Posted by Eric on October 11, 2001 at 06:44:41:
In Reply to: Flute to Tuba Converts posted by tuba tutor on October 10, 2001 at 20:49:50:
First, I think that it is inappropriate for a High School band director to expect a student to teach. To help out, OK, but he/she is the one being paid to do this, not you.
That said, I commend you for trying. Teaching a flute player, or anyone other than a brass player, is almost the same as teaching someone their first instrument. They have the advantage of understanding musical concepts, but they need to start from scratch when it comes to mechanics.
Ask the band director to supply beginning tuba books for each of them, if he hasn't done so already, and follow the lessons in the book. You will notice that they start out by playing whole notes on one note. Additional notes are gradually introduced. The reason for this is to get them used to buzzing a note consistently and to get the feel for it before trying to find all of the notes. Stamina and volume will come, but they need to get comfortable playing a brass instrument first. Flute embouchure is very different and they will have a tendency to revert to what they know until they are comfortable.
If they are just learning don't expect them to be able to play BBb right away. It will take a little time. Some things to look for now are keeping the cheeks from puffing out, too much mouthpiece pressure, "smiling" to reach certain notes, and mouth placement. If they practice, they should be able to play a Bb scale within a few weeks. Then they can begin to actually play music.