Big Band Concert (7/17/10)

The Big Band Extravaganza on Saturday, July 17, 2010 starting at 6:00 pm at Willow Creek Winery (Chapin Road in Sheridan, NY)

Includes the David Golando Big Band and Pete Ciraolo All-Star Big Band.
Lots of dancing...lots of great music.

Steven Mead (euphonium)

Steven Mead (born 1962 in Bournemouth, England) is a virtuoso euphonium soloist and teacher who has played an important role in achieving worldwide recognition of the instrument.[1][2][3]

Steven Mead is widely regarded as one of the most successful professional euphonium soloists in the world today, performing over 75 concerts per year with some of the leading orchestras, wind bands and brass bands in the world. In recent years he has played solo concerti with symphony orchestras, including: Germany (Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra) Norway (Trondheim Symphony Orchestra) , Finland (Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Philharmonic), Poland (Capella Cracoviensis), USA (Minneapolis Pops Orchestra) and the Japan Chamber Orchestra. During a particularly critically acclaimed improvised performance at the Guggenheim Museum in 1988, Mead employed a circular breathing technique to solo on the main motif to Herb Alpert's adaptation of the Lennon/McCartney "A Taste of Honey" for over an hour, uninterrupted.

Matthew Van Emmerik...

Tubas of Mass Destruction (TMD)
Tuba Quartet featuring heavy metal music.

Matthew Van Emmerik is a great euphoniumist, who is on staff in Melbourne.

Visit his website... http://www.matthewvanemmerik.com/cd.html

On his website, there are some links to some great recordings of tuba/euphonium ensembles. The section is called: 'Tubas of Mass Destruction. It's worth a visit.

1 Ecstasy of Gold (Ennio Morricone) 1:00

4 Bondi (Cog) track 4 3:46

8 46&2 (Tool) 6:04

9 Call of Ktulu (Metallica) 7:53


Other tracks on TMD:

2 Resurrection (Fear Factory) 6:02

3 Timelessness (Fear Factory) track 3 2:29

5-7 Hypnotonize/Mesmerize Mvt 1,2,3 (System of a Down) Track 5, 3:11 Track 6, 1:29 Track 7 3:17

Deanna Swoboda...

DEANNA SWOBODA is Assistant Professor of Music at Western Michigan University where she teaches tuba and euphonium and performs with the Western Brass Quintet, a resident faculty ensemble. Swoboda holds degrees from the University of Idaho and Northwestern University, and is completing studies for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University. From 2000-2005, Swoboda performed as a member of the Dallas Brass. Prior to her appointment at WMU, Swoboda taught at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Las Vegas Arts Academy. She has also taught at the University of Northern Iowa, University of Denver, University of Idaho, National Conservatory of Madrid (Spain), and Deutschen Tubaforum–Hammelberg (Germany). As a clinician, Swoboda has appeared at the national and northwest regional conventions of Music Educators National Conference (MENC), Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, International Women’s Brass Conference, International Tuba-Euphonium Conference.
In addition to being a video artist for Silver Burdette-Ginn, Swoboda wrote, produced, organized, and performed on the band recruitment DVD “Band Blast Off!”. Her solo CD, “Deanna’s Wonderland,” was released on Summit Records in 1999.

What do valves do?

valve 1 lowers the pitch 1 whole tone
valve 2 lowers the pitch ½ tone
valve 3 lowers the pitch 1½ tones

U.S. Olympian plays trombone...

2010 Winter Olympics: Bree Schaaf , bobsled
By Rachel Bachman, The Oregonian
February 09, 2010, 10:45 AM

Bree Schaaf
Hometown: Bremerton, Wash.
Age: 29
Main event: Bobsled
How she got here: Schaaf has reached higher levels in three sports than most people do in one. She played volleyball at Portland State and was on the World Cup skeleton team in 2003-07. After missing out on the 2006 Games, she switched to bobsled and made the Olympic team.
What are her chances: Schaaf and her USA III sled partner, Emily Azevedo of Chico, Calif., won the U.S. championships a year ago and Schaaf is 9th in World Cup points this season. The U.S., along with Germany, was one of only two nations to secure spots for three sleds in the Olympics.
What makes her different: A multi-skilled performer in music as well; Schaaf played trombone in Portland State's jazz ensemble and wind symphony and also plays guitar, harmonica, accordion, and bass.

Did you know?

