houses leading up to the front of the school:
Our school had two or three Conn 36K fiberglass sousaphones, a couple of Holton (5th partial terribly flat) fiberglass sousaphones (turned in by another school and handed off to us from the warehouse), and a rattly-valves (ruined casings) King 1240 (detachable upright).
When I was in the 12th grade, we suddenly were issued a tiny little Miraphone model 1270 (.669" bore) and a Reynolds TB-10 (sent in two styrofoam blocks (same as Olds O-99).
Beginning in the 12th grade (though no one had played it previously, as it was ugly and leaky) I played the King - even though hopelessly leaky. (The King's PISTONS were just as worn - probably repair-shop ruined - as the casing, but I climbed up to the top-shelf of the instrument room and pulled the three GOOD pistons out of the King sousaphone - up there - and swapped out the pistons.) It still sounded the best of anything. I used a rolling pin and a large metal cooking spoon to remove dents and creases, 000 steel wool to remove the lacquer from the detachable bell. Brasso, lacquer thinner (to clean off the Brasso), and then brush-painted on lacquer (as I didn't have access to any drying retarder, whereas the lacquer would have blushed, otherwise...Realize that I was only 16 years old, and my Dad was too busy (with a really important job at Sears PLUS serving as the president of the Sears Credit Union) to help me...and (well...would probably have preferred that I had spent that time studying science, mathematics, or economics.
Previously (a year earlier - in the 11th grade), I was "strongly encouraged" (only by my friend, who earned 1st-chair in the all-state band beginning in the 9th grade and every year through the 12th grade), to try out for the regional (West-Tennessee) honor band just to see how far I might go. I didn't take it too seriously, and ended up about three chairs "south" of heading on to the All-State band. Two others (at our school) immediately before him had held the top chair in the TN all-state band. me...?? I was a GUITAR player. "Band/tuba" (to me) was a "class" (social...a way to play bass guitar in the jazz band...etc.) I sorta laughed when he told me that - the following year - I was expected to take his place. Sure, I could play all the major scales and all the music that we played (some of which wasn't easy...I practiced JUST ENOUGH to NOT look stupid - as my friend - yes, really - played at the professional level), but I just did NOT "identify as" a tuba player...and (again) all of our instruments were crap (and I knew it). THAT SAID...he and two others had held down that chair with the "crap" that we had on hand. (He had used one of the 36K's every day/everywhere. Oh yeah...He had NEVER had ONE LESSON EVER...and never did until the Army hired him - during 'nam - parked him in a base band for a year or so, and then told him (NOT his idea...the ARMY'S idea) it was time for him to audition into Pershing's Own (a upcoming vacancy that was known - ahead of time - by the Army). He didn't stay in Pershing's Own but for three years - only serving out his enlistment requirement, and then left (having AVOIDED being send off to 'nam...as he chose the "band" route vs. the "college deferment" route - though he was brilliant, and could have easily done the "college deferment" thing).
OK...I started practicing (along with the guitar) the tuba. The thing was that the sound carried. My bedroom was in the attic...and I was a night owl...but the neighbors (everyone had window units by then - ie. "noisy") didn't complain.
...so I ended up holding the top all-state chair for our "lower income" school yet another year, and my younger buddy (a year younger than me) held it yet another year beyond my senior year. His parents actually bought him a NICE (and VERY nicely - actually expertly - refinished) recording 1241. He also assumed my bass guitar position in the jazz band (playing the same short-neck Fender that I had played (as my own Japanese bass had been stolen at a jazz band festival/contest, and I told my band director that I wasn't going to buy another one..so - suddenly - that Fender (along with a Bassman II amp) showed up at the school (which sorta pissed me off, seeing that he COULD HAVE fetched that equipment at any time that he chose, and that he was just lazy about getting good equipment for us (and that would include TUBAS).
ANYWAY...
I typed ALL THAT CRAP (as an intro) leading up to telling you about Tennessee All-State (way back when cities didn't have a bunch of facilities/venues, and - sometimes, back then - people had to "make do".
Tennessee (being the "THREE TENNESSEES" (west, middle, east) rotated the All-State location each year...
(Maybe...they still do this...??)
Memphis
Nashville
Knoxville
When I was in the 12th grade, it was in Memphis (which was fine with me, as I wasn't interested in going out-of-town).
It was held in the old (now bulldozed, yet elegant...a typical REALLY BAD Memphis decision) Ellis Auditorium which was ACTUALLY an arena (barely large enough for a 3-ring circus) YET could be divided 60/40 into TWO halls. The Symphony would play in the 40% one, and concerts which attracted more people (and Symphony pops) would be held in the 60% one.
That year, all-state (orchestra/band/chorus) was held in the 60% half as shown here:
outside:
Col. Arnald Gabriel (recently deceased...an amazing man - physically, morally, mentally, musically) was the band director, that year.
What I REALLY wanted to show you folks was where we rehearsed, which was in the TOP FLOOR of the Memphis Peabody Hotel (Memphis "snazziest" hotel - then and now). This is the dance floor - up there - called the "Skyway". There are doors leading from the Skyway to the "Plantation Roof" (made up to look like the outside of an old southern plantation, and also where the cage is for the famous Peabody ducks (google, if you've never heard of this). Yes, our chairs were all set up right on the dance floor:
There I was with my leaky old 3-valve King (with a patch on the bell rim) with Marzans, Meinl-Westons, and Miraphones sitting past me.
LOBBY of the Peabody Hotel:
The out-of-town band directors all stayed in the Peabody (though one local band director - who had an 18-year-old all-state statuesque girlfriend in his band
stayed at a hotel across the street ...one of those not-a-secret secrets). We actually auditioned for chairs in the Peabody's crappiest/darkest/smallest/interior/no-windows hotel rooms (likely, rooms which were only rented when there were multiple events in downtown Memphis).
I drew the short straw, and auditioned first.
I walked in, the band-director/judge admitted to not being a tuba player and not knowing anything about the music, so - before I played for him - I (by then, a 17-year-old) sat on the edge of the twin bed in there with him (only one chair in the room), thumbed through the music, showed him the passages that demonstrated technique, those which demonstrated counting ability, and those which demonstrated phrasing...and then played them all for him. (Is THAT weird, or what?)
