2026 ITEA Regional Conferences

[bisontuba]

Fyi...

ITEA is so excited to announce the locations of the 2026 regional tuba euphonium conferences!

North East Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (NERTEC) - Boston University
South East Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (SERTEC) - University of Georgia
Heartland Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (HRTEC) - Western Illinois University
Midwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (MWRTEC) - University of Missouri, Kansas
Mid-South Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (MSRTEC) - Oklahoma State University
South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference (SCRTEC) - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Thank you to everyone who applied to host a regional conference. More information coming soon!

[Mark]

What happened to the entire western United States?

[Schlitzz]

What happened to the entire western United States?

Precisely why, I will not join, pay dues. Just a bunch of self-styled academics that hijacked a good, UNIVERSAL advocacy organization.

[the elephant]

Under the guise of becoming a more inclusive organization, it became more of an exclusive club.

[arpthark]

I read online that this is a tentative list and that they are trying to get something together out west.

I’ll be aiming for NERTEC a couple hours up the road.

[russiantuba]

I’ve suggested it to the executive director, and seems like the idea wasn’t implemented, but doing as other instrument organizations do and picking a location or institution to host a conference and having a smaller committee organize and run it seems like a smarter choice instead of waiting for a volunteer.

Many people refuse to host one after doing it once. The one at UTRGV is an exception, but I would suspect after doing it once, the lack of support and little benefit to the host aren’t worth the added stress. (One school near me hosted twice, but the second time it was an alumns who used the facilities and asked his teacher who prior hosted for help).

How many full-time tuba/euph jobs are in the western US? I can think of a couple in Washington State (CWU/WSU), Oregon (U of O), Arizona (ASU and U of A), New Mexico (UNM), Colorado (UC). Montana has a healthy program that I believe is still adjunct. Idaho has Boise State (Waterman does athletic bands) and Idaho (is a band director too). I guess if you want to consider UT El Paso in this, they just hired a full time professor who is also a director of bands. I’m most likely forgetting a couple.

Of the ones mentioned, only CWU doesn’t have a tenured professor, and it is a fulltime contract. There is no pay to the host besides the program, and for the ones that are band directors, doing an honor band is going to look better for the tenure committees and be more fruitful for recruitment. The full time aspect is also important because as an adjunct, it is oftentimes more difficult to get university support in helping with the initial funding (programs are given $1000 by ITEA), as the university is ultimately the ones hosting the conference.

The next point goes with the “why don’t you host one?” given by the executive director. I sat there thinking, what could I do to get good recruitment? Would an ITEA conference, or having a specific tuba/euph day for high school students get more impact since we don’t have a graduate program—more impactful, less offices to contact, less red tape, all internal, and less stress. I’m sure anyone else in a similar position would think that.

These conferences have very limited outreach to the high school and middle school communities, same with the organization. ITEC at ASU I saw a music educator day for hours, but it was during graduation weekend…and involved teachers, not local students. It has been well discussed on here that having a high school student attend, which often means parents, signing up to be members ($30-$35) PLUS the conference fees ($50???), is very expensive when it isn’t even geared towards them.

The people I’ve spoken with who have hosted have all mentioned the lack of support and the ones who have hosted have even said “thank you for dealing with the burden”.

I would rather be in the boat saying “ITEA wants to host a conference at your institution. Would you point us to your chair and appropriate offices and serve as a liaison. We will do all the grunt work, all the invites, all the competitions, you just help us host and we will cover the expenses”. Figure that would be helpful and get more interest.

[Colby Fahrenbacher]

What happened to the entire western United States?

Based on official responses by ITEA on their Facebook post, there has been interest from potential hosts in the Western US, but no one has been willing to fully commit to hosting a conference so far. ITEA has stated that they can add more conferences if they can find volunteers to host.

[Three Valves]

Under the guise of becoming a more inclusive organization, it became more of an exclusive club.

It’s not as if they are hosting an Olympics for goodness sakes….

[UncleBeer]

It’s not as if they are hosting an Olympics for goodness sakes….

I saw what the organizer of the 2000 ITA (trombone) convention went through. Tons and tons of details and snafu's demanding attention. The only folks this Herculean task would attract are résumé-building academics at a school with deep pockets.

[the elephant]

It’s not as if they are hosting an Olympics for goodness sakes….

They won't be hosting much of *anything* if they continue to disappoint their target demographic by ignoring their target demographic.

[Schlitzz]

It’s not as if they are hosting an Olympics for goodness sakes….

I saw what the organizer of the 2000 ITA (trombone) convention went through. Tons and tons of details and snafu's demanding attention. The only folks this Herculean task would attract are résumé-building academics at a school with deep pockets.

Yeah, and I was at the 2019 one at Ball State University. No issues, and there were plenty of professionals planning, and running it. Just like the people that ran the Mid America Band/Choir/Orchestra, ISSMA regional Solo & Ensemble, International Double Reed Society.......

There's a disconnect between professional, applied music performers, and people that consider themselves to be academic people. Academics, look for volunteers, like an overly opinionated music librarian, actually anyone, that spouts the academic kool-aid.

Recent examples of academic misfires can be highlighted at any ACB, CBDNA, etc festivals. Academic volunteers? At a time when there's starting to be real reform, in what college degrees are for, a lot of schools are dropping academic music program degrees. No jobs, means lesser qualified people graduating with unacceptable instrumental proficiencies, to keep the programs viable.

