Why should or shouldn’t I renew my ITEA membership?

[Mark]

For me after being a member for well over 25 years the break point was changing the name from TUBA.

There was a vote on the name change from TUBA to ITEA. The vote totals were never released (what does that suggest) and the name was changed. That is when I dropped my membership.

[arpthark]

For those curious (I was), the name change occurred between the Summer and Fall 2001 issues of the journal.

[the elephant]

I started up in 1982 and droped out in 1989. That was enough for me.

[tofu]

For me after being a member for well over 25 years the break point was changing the name from TUBA.

There was a vote on the name change from TUBA to ITEA. The vote totals were never released (what does that suggest) and the name was changed. That is when I dropped my membership.

I must of missed the notice of the vote. Was that a separate mailing or in one of the journals. My journals arrived so late it had probably already happened by the time I got it.

[Mark]

I must of missed the notice of the vote. Was that a separate mailing or in one of the journals. My journals arrived so late it had probably already happened by the time I got it.

Too long ago for me to remember.

[russiantuba]

Could have been a vote of the executive board.

[Mark]

Could have been a vote of the executive board.

No, there was a general membership vote.

[bisontuba]

Remember, all the other brass organizations...Trumpet, Horn, Trombone.. are Int'l to be inclusive.
.....I think ITEA just went for conformity...

[russiantuba]

Could have been a vote of the executive board.

No, there was a general membership vote.

A show vote. Simply put, the organization wanted to make the name change, but knew it would be an unpopular decision and could lose members. So, pretending a vote would happen is a great way to say “here is the vote”, when nothing was counted.

Velvet Brown is next president elect for the organization, as was announced last week. No voting percentages have been released, but I asked Bryan. I did have him confirm with the entire system to confirm that all votes are anonymous that there is no way to see who voted for who.

In the past, I’ve never seen what the percentages were and remember it being 2 candidates. I know if I was running one year and lost, I would want to know by how much!

[bloke]

You know...

There's this repair-peeps thing called National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians (NAPBIRT).

It costs money to be a member. (Check out how much...For me, it's several tanks of gas - 5 or 6...and it's an annual same-amount re-up.
https://napbirt.org/general/register_member_type.asp?

It seems to me that one of the main deals is to sell gadgety/many-not-necessarily-needed-if-one-really-develops-eye-hand-coordination tools to greenhorns who like to join stuff...and a whole bunch of people are suckers for new tools, whereas a whole bunch of other people are suckers for doing what they're told to do - without slowing down enough to think things through for themselves.

Though it requires a cross-disciplines analogy (and the "tools" thing mostly becomes something else...ie "gab", etc...), does this sorta sound familiar?

[tofu]

Remember, all the other brass organizations...Trumpet, Horn, Trombone.. are Int'l to be inclusive.
.....I think ITEA just went for conformity...

One of the things I have always loved about tuba players is we are built different from other musicians. Nobody takes up tuba for the glory, the recognition, the status or the solos . We are indeed the offensive lineman of music (ok I’m just offensive period) . We are down in the trenches in support of others in the group - our job is to make others sound better.

Nobody wins a Super Bowl without a great offensive line making everybody else play better. You can win the Super Bowl without a great quarterback (such as the 1985 Bears - nobody ever thought McMahon’s wounded duck passes were the result of a great arm and the guy was as mobile as a fence post). We (like offensive linemen) don’t get the glory - we are like linemem there for the team - and isn’t music really the ultimate team sport? You can get by without a great running back or any of the other positions on a football team - but you can’t play great with any musician in the ensemble having bad time or an inability to play in tune with the ensemble. Every time I saw an interviewer tell the late great Walter (Sweetness) Payton he was great Walter would proceed to tell them he wasn’t great until the Bears had great offensive line players and only then was he able to be great. For such an amazing player he was a very modest guy and always willing to take on the tasks like blocking for others in support of the team that so many so called great running backs take a pass on.

Like offensive lineman most tuba players (especially the playing pros I have met) don’t take themselves too seriously. And for me that was the real rub of the name change and the resulting goofy acronym that outside of tuba/euph players nobody knows what it means. It screams - we take ourselves very seriously - you should to. In my encounters most of the top pros such as Gene P. are modest and self effacing individuals.

