"BETWEEN TUBAS and EUPHONIUMS..... MARTY ERICKSON"

Hello, for what you do not know me, or read this blog for the first time, my name is Harold Lozano Hernandez. Professor of Tuba and Wessex Artist (https://eu.wessex-tubas.com/pages/harold-hernandez ) and creator of this didactic blog which I would like to visit.

 I hope this interview is to your liking and enjoy it as much as I do. 

This time with a very important Tubista and recognized, I mean Marty Erikson.

Without further delay and thanks for your kind cooperation, let's start.

·      Name and surname: 

  Martin D. “Marty” Erickson

·      What instrument / s do you use?  

  Willson 3400 Eb Tuba “Marty Erickson Model Big Mouth Brass BBb Tuba

·      That make and model are the tools you use:  

  Schlipf  “Mnozil Brass” Mutes: (Straight Mute and Cup Mute.)

·      That manufacturer and model are the mouthpiece you use? 

  Erickson Signature Mouthpieces: ME-1 primarily and occasionally ME-2

Let's talk about your education:

·      When and where their studies or tuba euphonium started? 

   In Elementary School

·      At what age? 

  10-11 years.

·      What reasons or circumstances led him to study this instrument?    

  Band Director introduced/suggested the instrument.

·      Who were your main teachers? 

Early on  it was my mother who was cornet/french horn player, as well as viola, flute and piano and a composer. First Tuba Teacher was Edward Livingston and later Dr. Leonard Falcone (at Michigan State University.)

As for his professional experience:

·      Please leave us a little account of his experience as a soloist, a member of chamber ensembles, orchestra, band, etc.

·      In Orchestra and / or Band: 

  Principal Tuba of U.S. Navy Band in Washington D.C. for 26 years. Baltimore Opera Orchestra 

  and extra tuba with National Symphony in Washington D.C. Played in several Chamber music 

  ensemble, but currently with the Lawrence Faculty Brass Quintet, the Millennium Brass and in 

  the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass. Also, Principal Eb tuba with the Brass Band of 

  Battle Creek (professional brass band made up of brass and percussion players from UK, Canada 

  and the US.) Currently principal tuba with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra as well.

·      Solo concerts: 

  Travelled as soloist recently all over the US, in Brazil and Germany and was soloist with the U.S. 

  Navy Band for 26 years on national concert tours.

·      Which uses warm-up exercises? 

  Buzzing and Breathing exercises, Arnold Jacobs flow studies; ballads/songs/vocalises, flexibility 

  exercises such as Max Schlossberg’s Daily Drills and Technical Studies, chromatic scales and all 

  major and minor scales throughout the range of the horn. Soft, legato playing and tonguing 

  exercises. Also, I included sight reading daily.

                                                               Trying other topics of interest.

·      Here in Spain, in some centers it is considered that the Bombardino, is an instrument that should have its own specialization and, on the other hand, some believe that, as an instrumentalist, one must know and master the tuba and euphonium.

·      Could you give us your opinion on this and how would address this issue in the interests of education and training adapted to the necessary expertise required today? 

      The Spanish musicians should understand and perform the Bombardino as part of their National Heritage and to help foreign players to understand its history.  

     Whether or not they choose to perform the euphonium and/or tuba will depend on what their life goals are.  

By learning and mastering  these instruments, it will make

 the musician much more “employable”----someone able to 

get a job in music.

Let's talk about your teaching experience:

·      Tell us what learning centers has taught (full-time professor, visiting professor, courses, lectures, etc.) 

      I’ve taught at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Interlochen National Music Camp in Michigan: at the International Peace Gardens Music Camp on the border of North Dakota and Canada, at the Brass and Woodwind Course in Kalavrita, Greece, and every two years at the Deutsches.

  TubaForum International Tuba and Euphonium workshop in Hammelburg, Germany. I have done 

  dozens of Master Classes around the world (which included a solo tour in Madrid, Vigo, Murcia, 

  Valencia and Sevilla, Spain), and in leading Universities in the U.S. I have soloed/lectured at 

  several ITECs and at the U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference in Washington D.C. 

·      How do you organize your classes and the subject in general? 

  Depends on the class and the needs of the event. Sometimes, I will talk about warm ups and auditions 

  and how to prepare for playing at the highest level. Sometimes, like in Germany, I am teaching basic

  jazz improvisation and discuss scales, modes, improvisation techniques and practices. 

Here I will also use Play-Along Cds and discuss creating bass lines and how to approach soloing 

and more. Sometimes, I coach entire ensembles and talk about chamber music/listening/etc. This is a 

LONG subject, as each presentation is geared toward what my host/school/music camp has asked me to 

present.

