tuba christmas

recurring motifs

Emerging Voices The next generation of music eduoators are the undergraduates in our schools and faculties of musio. The CME Journal welcomes reflective or commentary articles from students who wish to express their ideas as they journey towards a career in music teaching.

Tuba Christmas

I

t was a crisp Saturday morning in December—not quite cold entiuj^h to snow, but definitely cold enough to see your breath when you exhaled. My high school hand teacher had somehow talked me into playing my euphonium in the highly-praised "Tuba Christmas" event downtown. Having only played the instrument for a year (after switching from one of the typical woodwind instruments of middle school), I was unsure of what to expect. My mother, the family taxi driver, drove me down to the University of Victoria, where the twohour morning rehearsal was taking place. Two whole hours. An eternity to play a brass instrument; did the conductor expect me to have lips left when it was over? Nevertheless, I arrived, received my Tuba Christmas button (1 still have it for future use), and set up my instrument and stand among the forest of people who must have been at least three times my age. 1 almost started warming up, but after hearing the person two chairs down play his beautiful silver euphonium with four valves (one too many, as far as I wa.s concerned), I decided it would be much too embarrassing. Instead, 1 buried myself in the music, making sure I knew the fingerings for all of those "off-the-staff' notes. The time came for the rehearsal to begin, and the group was introduced to the conductor, the lower brass teacher for the university. He launched into his speech about the times for the performance later on that afternoon, where to put music stands and cases, what to wear, and when to eat lunch, while 1 frantically tried to take it all in so I wouldn't be lost later on. Over the course of the rehearsal 1 got used to his forward style of teaching— after all, we had over thirty carols to get 22

CANADIAN MUSIC EDUCATOR

By Alyssa Hait

through in just two hours! Despite the tush, we managed to play the entire book of music with enough expression and detail to satisfy the conductor, and although 1 couldn't move my lips by the end of it (and certainly hadn't managed to hit all of the notes), I did enjoy it. 1 quickly packed up my instrument and found my mom in the parking lot, ready to drive me down to Market Square for lunch and the performance. When we got there (thankfully she knew where we were going, as I certainly didn't remember) I followed a fellow euphonium player to the storage room for our cases, dropped my instrument off, and headed to the near-by Mexican restaurant, much to the satisfaction of my grumbling stomach. All too soon the time came to get ready, so 1 donned my two pairs of gloves, winter jacket, and toque to try and keep warm during the outside performance. The conductor had us warm up with a B flat concert scale, which attracted the attention of the growing crowd all around the square. When we started playing the first piece all I could do was gasp in wonder and amazement. The sound was the most beautiful rhing I had heard in my entire life. For me. Tuba Christmas was an incredible experience that showed me the power of music to unite people from all walks of life. In the ensemble there were people from ages 14 to SO, with a wide range of skill. It didn't matter to the conductor or the person sitting next to you how well you could play, all that really counted was that fact that we were all there to make music together. I have continued to play in the Tuba Christmas event every year since this expe-

rience; 2007 will be my fourth year in a row. To this day it amazes me that a group t)f fifty people can get together for only one rehearsal and produce a stiund so wonderful that it attracts thousands of people every year. It brings out the true enjoyment of music in everyone involved—the audience, the lower brass players, and the people we raise money to help. As 1 examine why this event was so powerful, the recurring theme is acceptance. Tuba Christmas is open to anyeine who has a euphoniutn or tuba and wants to play. For the first time in my life 1 had nothing to prove. The conductor had no expectations of my ability, and neither did the people listening to me. This event allowed me to grow in my ability on my instrument (four hours is a long time to play for a beginner!) and in my love of music. In the years following, 1 have become a better euphonium player and someone else has taken my role in Tuba Christmas. They are also accepted, just as I was that crisp December moming. As a future music educator, 1 will remember this experience and try to emulate the atmosphere of acceptance with my students. I believe that it is very important to make kids feel comfortable no matter how good a musician they are. Acceptance is key to improvement, as it means the kids will feel more comfortable taking risks, and trying new things. Wlien I become a teacher, creating an accepting environment will be one of my main goals, as I strive to teach children the true love of music, CME Alyssa Hait is a first-year piano major af ffie University of Vicforia. She also enjoys playing the euphonium and singing, Alyssa hopes to get her Bachelor's degree in Music Education so she can share her love of music with

offers.