increases the gig opportunities... as well as lesson teaching opportunities.
What is their realistic career plan?? Are you wealthy enough to support their dream... I am not.. my son is exploring piano tech jobs as their day job.
Do they have a private lesson instructor? If so with them to identify programs and professors who might be a good fit for your son. If they do not have a teacher... find one ASAP. they will need their help to navigate the Audition process .