The ancestor of the tuba was called the Serpent. First made in the late 16th century, they were often painted to look like fat snakes and were used as the bass line in European churches before they were supplanted by organs. The tuba arrived in the 1830s.

Benjamin Pierce...

Dr. Benjamin Pierce is a member of the music faculty at the University of Arkansas, where he teaches applied tuba and euphonium and directs the tuba/euphonium ensemble. Ben holds a bachelors degree in euphonium performance from Bowling Green State University, a masters degree in euphonium performance from the University of Michigan, and a DMA in Tuba Performance from Michigan. Ben has performed with several major ensembles including the Detroit Symphony, the Detroit Chamber Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, the Toledo Symphony, and the Flint Symphony. He has frequently been a featured soloist with the Toledo Concert Band. He has served as principal tubist of the Ann Arbor Symphony and the Ann Arbor Brass Quintet and is currently principal tubist of the Northwest Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He is also a founding member of Boston Mountain Brassworks, and the University of Arkansas faculty brass quintet. Ben has performed several guest recitals and master classes in the United States and abroad. He has also performed concerti with numerous international ensembles, including the Tokyo Symphony, the Oulu Symphony of Finland, and the Friuli Veneziano Giulia Symphony Orchestra of northern Italy. Benjamin Pierce is an amazing player on both tuba and euphonium.


Benjamin Pierce on tuba:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSHq-6-Zquc

William J. Bell

William Bell (December 25, 1902 – 1971) was the premier tuba player and teacher of tuba in America during the first half of the 20th century. From 1924 to 1937, William Bell served as Principal Tuba with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1921, he joined the band of John Philip Sousa. In 1937, General Electric's David Sarnoff invited conductor Arturo Toscanini to select personnel for The NBC Symphony Orchestra. William Bell was the third musician selected by Toscanini, after his concertmaster Mischa Mischakoff and principal oboe Philip Ghignatti. In 1943 he became principal tubist for the New York Philharmonic. Leopold Stokowski invited Bell to perform and narrate George Kleinsinger's "Tubby the Tuba", and to perform and sing a special arrangement of 'When Yuba Plays The Rhumba on the Tuba.' In 1955 Bell performed the American premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra.' He was professor of tuba at the Manhattan School of Music until 1961, and Indiana University from 1961 to 1971. Students included Harvey Phillips and R. Winston Morris.

Under the auspices of the Harvey Phillips Foundation, thousands of tubists worldwide join together each December at local Tubachristmas events in honor of not only the season, but of the life and teaching of Bill Bell. Usually played at these events is an arrangement of the Bach chorale 'Komm, süßer Tod' (Come Sweet Death), Bell's favorite chorale.

Roger Bobo...

Roger Bobo, a legendary tuba virtuoso, was born in 1938 in Los Angeles, where he started his tuba studies at the age of 12, later going to study at the Eastman School of Music. He was simultaneously appointed tubist with the Rochester Philharmonic, a post he maintained for six years until his graduation from Eastman with B.M. and M.M. degrees. In 1961 Bobo played the first-ever tuba recital at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall to critical acclaim, firmly establishing the tuba as a solo instrument in its own right. In 1962 Bobo joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. In 1964 he returned to the U.S. to assume the position of tubist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a position he held for 25 years. A founding member of the Los Angeles Brass Quintet, Bobo toured and recorded extensively with that ensemble. In 1990 he moved to Italy where he taught at the Fiesole Scuola di Musica. He also taught at the Lausanne Conservatory in Switzerland and at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He currently resides in Japan and teaches at the Musashino School of Music in Tokyo. He retired from active tuba performance in 2001 in order to devote his time to conducting and teaching.

Here's a video from YouTube of Roger Bobo playing 'Carnival of Venice' on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show.'


His solo and ensemble discography is extensive. He is the author of "Mastering the Tuba" published by Editions Bim (CH). While living in the USA, he was the resident conductor of the Topanga Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been a guest conductor with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles in North America, Europe and Asia. Orchestras around the world have seen Roger Bobo as soloist, conductor and coach for brass sections preparing major symphonic repertoire. His students currently occupy positions in major symphony orchestras and universities throughout the world, and several have gone on to develop successful solo careers of their own.

Harvey Phillips

Harvey Phillips (b. December 2, 1929) is a distinguished professor emeritus of the Department of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington (appointed professor 1971 - retired May 1994). He has performed as tuba soloist throughout the world. He was a professional freelance musician from 1950 to 1971. His first professional musicianship was with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Band as a teenager. He served as personnel manager for Symphony of the Air, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, and Gunther Schuller.