For example, look at somebody like Jay Gephart at Purdue. Phillips student, honors grad, Provost, Director of the IWS. IU grad running Purdue music programs (LMAO). He's a player, performer, with a Rolodex of Doers.

ITEA, is looking for volunteers...... Sending the ITEA through basic leadership, planning..... Sounds like one of my favorite movies.... Stripes...

[DonO.]

How many full-time tuba/euph jobs are in the western US? I can think of a couple in Washington State (CWU/WSU), Oregon (U of O), Arizona (ASU and U of A), New Mexico (UNM), Colorado (UC). Montana has a healthy program that I believe is still adjunct. Idaho has Boise State (Waterman does athletic bands) and Idaho (is a band director too). I guess if you want to consider UT El Paso in this, they just hired a full time professor who is also a director of bands. I’m most likely forgetting a couple.

Of the ones mentioned, only CWU doesn’t have a tenured professor, and it is a fulltime contract. There is no pay to the host besides the program, and for the ones that are band directors, doing an honor band is going to look better for the tenure committees and be more fruitful for recruitment. The full time aspect is also important because as an adjunct, it is oftentimes more difficult to get university support in helping with the initial funding (programs are given $1000 by ITEA), as the university is ultimately the ones hosting the conference.

This is a big part of what’s wrong. When you list the “full time tuba euphonium jobs” in the west, you list ONLY university professor positions. NOT symphonic players (granted, there is probably a great deal of crossover there), NOT military band players (and there are more than a few in the west!).

I was an enthusiastic member of TUBA when it was first formed. If I wasn’t a charter member, I had to be close! The emphasis was on the middle two letters- Universal Brotherhood! But now what it has morphed into is a University Professor Only Club. Here is a list of everyone ITEA ignores (but TUBA did not):

Major city symphony players
Minor city symphony players
Regional symphony players
Major military band players
Base military band players
Community band players (call them Legion, for they are MANY!)
Quintet and other ensemble players
Jazzers
German Oom-pah band players
Dixieland band players
Polka band players
Players who just want to sit in their house and play for their own amusement
High school students
Middle school students
Elementary school students
Instrumental music teachers
Musicologists and music historians
People who just think tubas and euphoniums are COOL!

I think the lack of outreach is intentional. The “professional professors” want it to themselves, to serve their own purposes. Any outreach would be a distraction from what has become the main purpose. A shame, really. I got a genuine kick out of TUBA.

[arpthark]

How many full-time tuba/euph jobs are in the western US? I can think of a couple in Washington State (CWU/WSU), Oregon (U of O), Arizona (ASU and U of A), New Mexico (UNM), Colorado (UC). Montana has a healthy program that I believe is still adjunct. Idaho has Boise State (Waterman does athletic bands) and Idaho (is a band director too). I guess if you want to consider UT El Paso in this, they just hired a full time professor who is also a director of bands. I’m most likely forgetting a couple.

Of the ones mentioned, only CWU doesn’t have a tenured professor, and it is a fulltime contract. There is no pay to the host besides the program, and for the ones that are band directors, doing an honor band is going to look better for the tenure committees and be more fruitful for recruitment. The full time aspect is also important because as an adjunct, it is oftentimes more difficult to get university support in helping with the initial funding (programs are given $1000 by ITEA), as the university is ultimately the ones hosting the conference.

When you list the “full time tuba euphonium jobs” in the west, you list ONLY university professor positions. NOT symphonic players (granted, there is probably a great deal of crossover there), NOT military band players (and there are more than a few in the west!).

I think this was just meant in the context of hosting a regional ITEC, since typically only college folks have the means to host such an event.

[russiantuba]

[quote=DonO. post_id=113019 time=<a href="tel:1752607314">1752607314</a> user_id=720]
[quote=russiantuba post_id=112739 time=<a href="tel:1752095754">1752095754</a> user_id=53]

How many full-time tuba/euph jobs are in the western US? I can think of a couple in Washington State (CWU/WSU), Oregon (U of O), Arizona (ASU and U of A), New Mexico (UNM), Colorado (UC). Montana has a healthy program that I believe is still adjunct. Idaho has Boise State (Waterman does athletic bands) and Idaho (is a band director too). I guess if you want to consider UT El Paso in this, they just hired a full time professor who is also a director of bands. I’m most likely forgetting a couple.

Of the ones mentioned, only CWU doesn’t have a tenured professor, and it is a fulltime contract. There is no pay to the host besides the program, and for the ones that are band directors, doing an honor band is going to look better for the tenure committees and be more fruitful for recruitment. The full time aspect is also important because as an adjunct, it is oftentimes more difficult to get university support in helping with the initial funding (programs are given $1000 by ITEA), as the university is ultimately the ones hosting the conference.

When you list the “full time tuba euphonium jobs” in the west, you list ONLY university professor positions. NOT symphonic players (granted, there is probably a great deal of crossover there), NOT military band players (and there are more than a few in the west!).

[/quote]

I think this was just meant in the context of hosting a regional ITEC, since typically only college folks have the means to host such an event.
[/quote]

Again high school directors and such have the resources, but the organization seems to prefer the college positions, and doesn’t do any reaching out.

Having a centralized committee to do all the grunt work would be preferred and having a site that will allow that will make there be a wider variety of events that would be more inclusive.