Who was your teacher?

[bort2.0]

In order of frequency:

Just for tuba:
Ed Goldstein - Undergraduate studies at Towson University
Mike Bunn - Graduate studies at Towson University
Scott Mendoker - Private lessons
David Fedderly - Private Lessons

A million years ago, YOU were the "tuba coach" for my HS marching band. IIRC, I was still playing trumpet at the time. (Not a million, but definitely over 30 years ago. )

[UncleBeer]

Toby Hanks

I took lessons from Toby for a while in college, near the end of my time there. He was such a nice person and a fantastic teacher.

I had Toby for my Masters at Manhattan School. Unfortunately, he was in the depths of his dystonia and it deeply affected his teaching. Comments like "Wish I could do that" weren't helpful for a student wanting to learn. Comments from his students at Yale were similar.

[bort2.0]

Toby Hanks

I took lessons from Toby for a while in college, near the end of my time there. He was such a nice person and a fantastic teacher.

I had Toby for my Masters at Manhattan School. Unfortunately, he was in the depths of his dystonia and it deeply affected his teaching. Comments like "Wish I could do that" weren't helpful for a student wanting to learn. Comments from his students at Yale were similar.

Weird.

It was like 2001-2002 when I was taking lessons with Toby. All seemed normal enough to me.

[Stefan A]

In order of frequency:

Just for tuba:
Ed Goldstein - Undergraduate studies at Towson University
Mike Bunn - Graduate studies at Towson University
Scott Mendoker - Private lessons
David Fedderly - Private Lessons

A million years ago, YOU were the "tuba coach" for my HS marching band. IIRC, I was still playing trumpet at the time. (Not a million, but definitely over 30 years ago. )

Small World! I can only think of 2 high schools where I ever did that. Which one were you at?

Stefan

[prodigal]

In order of frequency:

Just for tuba:
Ed Goldstein - Undergraduate studies at Towson University
Mike Bunn - Graduate studies at Towson University
Scott Mendoker - Private lessons
David Fedderly - Private Lessons

A million years ago, YOU were the "tuba coach" for my HS marching band. IIRC, I was still playing trumpet at the time. (Not a million, but definitely over 30 years ago. )

Small World! I can only think of 2 high schools where I ever did that. Which one were you at?

Stefan

Ha, I know where you're not at right now, lucky man!

[Three Valves]

The streets.

[dandorrough]

As a student enrolled in weekly lessons, I studied with:
Pete Kline (San Antonio College — 1983-1985)
Dave Dorrough (Armed Forces School of Music — 1985)
Don Little (University of North Texas — 1988-1993)
Ev Gilmore (University of North Texas — 1992-1993)

Privately, I took monthly lessons for about a year and a half with Arnold Jacobs in 1995 and 1996. I took a handful of lessons with Steve Johns, Don Harry, and Mike Sanders in the 1980s.

my name is daniel dorrough, i am davids son.

i googled "david dorrough army school of music" and found your post

he passed away july 24th, 2026

may his memory live on

[the elephant]

As a student enrolled in weekly lessons, I studied with:
Pete Kline (San Antonio College — 1983-1985)
Dave Dorrough (Armed Forces School of Music — 1985)
Don Little (University of North Texas — 1988-1993)
Ev Gilmore (University of North Texas — 1992-1993)

Privately, I took monthly lessons for about a year and a half with Arnold Jacobs in 1995 and 1996. I took a handful of lessons with Steve Johns, Don Harry, and Mike Sanders in the 1980s.

my name is daniel dorrough, i am davids son.

i googled "david dorrough army school of music" and found your post

he passed away july 24th, 2026

may his memory live on

I liked your dad. I remember that when I won my job with the Mississippi Symphony back in 1993, I looked him up and thanked him. He had encouraged me to do my hitch, get out, and go to school to try and get a gig. Despite my having only had about eight lessons with him (I advanced out of the SOM), he had a big influence on me as a player. That is why he made this list.

Your dad was a great player, teacher, and person.

Thanks for letting me know about his passing. My respect to him. May he rest in peace.

[Ace]

Studied trumpet in 1954-1955 with:
Hyrum Lammers, Hollywood film studio bass trombonist
Robert Fleming, lead trumpet, Disney studio orchestra
Studied trumpet in 1965 with Donald Reinberg, principal trumpet San Francisco Symphony
In 1990 had a few lessons on tuba with Peter Wahrhaftiq, SF freelancer and principal tuba SF Ballet Orchestra (Sometimes subbed in SF Symphony for his teacher, Floyd Cooley)

ACE, 90 y.o. Sigh

[LibraryMark]

When I was studying tuba back in the late 70's/early 80's at Western Michigan University, Robert Whaley was the tuba prof. While I wound up ultimately not doing music for a career, I still feel very fourtunate to have spent time with him. He was an excellent and wise teacher. He's still playing in his 80's with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra.