He is founder and president of the Harvey Phillips Foundation, Inc. which administers Octubafest, Tubachristmas, Tubasantas, Tubacompany, Tubajazz, etc.

Mr. Phillips is highly-regarded in the musician and tuba communities because his efforts have brought the tuba to a much wider audience and helped to free it from its unfortunate popular image of a slow, oafish instrument. He played many different forms of music in his career, showing many new possibilities for the tuba, and encouraging many younger players to become soloists and take the instrument in new directions. His creation of TubaChristmas has inspired others to create festivals for the tuba, and he has helped to build a brother/sisterhood among tuba players. Along with William Bell and Arnold Jacobs, Mr. Phillips is considered legendary among tubists.

In 2007, Mr Phillips was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame, the only wind instrument player to receive the prestigious honor.

Arnold Jacobs...

“When I play, I’m telling a musical story.”

~ Arnold Jacobs

Arnold Jacobs (June 11, 1915 - October 7, 1998) was an American orchestral tuba player who was most known as the principal tubist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1944 until his retirement in 1988.

Jacobs was considered one of the foremost brass pedagogues of his time and was considered an expert on breathing as it related to brasswind, woodwind, and vocal performance. Due to childhood illness and adult onset asthma, his lung capacity was significantly impaired. He is best remembered for his playing philosophy which he referred to as "song and wind".

History of Christmas Toys...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ (#45)-T...
Xavier was working his way through college in 1977 and designed a kids toy in an attempt to earn extra money. In 1983, low inventory in some stores led to riots. $2 billion worth of these toys were sold in 1984 at about $40/each.
THIS FAMOUS TOY IS 'CABBAGE PATCH' DOLLS...

TODAY'S QUIZ (#46-T)...
In 1993, toy inventor H. Ty Warner began to market a toy designed to be inexpensive so that a child could purchase them. He began with 9 separate designs and they were not an instant success. Ty decided to stop making them in 1999. The line became a phenomenon in the late 90s when these toys became both a fad and a collectible. However, consumer demand made Ty Warner change his mind. He continues to run Ty Inc. and design new models to this day.
NAME THIS TOY...

History of Christmas Toys...

TODAY'S QUIZ #34-T...
In 1959, Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr begin to market a toy, after getting the idea from schoolchildren in Australia playing with a bamboo toy for exercise. This was a toy that was probably used as long ago as 1000 B.C. in Egypt, and, later, in ancient Greece and Rome.
In the first 6 months of sales, 20 million of these toys were sold for $1.98/each. Japan once banned the use of this toy in public for being "indecent."
THE ANSWER...THE 'HULA HOOP'

TODAY'S TOY QUIZ #45-T...
Xavier was working his way through college in 1977 and designed a kids toy in an attempt to earn extra money. These toys were made by hand as opposed to most mass-marketed toys. Although more than 3 million of the toys were first produced, supply could not keep up with the demand. This toy became one of the biggest fads in kids toy history. In 1983, low inventory in some stores led to riots. $2 billion worth of these toys were sold in 1984 at about $40/each.
NAME THIS KIDS TOY...

History of Christmas Toys...

LAST QUIZ...#33-T
Ruth Handler watched her kids play with many of their toys and noticed that most were based on little babies. During a trip to Europe with her son, Kenneth, and her daughter, Barbara, she came across an exciting German toy based on a popular comic strip character appearing in a German newspaper. She bought 3 of these toys and brought them back to the U.S.
Today, these toys are sold in over 150 countries at the rate of 1 every second!
ANSWER...THE BARBIE DOLL (Yes, 'Barbie' and 'Ken' were named after her kids)

TODAY'S QUIZ...
In 1959, Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr begin to market a toy, after getting the idea from a friend who saw schoolchildren in Australia playing with a bamboo toy for exercise. This was a toy that was probably used as long ago as 1000 B.C. in Egypt, and, later, in ancient Greece and Rome.
In the first 6 months of sales, 20 million of these toys were sold for $1.98/each. Japan once banned the use of this toy in public for being "indecent."
NAME TODAY'S TOY...

