Small but mighty. That’s the Tuba and Euphonium Studio at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Which has racked up some outsize achievements despite its modest size of just 13 students. Since 2021, fifteen of the studio’s graduates have landed extremely hard to get positions in symphony orchestras, military bands, and academia. Some have earned two and even three jobs.
What makes this such a major accomplishment is that there are so few of these jobs. Orchestras with banks of string or other brass players have just one tuba. Some of the big military bands may have three. Because these positions are so rare, players tend to stay put for decades. For so many graduates from Frost’s small tuba studio to land these unicorn positions is a powerful statement on the quality of the music education they received.
“In the brass world it’s pretty unheard of to have that kind of success,” said Aaron Tindall, who heads the tuba and euphonium program and is principal tuba at the Naples Philharmonic. “Statistically it’s easier to be a governor or a senator or an NFL quarterback than a tuba player.”
A department star is Mason Soria (M.M. ‘22), who plays with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other Frost tuba graduates play with the Winnipeg Symphony, the Palm Beach Symphony, and the Sarasota Orchestra, as well as Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force bands.
Tindall credits their achievement to a focus on values central to Frost: technical excellence, deep musical understanding, and adaptability.
“I teach perfecting their craft to an insanely high level,” said Tindall. “Every piece of music, we have dissected every interval, turned over every note. When an [audition] committee asks “can you play that louder, softer, shorter, or a different articulation,” my students say “no problem”.”
A sense of community and willingness to help each other are also central.
“I preach this ad nauseum,” said Tindall. “They are one another’s supporters.”
Kevin Flanagan, who won two major competitions before graduating with a Masters in 2023, and now plays with the West Point Band, one of the top military ensembles, says Tindall is a transformative teacher.
“He’s a fantastic educator and mentor,” said Flanagan. “He’s always able to get to the root of what’s going on musically and technique wise. He gets to know your personality, how to get you motivated.”
Flanagan says Tindall -and the studio’s small size - foster genuine camaraderie. “It’s very close-knit,” he said. “I still talk to a lot of the guys about life or music stuff. Everyone knows each other well, everyone is working towards the same goal. That sort of environment builds on itself.”
