The funny thing is that this son of ours is about 4'10" and 70lbs. HE IS A STICK!
To see him attempt to play the TUBA is rather funny.....and a little bit sad.
No matter how hard he tried or how much he worked, it was just too big...
SOOOO...instead of having him give up on BAND, our INCREDIBLE band director and I came up with a "cunning plan."
She borrowed a baritone (a smaller and higher pitched brass instrument that looks like a little tuba) from a fellow band director. Then we were to tell him that it was a half-sized tuba...as he DID NOT want to switch to the baritone. The fingerings match and he could even use the same book. The sound would be one octave higher than a "full-sized" tuba, but we could explain that away with acoustics......less piping=higher sound.
We were ALL SET!
We had the instrument....a little bit bigger than a normal baritone....we had prompted the other baritone players in the band explaining that he would now be playing a "half-sized" tuba....we explained the acoustics and "sizing" to him...the instrument was even borrowed from a local high school (adding to the prestige of the instrument)....we were READY!
So I excitedly hurried him into the room and opened the case.........
His face dropped and out of his mouth flowed the words...
"It's a BARITONE!"
My band director friend just looked at me and turned around....lest she bust into laughter.
The first thought in my head was...
"smart little sucker. Can't pass one by him."
He's probably smarter than both of is put together!
Well...the remainder of this week we have "beefed up" talk about his "AMAZING HALF-SIZED TUBA." He accomplished more in band this week than all of the prior weeks spent on the tuba....which was the whole point. And, he will be able to return to the tuba when he gets a little bit bigger.
Just a little "half-sized" lie.....
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