Information for Entering Freshman/Transfer Tuba/Euphonium Majors
Items to Purchase
(while this may seem to be a large list, many items on this list will cover the entire program—there will not be this large a list each semester!)
All entering tuba/euphonium students will need to own a tuner, metronome, recording device, breathing bag and initial music. Additionally, it is expected that every member of the UNCG Tuba/Euphonium Studio be a member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association. Each student, if a personal instrument is not owned, will need to own a mouthpiece. The following items are recommended: Tuner, Korg DT-1; Metronome, Seiko; Recording device—many students discover the value of having a digital recorder or using their laptop computer. Breathing Bag, 5 liter, available from www.windsongpress.com; Mouthpieces: contact me directly about what will work best for you. Music: Tuba, Brass Gym (focus on excellence) Bordogni/Rochut, Melodious Etudes, Book 1(Fischer), Tyrell, 40 Advanced Studies(Boosey), Blazhevich, 70 Studies, Book 1 (King); Euphonium, Brass Gym (focus on excellence) Bordogni/Rochut, Melodious Etudes, Book 1(Fischer), Mead, ed. Advanced Concert Studies, vol 1 (de Haske), Tyrell, 40 Studies for Trombone(Boosey). Also, all students are strongly urged to purchase an Arban’s Complete Method (there are separate versions for euphonium/trombone, and for tuba available from Encore Music).
Instruments: If you are entering college with your own instrument, a locker will be available for you. If you need to check out a school instrument, they will be available the Friday before classes start in the fall, and will have a locker assigned to them. If you are planning to purchase an instrument before starting college, be sure to talk with me, or another professional before purchasing. There are many types/shapes/keys of instruments available, and cheaper isn’t always better!
Keep Practicing
I want you to do well in your course work, in your private lessons, and in ensembles. In order to get a good start at UNCG, you need to begin preparing now. After your audition for acceptance into the School of Music, it’s not the time to let down! You will need to continue practicing so that you will be prepared to perform at your best on the audition held shortly after you arrive on campus in August. The audition in the fall will be for ensemble placement and chair placement within the section. Music for that audition can be found online: http://performingarts.uncg.edu/music/ensemble-auditions
Prepare for Success in Music Theory
Freshmen come to UNCG with differing levels of knowledge about music. Some will know the major and minor scales, key signatures, clefs, intervals, and chord types (major, minor, augmented and diminished) which they have learned through private lessons or music theory study in high school. Many others, however, possess only a rudimentary understanding of the subject. This range in knowledge about music theory presents a difficult challenge to both students and their teacher. To help you succeed in freshman music theory at UNCG, I am suggesting you do some preparatory work on the following website: http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/lessons.html. These are free lessons that cover the basics of theory. There is no need to purchase the product, unless you want to. When you visit this web site, you will be prompted to download Quicktime, if that application is not already on your computer, so that you can hear musical examples. (Quicktime is a free application.) You may already know many of the concepts in this web site, but it is important that you work your way through all of the exercises and the quizzes from the beginning to the end.
Develop Your Singing Voice
The functional use of your singing voice is important to your success as a music student at UNCG, and later as a music teacher in private lessons, ensemble rehearsal, or the classroom. Although those students who anticipate being a voice major usually spend several years singing in a choir during their adolescent years, many instrumentalists fail to develop their vocal skills. During the freshman and sophomore years, all music majors must enroll in courses designed to develop the skills of aural perception and sight singing. Prior singing experience will help you succeed in those courses. If you have not recently had experience singing, then you are urged to find a place in a school or community choir or another musical venue where you can develop skill in singing with good pitch and rhythm and become comfortable in using your singing voice.
Develop Your Keyboard Skills
If you have limited performance skills on the piano, then I strongly urge you to find a piano teacher and begin keyboard study immediately. Piano study will contribute to your general musical knowledge in many ways, especially your functional knowledge of scales, chords, and clefs. All students, unless they have studied piano privately for a number of years, are required to enroll in piano proficiency classes to develop their keyboard skills, but having some knowledge of piano skills ahead of time will help you when you arrive on campus.
Helpful Websites www.windsongpress.com, www.encoremupub.com, www.hickeys.com, www.mikefinnmouthpieces.com, www.mouthpieceexpress.com, www.wwandbw.com, http://www.gwmouthpieces.com, www.iteaonline.org