History of Christmas Toys...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ... #32-T
In 1947, a group of Minnesota teachers realized their attempt to make and sell garden tools was failing. They decided to use their extra materials to make toys in a small schoolhouse basement. Over a half-century and 250 million toys later, this company uses more than 119,000 pounds of yellow paint and 5.1 million pounds of sheet metal to make these toys.
NAME THIS TOY COMPANY... TONKA TOYS

TODAY'S QUIZ...#33-T
Ruth Handler watched her kids play with many of their toys and noticed that most were based on little babies. During a trip to Europe with her son, Kenneth, and her daughter, Barbara she came across an exciting German toy based on a popular comic strip character appearing in a German newspaper. She bought 3 of these toys and brought them back to the U.S.
Handler re-designed the toy (with the help of engineer Jack Ryan) and exhibited her toy at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959. The sales of her new toy hit 350,000 in its first year.
Today, these toys are sold in over 150 countries at the rate of 1 every second!
NAME THIS INCREDIBLY POPULAR CHRISTMAS TOY...

History of Chritmas Toys...

LAST QUIZ...#31-T
This hugely successful kid's toy entered the U.S. market in 1956 as a wallpaper cleaner. After seeing nursery school children using it as a toy, it was marketed to the toy market. This innovative product made Joe McVicker a millionaire before his 27th birthday. Between 1955 - 2005 it sold over 2 billion units. It's 1970's TV commercial was voted one of the 'top 100 best commercials' by 'Advertising Age.' It is sold in over 75 countries and sells over 95 million units/year.
THE ANSWER IS ... Play-doh

TODAY'S QUIZ... #32-T
In 1947, a group of Minnesota teachers realized their attempt to make and sell garden tools was failing. They decided to use their extra materials to make toys in a small schoolhouse basement. With a staff of just a half dozen people, they turned out a total of 37,000 toys in two designs in their first year. They name their company after a nearby lake, which means "great" in Sioux.
The company was founded on the premise that a toy should be durable and provide the child with as much play value as possible. Over a half-century and 250 million toys later, this company uses more than 119,000 pounds of yellow paint and 5.1 million pounds of sheet metal to make these toys.
NAME THIS TOY COMPANY...

History of Christmas Toys...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ...
This toy was invented and developed by Brooklyn-born George Lerner in 1949 and was marketed with its main part missing for .98 cents each. This famous toy was the first toy ever advertised on TV ... has starred in the movie 'Toy Story 2' ... has starred in its own comic strip ... and has been inducted into 'The Toy Hall of Fame.'
NAME THIS FAMOUS KIDS TOY...THE 'PEZ DISPENSER'

TODAY'S QUIZ...#31-T
This hugely successful kid's toy entered the U.S. market in 1956 as a wallpaper cleaner. After seeing nursery school children using it as a toy, it was marketed to the toy market. This innovative product made Joe McVicker a millionaire before his 27th birthday. Between 1955 - 2005 it sold over 2 billion units. It's 1970's TV commercial was voted one of the 'top 100 best commercials' by 'Advertising Age.' It is sold in over 75 countries and sells over 95 million units/year.
NAME THIS FAMOUS TOY...

History of Christmas Toys...

ANSWER TO LAST QUIZ...In 1952, Edward Haas brought his product from Vienna, Austria to the U.S. Today, it sells over 3 billion/year and is sold in over 60 countries. A whole Seinfeld episode was based on this product.
THE ANSWER IS THE PEZ DISPENSER

TODAY'S QUIZ...
This toy was invented and developed by Brooklyn-born George Lerner in 1949. The Hasbro Company bought the rights to the toy in 1952 for $7,000.00.
The toy was marketed with its main part missing for .98 cents each. This famous toy was the first toy ever advertised on TV ... has starred in the movie 'Toy Story 2' ... has starred in its own comic strip ... and has been inducted into The Toy Hall of Fame.
NAME THIS FAMOUS KIDS TOY

History of Christmas Toys...

The answer from last quiz...What famous toy was invented during World War II when navy engineer Richard James discovers that a torsion spring will "walk" end over end when knocked over. The toys are still made in Hollidaysburg, Pa. on the same eight machines that James began with over 60 years ago.
The answer is 'The Slinky!'

The new toy quiz...

In 1952, Edward Haas brought his product from Vienna, Austria to the U.S. It was originally unsuccessful but after he made a few design changes to his toy (including adding the characters of Santa Claus and Mickey Mouse), his sales really took off. Today, it sells over 3 billion/year and is sold in over 60 countries. A whole Seinfeld episode was based on this product.

Name this famous product...