Happy Halloween!

Our “OkTUBAfest 2009″ celebration is going really well. Thursday, we had a visit from Carol Jantsch, the principal tuba with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She gave a masterclass in the afternoon and an AMAZING recital that night with Alan Huckleberry. Today we presented our annual “Spooky Tubas” concert at the Coralville Public Library for a great audience of kids and parents. There were so many great photos, I thought I would post them here.

Yesterday, our studio enjoyed a creative and inspiring workshop presented by Brian Wolff. Formerly of Drums and Tuba fame, and currently touring with Buckethead, Brian took time out of his busy schedule to share his music and thoughts with students. From my notes, here are a few things he said that I really liked:

“Your instrument is just a means of expressing yourself”

“I’ve travelled around the world playing weird electronic tuba music”

“Audiences are more open-minded [to experimental music] than the music industry gives them credit for”

“This is my third tour with him (Buckethead), and I still haven’t met the guy”

“Carve out your niche”

Brian also mentioned some of his influences and information about his inspiration and equipment. Here are a few related links:

Spaceheads – The band he heard in Lafayette, LA that inspired him to do what he does

The two New Orleans style brass bands he mentioned were Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band

Barcus-Berri –  The manufacturer of microphones and pickups for orchestral and band instruments

ELO – Electric Light Orchestra

Fugazi – The punk band from Washington D.C. who do business and music on their own terms (Their Dischord Records Site)

Ian McKaye – Member of Fugazi and owner of Dischord Records

Marcus Rojas – The New York tuba performer and teacher Brian mentioned. Marcus is my hero; plays everything from orchestral and chamber music, to commercial and free improvisation.

The Ramones – One of the greatest bands ever and pioneers of the punk movement.

The Picador – I don’t know much about this Iowa City club, but if they are open-minded enough to book Buckethead and Wolff, I’ll keep an eye on their schedule

Buckethead – The eccentric and mysterious guitar player

My friend and colleague, Jeffrey Agrell, has started keeping his own blog called Horn Insights. In addition to being a wonderful teacher and player, he is a very talented writer, as many horn players know from his years of contributing to the Horn Call journal. Although his theme is horn-centered, a lot of what he discusses and uncovers can be very helpful to all musicians. One of his posts, “Quotations for Musicians” is simply a list of great tidbits of advice from people like Arnold Jacobs, Martin Luther, and Wynton Marsalis. Here’s an excerpt:

•The arts, inspiring — indeed requiring — self-discipline, may be more “basic” to our national survival than traditional credit courses. Presently we are spending 29 times more on science than on the arts and the result so far is worldwide intellectual embarrassment. -Paul Harvey

•I always loved music; whoso has skill in this art is of good temperament, fitted for all things.  We must teach music in schools; a schoolmaster ought to have skill in music; or I would not regard him. -Martin Luther

•When taking a shower, take a shower. When playing horn, play horn. -Zen Saying

•Mastery comes from practice; practice comes from playful, compulsive experimentation. – Stephen Nachmanovitch

•Sitting under a tree is good for your playing too. -Arnold Jacobs

•What is best in music is not to be found in the notes. –Gustav Mahler

•Fine horn playing is the result of a vast complex of physical motions and nerve reactions… [practice] is a process of eliminating those physical movements which do not produce the desired result, eventually reducing it to the one set of movements that does produce that result.   – Gunther Schuller

Each semester, our studio completes a final project. Intended as a semester-long endeavor, the final project varies each semester, but is intended to help you learn beyond applied lessons and ensemble experience. This semester, I have chosen to focus on literature on music and the brain. I have selected a number of highly recommended books on the subject and compiled an Amazon wish list here.

I got the idea while shopping at the Boston University bookstore this summer, when I purchased The Mastery of Music: Ten Pathways to True Artistry by Barry Green. Kind of like a book club, I wanted the studio to spend a semester reading, discussing, and applying the concepts within the best literature regarding the relationship between intellect and musicianship.

Here are the complete details of the assignment:

University of Iowa Tuba-Euphonium Studio
Final Project – Fall 2009

• Read book at your own pace, but complete it by October 29th.
• Write down useful quotations and concepts
• Use quotations and concepts in Seminar class
• Apply concepts in your own practice, performing, lessons
• Prepare a five-minute oral book report to present at the final Seminar meeting; which should include a summary, observations and review.

Peruse all of the texts and by next week, be ready to express your choices in order of preference. The order of the random drawn lots was:

1. Steve
2. Michael
3. Blaine
4. Tucker
5. Devin
6. Pat
7. Justin
8. Dana
9. Kristina
10. Ben A.
11. Ben R.
12. Karina

• At the beginning of Seminar next week (Thursday, September 3rd), book selections will be made in the order above. I would suggest ranking your books, and rank as many as your lot number. [If you drew number 12, be sure to rank your top 12 books since you will choose last)

• Everyone must acquire (purchase, borrow, or sign out) their books by the next by September 10th.

