I was inspired to start tuba after I heard my now private teacher, Mike Forbes, play a multiphonics piece called Fnugg. I’ve since realized that’s not what tuba players do on a regular basis, but it was like nothing I had ever heard, and I was determined to learn that instrument myself.
Four months after beginning tuba, my band director mentioned there was an opening in WYSO and encouraged me to audition. Although I’m sure Ms. Eckel was anything but impressed, she let me in. I remember walking into my first rehearsal and hearing Harry Potter. To me, it sounded just like the movies. I couldn’t believe those were people my age making that music. Now, six years later, it hasn’t gotten old. I’m still amazed when I listen back to our concerts.
As a tubist, playing in a full orchestra and in the Tibbetts Brass Quintet are different types of challenges, but I’ve loved them both. I would never have thought that as a sophomore I’d have the opportunity to play the famous Bydlo solo in Pictures at an Exhibition or the Arnold Brass Quintet.
I am definitely going to miss coffee runs with the brass section every Saturday morning and laughing way too hard in Tibbetts on Wednesday nights. I’m so thankful to have been a part of WYSO and know it has been instrumental in developing my passion for music. Next year, I will be heading to Ann Arbor to study tuba performance and biology at the University of Michigan