·      How long are your classes? 

  This varies for every situation; I have done one-hour, 

two hour, three-hour, all-day, all-week and two-week teaching. 

  At my University, the classes last one hour and ten minutes.

·      Do you think it is important that students make public

 appearances during his years of training? 

  If so, recommend how many times it deems appropriate and

 what age or course. Elementary, vocational, higher? 

  Absolutely; the earlier or more often this can happen, it will 

  build confidence in performance and an understanding of 

  what "works” or doesn’t work in performance. 

  Preparation and attitude are the keys, guided with positive goals

  and support by the teachers. This should happen at all levels 

  as long as the appearances are appropriate for the age and 

  experience level of the performers. 

  Younger players can play for their peers or for things 

like retirement homes, outdoor fairs or festivals, holiday music. 

Anything that helps build confidence and models the joy of playing and the growth that is possible from 

these performances.

·      Is there another teacher with your same specialty in the center where you teach? 

   I am the only tuba-euphonium teacher

   at my University but have a close 

   relationship and play regularly with 

my colleagues at other Universities or 

professionals in the area.

An important part of the course curriculum is standardized and is based on the idea that students master the repertoire alone, sometimes to the detriment of the repertoire of large groups (Orchestra and Band), when in fact, most students Tuba and euphonium will be teachers and / or members of a band and, to a lesser extent, of an orchestra in the case of Tubas.

·      In your opinion, how should this problem be addressed? How important do you think is include learning and mastery of the orchestral repertoire as part of the curriculum of the course?           

   It is vitally important to expose the student to any and all music which can lead to a happy life as 

   a performer or teacher. I make sure that all of my students have a broad understanding of ALL 

   music; orchestral and band repertoire, chamber and solo repertoire, jazz, and music with 

   extended techniques. 

   Once the student seems to have a specific interest, we will focus more on getting deeper into the 

   music of that genre and develop that interest specifically. I insist on sight reading and learning as 

   much music of as many styles as possible. I teach the concept of what I call “HIRE” Education---I 

want my students to have a happy life performing.

·      Tell us what is the admission process to access your learning center: 

  Auditions in person or by video recording and sometimes just an audio recording.

·      What it is required repertoire in the entrance exam?  

    Audition must prepare solo or excerpt material, or perform contrasting etudes to demonstrate    

    sound, technique and musicianship.

·      What is an example of repertoire? 

  Examples of tuba solos would be: the Vaughn-Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba, Gregson Tuba 

  Concerto, Broughton Tuba Concerto, the Lebedev solos, etc. For the euphonium; any of the 

  Philip Sparke works, the Clinard Sonata for Unaccompanied Euphonium, Rhapsody for 

  Euphonium by James Curnow (or any of his more advanced solos). Transcriptions of classical 

  music of other instruments such as Bach Cello Suites, etc. Orchestra or Band excerpts may be 

  used as well. Can list those later if you’d like.

·      How many works are required and in what format (solo, with piano, studies, etc.)? 

  Just two contrasting works and they can be in any format. The main thing is to have suitable material in

  which to best evaluate the performer and so that the performer feels like they are “putting their best 

foot forward.”

·      Is there a mandatory piece? If so, what is it? 

  No mandatory piece.

·      Approximately how long is the exam?  

  If it is in person, which is preferred, I spend a minimum of 45-minutes to one hour with each student.   

  In this way, we can learn about each other and it gives them time to relax and do their best. 

  I want the student feel like they are valued and leave with tools to make them better musicians.

·      What aspects you value most in deciding? ¿Musicality, intonation, rhythm? 

  The answer is YES, all of these things, but also; does the person have not only the passion to play but a

   work ethic to support that passion. Is this a nice person who will fit into my studio and add a positive 

   aspect to the school community and the ethos of the studio. 

Positive attitude with a drive to improve and keep learning are VITAL beyond simply being able to play 

well.

·      If I had to choose (in a hypothetical situation), would preferably between student Tuba Euphonium or one? 

   If I understand the question, it is usually more difficult for a teacher whose primary instrument is Tuba 

 to recruit euphonium players, so I always need more euphonium players to fill our large ensembles.

About their work during the course.

·      What kind of repertoire you work primarily with your students? Solo, with piano 

   accompaniment, chamber music, ....? 

  Everything: I mentioned earlier. I try to fill in any “gaps” in the students’ experience so they can 

become complete players.

·      What format is examining LIMIT? Solo concert, piano recital ...? 

