Euphonium - College Climate in The United States

College Climate in The United States

Unlike a generation or two ago, many colleges with music programs now offer students the opportunity to major in euphonium. However, due to the small number of euphonium students at most schools (2-4 is common), it is possible, and even likely, that they will study with a professor whose major instrument is not the euphonium. Most often tubas and euphoniums will be combined into a studio taught by one professor, and at small schools they may be grouped with trombones as well, taught by one low brass professor. Dr. Henry Howey, Dr. Brian Bowman, Demondrae Thurman, and Dr. Marc Dickman serve as the only four full-time euphonium college professors in the US, with professors like Dr. Matt Tropman, Dr. Stephen Arthur Allen and Dr.Daniel Burdick, also primarily euphonium players, teaching as lecturers. Other professors, such as Adam Frey, are adjunct faculty at multiple universities near one another. Dr. Ross Walter of Virginia Commonwealth University is the Assistant Professor of Low Brass and Euphonium is his primary instrument. Universities will usually require professors in this situation to have a high level of proficiency on all the instruments they teach, and some of the best college euphonium studios are taught by non-euphonium players.