Tuba Story
Do I remember? How could I forget? It was in junior
high. The first week of the first semester of my first year. I had
requested band, but was assigned general music.
On that special day, Mr. Oster, the band director,
walked into the general music class. He had an announcement to
make: “Anyone wishing to take band and that already knows how
to play an instrument, follow me.”
This was emancipation. I got out’ta that chair and I
followed my personal Mr. Lincoln down the corridor to the band
room. I took a seat among my already assembled colleagues and
Mr. Oster began to take stock of his new recruits: “How many oboe
players do I have? One, that’s good. How many trombones? three,
all right. Now... trumpet players?
My turn. For two years I had tooted the trumpet. I was
not very good, but I loved it. The family loved it too. They dreamed
all kinds of things about Bill the trumpeter. Why, I could be another
Armstrong or Dizzy. I could back up Smoky or Diana Ross. There
would even be a place for the horn in church.
“Well, that’s a lot of trumpets.” Oster said. : “I’ve got
no need for this many trumpets. What I need, what I really need is
someone to play the tuba. Does anyone
here want to play the tuba?”
As I said, the trumpet was very happening for me. But
something caught me. I think it was the sound of the word,
TUBA. Up went my hand. “What is a tuba?”
Oster’s eyes sparkled, “A tuba? My boy, I’ll show you
a tuba.” He walked to the back of the room. Before him, rising from
the floor, a gleaming chrome stand. Atop it, a large, black vinyl
bag. With much ado Oster removed the bag. There enormous,
stupendous stood tuba. This particular tuba was a double B flat,
four rotary valves, bore size 0.778, bell diameter 17.75 inches ,
and to top it off, nickle-silver trimming. It was love at first sight. All
allegiance to the trumpet, out the window. “I will play the tuba.”
When I announced this at the dinner table, there was
a stunned silence. No one could understand why I would dedicate
my life to playing the music of dead white people.
---from Instruments of Decision ©1990
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This page was last updated on May 02, 2005