My favorite line I ever heard out of a conductor - was years ago at the end of a live local TV interview of the CSO’s Sir George Solti on the 5 pm newscast by a fairly young local Chicago station reporter. At the very end of the interview (I assume to fill time and she was obviously star struck by Sir George) she asked him completely out of the blue - "does the audience know when the tuba player is playing?" I immediately leaned forward to hear his response - he didn’t even pause to think about it and instantly replied:

"No they don't - but they sure know when he isn't.” That went flying right over her head as I’m sure with most of the viewing audience, but like most musicians I knew exactly what he meant.

[Colby Fahrenbacher]

Could have been a vote of the executive board.

No, there was a general membership vote.

A show vote. Simply put, the organization wanted to make the name change, but knew it would be an unpopular decision and could lose members. So, pretending a vote would happen is a great way to say “here is the vote”, when nothing was counted.

Love me a good conspiracy theory with only suspicions as evidence. Keep up the good work!

[russiantuba]

[quote=russiantuba post_id=108989 time=<a href="tel:1746647213">1746647213</a> user_id=53]
[quote=Mark post_id=108974 time=<a href="tel:1746640346">1746640346</a> user_id=174]
[quote=russiantuba post_id=108971 time=<a href="tel:1746640143">1746640143</a> user_id=53]
Could have been a vote of the executive board.

No, there was a general membership vote.
[/quote]

A show vote. Simply put, the organization wanted to make the name change, but knew it would be an unpopular decision and could lose members. So, pretending a vote would happen is a great way to say “here is the vote”, when nothing was counted.
[/quote]

Love me a good conspiracy theory with only suspicions as evidence. Keep up the good work!
[/quote]

I asked Bryan for the results of the last ITEA election. He mentioned that he would check the bylaws and such, but never have they done 3 candidates by the committee that chose them. I’m curious on the numbers, on several elections, win margins, percentage of members who voted, etc.

When these numbers aren’t released, when the candidates are chosen by committees and not by applying, there is a question of doubt.

Colby, maybe you should educate yourself on the issue (term used to me by him once). Right when the vote was made to change it, several members asked for the result totals, and the new ITEA leadership refused to hand them over. I knew this last time I asked a general consensus that is being confirmed by more members.

Also, if you really want to know, the leaked rumor is that the votes supported keeping the name of TUBA. I had a couple people notify me on this last time I asked. However, the data (which you and I like, me probably more), was refused to be released.

Doubt, mistrust, or in your case, conspiracy theories, result when data isn’t released when changes are made.

[Stryk]

I was always a member of T.U.B.A., I was never a member of ITEA and likely never will be.

[bloke]

If it promotes (not just government-salaried composers writing new F tuba degree recital pieces, and not just government studio teachers running their studios through etude books and F tuba solos and talking not-particularly accomplished/motivated high school students into expanding the ranks of college private lesson studios, but...)

education on learning or creating funky bass lines (perhaps a course on the top 100 NOLA brass band tunes, and all their choruses' specific bass lines ALONG WITH studying the bass lines and performing the bass lines from "the age of funk" - 1970's - 1980's...music which is still VERY popular at wedding receptions, and the bass lines of which come off VERY well when played on the sousaphone), professional sousaphone playing (how to maximize volume and tone while controlling pitch and without damaging the embouchure), beat-box techniques, how to learn hear chord changes (ie. a helluva lot quicker, better, and on-the-fly vs. passing an "ear training" class), doubling on (at least, electric) bass, playing solo choruses that people will actually like (rather than applaud out of sympathy or "pretty good, considering its a TUBA"), another course on "the 100 most important polkas and 50 most important waltzes that every tuba player should know without lead sheets"...and (while commercial orchestras still exist in the USA, specifically) an intensive orchestral excerpts class - study-performance, as well as (while they still exist in the USA, specifically) an intensive wind-band excerpts class - study/performance... WEEKLY PLAYING TESTS within ALL of these suggested courses.

ALL of this for a "tuba performance" degree...(and higher-level / more-intensive versions of each of these - if one pursues additional master/doctoral tuba performance degrees)...

