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[mwooden77]

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[RickF]

Hi Mick,

Welcome to the forum.

Congratulations on getting accepted to all of those colleges. Well done!

You wrote something that gives me pause. You wrote, "how to best get some sort of job as a euphonium player (not super interested in military band btw)". This reminds me of the joke, 'what do you call a professional euphonium who doesn't play in a military band?'... unemployed'. There are not many performing jobs for euphonium players other than the military. Specializing in euphonium performance alone may be a mistake in my opinion. How do you feel about being a teacher?

Having said that, if I had a choice in who I wanted to sound like on the euphonium, Demondrae would be my pick. He has an awesome sound. Love his tone and use of vibrato.

This is just my

[mwooden77]

I have no qualms with teaching! I just would rather make my way like Demondrae has (soloist/chamber musician/teacher) than in a band, if I can help it. Also, I also want to be successful as a orchestral trombone player, like Demondrae is. I don't really like band literature/how bands sound/etc., but if it came down to that I would be okay I suppose.

The only reason that it is kind of scary for me to jump in to Alabama instead of Northwestern is I feel like at NU I will be surrounded by a way higher calibur of musicians, and that could lead to my growth more than anything else.

[davewerden]

Originally posted by: mwooden77I don't really like band literature/how bands sound/etc., but if it came down to that I would be okay I suppose.

First, I would vote for NU.

As to the quote above, I think you need to learn more about bands. I agree they can sound clunky in some cases (depending on the literature and ability of the ensemble), but they can sound really great on good transcriptions, original pieces by good composers, and do marches in a way they were intended to sound. For starters, listen to good recordings of the Holst suites for military band. Listen to the Marine Band do some marches. Listen to the Air Force Band do some transcriptions. (You can mix & match those, by the way)

The fact is that there are lots of students who aspire to a military band gig or will want to conduct bands in schools. And many will enjoy playing in a community band at some point.

I personally would be very, very reluctant to send a student to a school where the low brass instructor (or euphonium instructor, depending on the size of the school) was not really familiar with bands. A good euphonium teacher should primarily be an expert at band playing, because that IS going to be an important part of most euphonium players' futures. Further, the teacher should know the orchestra repertoire that uses euphonium at least, know about chamber settings like brass quartet and euphonium-tuba quartet, and be familiar with brass bands.

If you don't want to get too intimate with the band world, then focus more on your trombone side. Orchestral trombonists often benefit from being a good, solid double on euphonium, but they don't usually need to know/care much about bands. (Wouldn't hurt them, though!)

And my own 2-cents worth... If you are good enough to get into a military band, you might also consider the very valuable performance experience you can get there, and all the while they are paying you! Do your 3 or 4 years and then get out and go in the direction you want. The experience will be beneficial no matter which course you choose. While in the military you can do more study (and they may even pay for some/all), get financially secure and make sure you have the horns you need, make some valuable contacts for future ventures, etc. There are spots for both euphonium and trombone players, and the 2nd-level bands will usually look for people who double and give you a chance to do so.

[mwooden77]

Thanks for your input Mr. Werden!



You make some good points about bands. While I do play in local groups, and a few college groups that are fairly local, bands just haven't appealed to me so far. But it's most definitely a true statement that if I want to be a professional euphonium player, playing in a military group would be an excellent way to become financially stable... and I also could end up loving it.



Could you elaborate a bit more on why you feel NU would be a better choice?

[davewerden]

Originally posted by: mwooden77Could you elaborate a bit more on why you feel NU would be a better choice?

Mostly a gut feeling. Over the years I have seen a LOT of fine players come out of their program; they have a great band (sorry) and orchestra program; there are huge resources nearby for enlightenment, study; etc.

That's not to put down Alabama. If you had the chance to study with Demondrae it would be a great experience. He's one of the best euphonium players around. I'm not personally familiar with his teaching, but I have heard only good things.

AND it's only my opinion. It's a hard choice, but you don't have a bad choice in this race, so that's a good thing!

[pmeuph]

In my opinion I think NU looks like a good choice. Especially when you are an undergraduate. I feel that during these first years you need to work on so much more than just euphonium. Theres a lot more to learn about music and playing and it won't all come out of private lessons. With a school like NU you are going to meet hundreds of people who have the same drive and goals as you. I would see this as a really motivating factor and try my best to use this sort of " support system" that is created by such a challenging environment.

The greatest advantage I see to NU is the quality of playing around. Not only those the school have great ensembles several other schools in town have great programs too and you can find one of the best orchestras around in town. There could be many good opportunities to see and hear great musicians and possibly take lessons from other instructors.

Also, Since you seem to want a career like Demondrae's, you will probably be getting a second degree latter on ( a master's or artist diploma). I think that during that degree it might be more reasonable to go study with Demondrae or somebody like him. Most professionals out there have a Master's Degree ( it is not compulsory but as a general rle of thumb it seems to be the entry point in the professional world, it also lets you be an instructor in colleges and universities)

[GregEuphonium]

Some very good advice given so far. No need for me to give my opinion on NU vs. Alabama since you already received some great advice. I do just have one question for you. Is there any reason other than finances that you are ruling out Eastman? You mentioned wanting to become not only a great euphonium player but also a great orchestral trombone player. Mark Kellog at Eastman seems like the right fit since, well, he is both of those things. Also, you talked a lot about wanting to be surrounded by very very good student musicians, and seeing as Eastman is one of the best conservatories in the world you would definitely get that there. Also, if any collegiate level group is going to change your opinion on wind ensembles/concert bands/whatever you want to call them, the Eastman wind ensemble would probably be that group.

So, anyway, I'm not trying to change your opinion. I think that whether you go to Alabama or NU you will have tons of growth as a musician and have a wonderful experience, I was just interested why you weren't considering Eastman, thats all. My only piece of advice that I will give you is this: What you get out of your college education has less to do with where you go to school and who you study with and has much more to do with what you put into it and your own personal drive to be a great musician.
Wherever you end up, good luck!

[mwooden77]

UPDATE:



I chose to study with Demondrae at UA... I'm really excited, thanks to all of you for your words of advice!

[kevinlau45]

I see you have already commited to Alabama but I just wanted to ask. Why did you not apply to the University of North Texas? Just thought I should ask.