      Not sure what this means but I try to challenge the student to reach the highest performance level of their current ability. I want the “progress bar” to keep moving forward. Another one of my expressions (not sure how it would translate) is “Status Quo is not progress. It means that simply maintaining your current performance level does not advance your learning.

·      

Does the student selects the works to play? or they are chosen by the teacher? 

   Early on, I have required pieces which I think will help develop the player and later on we can discuss 

   adding material the student would like to play, as long as there is a clear, reasonable goal and is 

 balanced with their lessons.

·      Is there any work it deems mandatory? So what? 

  I have pieces I think do a great job of building confidence, particularly some unaccompanied works. 

  Early on for tuba that would be something like the Walter Hartley “Suite for Unaccompanied Tuba” 

  which is an accessible piece for most freshmen and has some interesting harmonic language and style. 

  The euphonium Clinard piece does the same thing.

SPEAKING OF TECHNICAL ISSUES:

·      Could you give us your opinion about different concepts of sound and what characteristics define, articulation, types of instruments, literature, if the influence of language and musical tradition in sound and way of playing is considered important ? 

  When starting out, we tend to imitate the sounds we like to hear on our instruments as played by other 

  musicians, usually leaders in the field. Later on, because of mentors or because of the musical 

  experiences we have in our life locally, we may imitate those sounds while at the same time, begin to 

  hear “our” sound. Characteristics affecting this can be cultural, the quality of the instrument and/or 

  mouthpiece being played, the traditional way music is interpreted in that country, etc. Beyond that, 

  players begin experimenting with vibrato, become more aware of the variety of composing techniques, 

  and much more. Each person’s sound is an amalgam of their listening and personal musical 

experiences. The more refined/experienced the listening, the more versatility that person is likely to have 

when applying different techniques to shape their own sound.

·      Talk a little about making snorkels and / or 

   euphoniums and nozzles: 

  Some time ago I was asked about creating my own 

signature mouthpiece (nozzle) and learned more about that 

process. 

Rarely change mouthpieces myself nor am I involved in 

  making them. I prefer more of a funnel-shaped mouthpiece 

  with a gently-beveled  rim, rather than a cup style.  

  I HAVE used a smaller mouthpiece only in a couple of 

  instances; playing “Bydlo” or if I’m playing above the staff 

  (first tuba parts or euphonium parts) with a tuba-

euphonium ensemble for a longer concerts.

·      Tell us about your experiences and tastes of a particular manufacturer and why? 

  Originally, I started on a Bach 18 but in college I moved to 

a Conn Helleberg. From there, I experimented and went to 

a Perantucci (PT)36 for the smaller horn and occasionally a 

  PT48 for bigger horn things. When I was asked to help  

  develop my personal mouthpiece line, I ended up with a 

  mouthpiece with some of the qualities of those 

mouthpieces with some minor changes.

IN CONCLUSION:

·      In your experience, do you think the diversity of performers, instruments and the opportunity

   to train in various specialized schools is homogenizing in interpretive centers already 

   established? (Example: Russian, American, German-Austrian, English, etc.). 

  This is an interesting subject. My own thoughts are that I hope we NEVER have just one “world 

sound” or all-encompassing concept of sound. If I went to hear the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, it 

would be incredibly disappointing if they sounded exactly like the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 

New York City. 

  Having said that, we are able to travel more, gain access to more teachers and add all of these new 

  concepts for performance. The internet has opened many more doors of course and exposed students 

  even in the most remote locations to listen to performances from around the world. In the U.S., we have 

  some definite examples of sound, understood around the world: the Chicago Symphony or Los Angeles 

  Philharmonic would be strong examples. We also have specific instrumental concepts of sound. 

  In our world, the best possible example would be the teaching of Dr. Brian Bowman, who for years has 

  described the American Euphonium Sound. He has just retired from North Texas State University in 

  Denton, TX and David Childs (from the UK) is the new professor. While Dr. Bowman has HUGE 

  admiration for Mr. Child’s playing and teaching, he wonders if, throughout the US we may lose that 

  American sound, built by some of the teachers/players he respected: Harold Brasch, Simone Mantia, 

  Raymond Young and Leonard Falcone. Once again, if I hear Steven Mead or David Childs or any 

  number of wonderful UK euphonium players, I expect to hear and enjoy that different concept of 

vibrato.

  This is a HUGE subject and worthy of deeper exploration that this forum doesn’t allow a long answer 

  but; having heard wonderful players from over 30 countries in my lifetime, I celebrate the diversity and 

  cultural influences that showcase and “earmark” those performances.

  Thanks Marty for your collaborate.

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