T.U.B./I.T.E./A. should ALSO promote performances and venues where tuba/sousaphone players are regularly hired to play, as well and constantly barraging the internet with videos of (particularly outstanding) examples of everything mentioned in the previous brainstormed paragraph.

F tuba solos/orchestral excerpts college student contests...meh. (no commercial market for the former and a fading market for the latter...but ok for developing technique and improving one's ability to execute musical phrasing)
regional/international "symposia" emphasizing all of the stuff in the brainstormed paragraph above? ... YES !!!!
Misinforming (by implication) 19-year-olds that there is a viable commercial market for "classical/serious" F tuba solos... ...groan...

...ie. ACTUAL stuff that people pay (and - perhaps - WILL pay) tuba players to do...

[gocsick]

Honestly - the best thing ITEA can do on an education front would be aimed at the amateur and high school tuba player.. Articles and videos like

1) How to choose a mouthpiece and no you don't need to spend $250 on one...

2) Basics of tuba care - The Jeff Funderburk VHS videos have been posted to Youtube and have tens of thousands of views. Stuff like how NOT to pull a stuck mouthpiece... How to oil rotary valves... How to clean a tuba.. etc It sounds silly but this stuff is incredible important for both students and band directors. How many "typical" tuba players are comfortable do anything with rotors?

3) Recordings of etudes and common solos... David Zerkle did a great job getting this started with his etude library Youtube Series.

4) What to look for in a used tuba. What are some good options for adult casual players? etc.

5) "Being able to play well is often less important that showing up on time and being prepared". or "A$$H&!es don't get the callback no matter how good they played"

5) Basic things for band directors about teaching tuba students - "More Air isn't Always the Answer", "How to Convince Your Bad Trumpet Players to Switch to Tuba Without Saying Their Lips are too Big", "Sousaphones are Heavy... Maybe let your Female 80lb 5 Foot Freshman get a Drink of Water Without Yelling" and "Yes... Tubas Belong in Jazz Band"

In all seriousness - If ITEA is going to be relevant they need to be in the first couple of responses when someone googles a basic tuba question.

[bloke]

Without meaning to enter into a conflict with anyone, that stuff sounds a whole bunch (at least to me) like stuff that someone might ask alexa or siri.

[russiantuba]

Since the advertising coordinator is open, which is a position that earns a percentage of ad revenue on commission, might be a good question or approach:

Having articles such as the music education or general repair/maintenance sample articles Gocsick mentioned, putting ads on the website could generate even more money and hits for the funding of the organization.

One article every single band director that doesn’t play tuba needs to read would be on selecting styles and models of tubas for their programs. I am personally not a fan of the top action Yamaha tubas, as I do teach pulling slides. Or have actual tubists and repair techs go “the best tubas for the price” and work on getting these searches prioritized by Google.

[Big Francis]

Until ITEA can demonstrate that membership brings a greater value to my playing than what I can find for free, I won't sign up. That's hard when they don't have a presence anywhere I visit on the regular. I really like @gocsick's points - those add value from a position of authority as a professional organization. Not to discount what Joe's comments on it with Alexa and Siri, because some people will actually trust those sources (I'm willing to be those same people participated it the Tide Pod challenge a few years ago) . I'm coming from the perspective of me having a valuable instrument that I want to take good care of and wanting that advise from a trusted source or organization.

But as James stated earlier, they missed their opportunity when TN hit the skids and we're all here. Five years into this board, I know who I can trust, can decipher sarcasm well enough. I get this here for free. What more would they offer with a membership fee?

I could be tempted to join if they partnered with retailers to get us a 10% discount at participating music stores, the membership would pay for itself in savings.

[Dave Detwiler]

I'll chime in, briefly . . .

As one who contributes regularly to the ITEA Journal from the standpoint of the history of our instrument, and especially the Sousaphone, I have found each of the journal editors over the years great to work with. And there is simply nowhere else that one can go to read about the history of the tuba, or forgotten giants of that instrument, whether through my articles, or the great work by Clifford Bevan and, more recently, Douglas Yeo, than the journal (notwithstanding Bevan's classic book, The Tuba Family).

So, I, for one, am grateful for this resource produced by the ITEA (and just to be clear, there is no remuneration for contributing to it - we write solely for the benefit of all interested in our instrument!).