[travisd]

This post has been interesting... it makes me wonder how much of an outlier my experience is for an active adult player.
(...)

The long story short... is I never actually had any formal musical training...
(...)

Any other self learners on here????????

Kind of a similar path. Started playing in Middle School (6th grade) because....no idea! Parents aren't musical, can't remember any direct influence on why I decided to start playing tuba.

Lessons were done with the other members of the section. John Taylor, the director, I think is a Trombone player. Mainly learned on the chair-mounted Sousas, though we did have some beat up 3/4 uprights. Mouthpieces were kept in a rack by the sink - use the powdered soap and coarse brown paper towel to clean out. Think I did Jazz band one year. At some point we got a nice new Yamaha upright. I can recall getting a strange look from Mr. Taylor because I was playing the upright with my left hand occasionally (I'm a lefty...why not?). I think I took an upright home one summer, but can't really really spending much time practicing (Story of my life...). Somehow I made All-county one year - no idea how I pulled that off. They must've been short on tuba players.

High School meant marching and concert bands. Director was Brad Collins - amazing Sax player from Towson (Hank Levy's bands) who just retired last year from teaching in the county (he switched from High School to Elementary after a few years, presumably for his health and sanity). Occasional section lessons again.

Did marching band in College (Univ of Maryland) - got to learn from the others in the section who were music majors or just great players. Should have taken it more seriously and paid more attention.

Post college, didn't own a horn, but did some Tuba Christmas when I could borrow from the school. Homecoming when I could, since they let us use the school sousas. At some point I found a very out of tune stencil horn on Craigslist for like $200. It did not improve my practice motivation or actual playing. Wife acquired another old 3/4 horn someehere along the way too from an auction.

Coming out of the Pandemic, an old college friend posted about one of the local community bands getting ready to start back up. Wife went to that, and came back saying that I was coming with her next week. So I did, where the out of tune Craigslist horn attracted some not so pleasant looks from the tuba-playing director (Andy Spang) who graciously offered to lend me a Mack Brass horn that he had available. We kinda got hooked, being able to play together, and getting good feedback and tips in a low-pressure all-ages situation where we were not expected to be extremely proficient. We're still playing there - after a year or so I bought my own Mack horn (first and only new tuba I've ever owned). I decided I needed something to take up another evening once a week so started playing with the concert band of the local college, where I get challenged a bit more (and tsk'd on mistakes more).

I can't say to this day that I've ever "taken lessons". Definitely not from anyone outside of classroom instruction. I'm sure it's led to some deeply ingrained bad habits, combined with minimal understanding of "music theory" but it gives me a n excuse to leave the house and interact with people and I enjoy it, especially being able to play along side my spouse (the arguments sometimes scare the clarinets, but the trombones enjoy it).

[Tubajug]

I took a few lessons with Todd French at the end of my senior year when I decided I was going to major in music.

In college I studied with Craig Fuller. He's to blame for getting me into tuba repair and building/franken-ing.

[bloke]

I had weekly lessons in college and a few scattered lessons with some top level players (folks whose names most all tuba players will recognize), and those people help me a lot, but I also went to high school with a beautiful player who sang acapella hymns in their primitive Baptist Church his family attended (with shaped note hymnals). He learned musicianship, sonority, and phrasing in church, easily move those concepts over to the fiberglass sousaphone, and was really my most influential "teacher" - simply sitting next to him.
Otherwise, listening to records of all sorts of top level musicians (as well as working with a couple of true maestros, and paying attention to how they shaped the phrasing of the string sections in those orchestras) taught me a lot about phrasing.

We concentrate a whole lot on tone production and technique (and seem to concentrate a bit too much on the physical aspects of playing whereas our ears actually will guide the physical, if we pay attention to the sound), but think about some of the singers who are the most popular and whose voices aren't necessarily the most beautiful...YET their phrasing and expression are magnificent.

[AggieDan]

I had one private lesson one time in high school when the school district had some funds to get one to come in. I don't recall his name as it was a single hour and I never saw him again.

I went to school in a small town. There were 4 band directors, which shrank to 3 and just kind of stayed there. The 4th was a little odd and got a job in Corpus Christi when I was in 7th or 8th grade and none of us were really sad to see him go. The only other music educator in the town taught the music classes for Elizabeth Cook Elementary, which housed grades K - 3. Oddly enough, when she chaperoned us to the 1992 ATSSB All State Band, she was often mistaken for a student.

The 3 remaining were great band directors but just kind of let me do my own thing, opened up the band hall early, closed up late, and gave me more rides home than I can count. These teachers did a LOT. They taught music classes at Vivian Sheldon Elementary for 4th and 5th grades. They taught the beginner band class for 6th grade students in O.T. Blaske Middle School. They had two bands from Leon Taylor Junior High. Lastly, two bands for Ingleside High School. Hell, they even drove the buses for football games. Granted, grades 4 on up were all on the same road. 4th and 5th grade music classes were held in a portable building. Everyone else just walked up to the high school band hall.