• Blaine and I will inform you of which books are available through the University of Iowa Library, the Iowa City Public Library, or the Coralville Public Library.

• You must complete the book by October 29th (7 weeks), and make weekly notes and quotations to use when making your comments in seminar.

• The complete list of books maybe be found at the following link: http://amzn.com/w/Y1ES1P62F0DH

Today the Iowa Brass Quintet played for a welcome convocation for the thousands of incoming freshman at the University of Iowa.We only played a short processional and stayed long enough to snap a few photos. One of the messages at this renewed tradition was that of the “Iowa Challenge”. The Iowa Challenge, “expresses important principles that help students succeed in the classroom and beyond. It establishes what The University of Iowa expects from its students, and what students should expect from themselves and each other. In essence, it’s a mission statement for UI students.” The challenge lists five key goals: excel, stretch, engage, choose, and serve.

Excel. Academic excellence means setting and meeting high standards for yourself as a student. Faculty, staff and other students will ask you to work hard and push yourself intellectually. We expect a lot of you; you should expect only the best from yourself and the University.

Stretch. At Iowa, you will find diversity of people, ideas, opportunities, and experiences. That diversity is one of the benefits of being an Iowa student. Step away from the familiar, try new ideas, experience new cultures, and learn from people different from yourself.

Engage. You will be a more successful student and enjoy yourself more if you spend your time and energy on activities that matter. The University of Iowa offers almost limitless opportunities and the resources to help you become a leader in and out of the classroom. Take advantage of them.

Choose. Every day you make decisions that affect your education and your future. Take your choices seriously and use your freedom wisely. Your Iowa education is what you make it. Make it something you and your university can be proud of.

Serve. As an Iowa student, you are a member of many communities, on and off the campus. You have the opportunity and responsibility to be a good neighbor and citizen and to serve the community. Make your community a great place to live.

Here is a link to a slideshow of the convocation.

Abe Tochinsky, former principal tuba with Philadelphia Orchestra and the NBC Symphony, passed away this morning at the age of 89. Mr. Torchinsky was a giant in the world of the tuba, and he has had unmeasurable influence on generations of tuba players. He will be missed. This biography is from WindSong press:

Abe Torchinsky, a native of Philadelphia began playing tuba in a Boy Scout band.  In 1935 he began taking lessons with a young student at the Curtis Institute named Arnold Jacobs.  By the time he was in high school, he was performing professionally on tuba and bass, even playing with Isham Jones Orchestra.  He enrolled at Curtis in 1940 and studied with Philip Donatelli, the tubist of the Philadelphia Orchestra until the wind department at the Institute was shut down at the beginning of World War II.  Mr. Torchinsky played in the Southern Symphony Orchestra and with the National Symphony Orchestra for one season (1942-1943).  He then moved to New York City for concentrated study with William J. Bell.  He performed in the original cast productions of Billy Rose’s Seven Lively Arts, and Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and Allegro, and was in the cast of the movie Carnegie Hall.  He performed with the Cities Service Band of America under Paul LaSalle, and the NBC Symphony with Arturo Toscanini (1946-1949).  Torchinsky joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1949, and served as principal tuba until 1972.  Mr. Torchinsky and trombonist Henry Charles Smith hosted a radio program about the orchestra.  After retiring from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Torchinsky became a member of the faculty of the University of Michigan (1972-1989).  A Philadelphia Brass Ensemble recording, The Glorious Sound of Brass earned a Grammy in 1967.  The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble’s recording of the Antiphonal Music of Gabrieli with the Chicago and Cleveland Brass Ensembles won a Grammy in 1969.  The Philadelphia Brass Ensemble as soloists were also nominated in 1976 for a two album set of Hindemith’s sonatas for brass instruments with pianist Glenn Gould.  A less-familiar, early recording called Catch the Brass Ring by the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble, masquerading as the “Torchy Jones Quintet” had the distinction of being pulled from distribution by Columbia after Eugene Ormandy objected to orchestra members making a “jazz” recording.  His scholarly efforts in publishing full parts to orchestral works were an innovation and a vast improvement for students over previously available excerpt books.

Our last Holiday Tubas concert made the top of the December news in the “Year In Review” portion of the University of Iowa Annual report. Also worth viewing are the slideshows at One Year After, which feature the voices and images of University of Iowa students, faculty and staff speaking about how they dealt with the devastating flood of June 2008.

Carol Jantsch, principal tubist with the Philidelphia Orchestra, is featured in a rap called “Buy Carol’s CD” on Steve TV. To view it, go to the Peterson Project and click on “Buy Carol’s CD”, which is a hilarious rap parody to promote her new recording Cascades. Be sure to check out Carol’s website here.

Here is a profile and slide show from Indy Week on the Tuba Exchange. Located in Durham, North Carolina and run by Vince Simonetti and his wife. The Tuba Exchange website features new and used instruments, including a historic collection, and advice on choosing an instrument.