Posted by a tuba dad on March 26, 2002 at 09:28:06:
In Reply to: about those "best ever" players posted by Dan M on March 25, 2002 at 23:48:31:
RE Sam Pilafian: My son is a student of his at ASU. I cannot imagine there being a better teacher/mentor for any young aspiring tuba student. Sam is extremely imaginative and creative in his teaching - if one approach doesn't work for a student, that's ok because Sam has plenty more ways to achieve the same end. This trait of his is rare among teachers, based on my own observations from sitting in on lessons my son had with many of the most well known tuba teachers around the country. Sam has limitless energy, creativity, and support for his students. Sam is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met; he lights up a room with his mere presence.
My son is kind of a low keyed / quiet type, and I love that he is with Sam every day - which brings up another amazing thing about Sam and his studio - In addition to the standard weekly lesson with Sam (and another lesson with the TA), Sam has an informal hour long warmup class every morning to start the day, and he has studio master classes on Monday and Friday afternoons. Students get more "face time" with Sam than any other studio I have ever heard of. And when they are in town, Pat Sheridan and Deanna Swoboda are there, too. When kids at other schools hear about the set up and extensive instructional time at ASU, they are green with envy.
I realize that this does not answer the question about Sam's playing, per se, but I really believe that Sam's lasting contribution to the music world will be his teaching legacy.