Head band director was Ronal C. Welborn. He wrote all the drill by hand. He's since retired and last I heard is a pastor, as is his daughter. He was accompanied by Wanda Avila, who has also since retired, though she does still do some judging and plays with her husband in the Corpus Christi Wind Symphony. She was in charge of the Color Guard. She's also to blame for my playing tuba. I wanted to play trumpet, like my dad. But, I had a HUGE overbite and braces were in my future. So, she put me on tuba. So, I now blame her for my daughter playing tuba because she successfully decided to play the same instrument as her father. The third member of this wonderful staff was Paul W. Larson who passed away back in 2020. They were, all three of them, wonderful teachers and people. Under them we had more than 2 decades of straight 1's in competition and had more than 25% participation in the band program. So, you know they were doing something right.

[Heavy_Metal]

This post has been interesting... it makes me wonder how much of an outlier my experience is for an active adult player.
(...)

The long story short... is I never actually had any formal musical training...
(...)

Any other self learners on here????????

Kind of a similar path. Started playing in Middle School (6th grade) because....no idea! Parents aren't musical, can't remember any direct influence on why I decided to start playing tuba.

Lessons were done with the other members of the section. John Taylor, the director, I think is a Trombone player. Mainly learned on the chair-mounted Sousas, though we did have some beat up 3/4 uprights. Mouthpieces were kept in a rack by the sink - use the powdered soap and coarse brown paper towel to clean out. Think I did Jazz band one year. At some point we got a nice new Yamaha upright. I can recall getting a strange look from Mr. Taylor because I was playing the upright with my left hand occasionally (I'm a lefty...why not?). I think I took an upright home one summer, but can't really really spending much time practicing (Story of my life...). Somehow I made All-county one year - no idea how I pulled that off. They must've been short on tuba players.

High School meant marching and concert bands. Director was Brad Collins - amazing Sax player from Towson (Hank Levy's bands) who just retired last year from teaching in the county (he switched from High School to Elementary after a few years, presumably for his health and sanity). Occasional section lessons again.

Did marching band in College (Univ of Maryland) - got to learn from the others in the section who were music majors or just great players. Should have taken it more seriously and paid more attention.

Post college, didn't own a horn, but did some Tuba Christmas when I could borrow from the school. Homecoming when I could, since they let us use the school sousas. At some point I found a very out of tune stencil horn on Craigslist for like $200. It did not improve my practice motivation or actual playing. Wife acquired another old 3/4 horn someehere along the way too from an auction.

Coming out of the Pandemic, an old college friend posted about one of the local community bands getting ready to start back up. Wife went to that, and came back saying that I was coming with her next week. So I did, where the out of tune Craigslist horn attracted some not so pleasant looks from the tuba-playing director (Andy Spang) who graciously offered to lend me a Mack Brass horn that he had available. We kinda got hooked, being able to play together, and getting good feedback and tips in a low-pressure all-ages situation where we were not expected to be extremely proficient. We're still playing there - after a year or so I bought my own Mack horn (first and only new tuba I've ever owned). I decided I needed something to take up another evening once a week so started playing with the concert band of the local college, where I get challenged a bit more (and tsk'd on mistakes more).

I can't say to this day that I've ever "taken lessons". Definitely not from anyone outside of classroom instruction. I'm sure it's led to some deeply ingrained bad habits, combined with minimal understanding of "music theory" but it gives me a n excuse to leave the house and interact with people and I enjoy it, especially being able to play along side my spouse (the arguments sometimes scare the clarinets, but the trombones enjoy it).

What bands are you in now?

[travisd]

What bands are you in now?

Wife and I play with the Encore Community Music group, which is an all-ages ensemble, with strings and winds (So, not really a Band, or Orchestra?). I also play with the McDaniel College concert band, which lately seems to be about 50/50 students and community members. I work from home, so these are my excuses to get out of the house and interact with other people now and then.

[tclements]

Keating Johnson
Gary Tirey
Tommy Johnson
Jim Self
Roger Bobo

In there somewhere Loren Marsteller taught me bass trombone.

TC

[Kent Eshelman]

I'd like to jump in here next to Tony's mention of Gary Tirey, my first tuba teacher!
Gary Tirey
Jim Akins
Fritz Kaenzig
John Stevens
Phil Sinder
Ellen Rowe (jazz piano)

So very grateful for each of these wonderful mentors.
Kent Eshelman

[MShores]

This guy was one of mine.

Joe Stites
Jeff Hodapp
Kent Eshelman
Mike Dunn

All of them were great!

[arpthark]

This guy was one of mine.

Joe Stites
Jeff Hodapp
Kent Eshelman
Mike Dunn

All of them were great!

Joe Stites is a KY name I’ve not heard in a while!

His son is a phenomenal trumpet player, I’m sure you know.