Rodney Dangerfield of brass instruments, the tuba does not always get the respect it deserves. So when a tumult of tubas tramped onto the stage at Murray State University’s Performing Arts Hall with “OcTUBAween,” on Monday night and “OcTUBAfest” on Wednesday, the audience might have expected lots of oompas and little else.
Instead, Todd French, Ph.D. and Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at MSU, set the record straight. He dismissed the stereotypes associated with the biggest of the brass by explaining the instrument’s history.
The tuba is one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band, and it is featured in many musical genres, from classical to half-time on the football field. In the concerts last week, the music ranged from classical: Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in d minor; to sacred: Dona Nobis Pacem; to Devils Waltz by Steven Verhelst, a composer who was born in 1981.
The Tuba and Euphonium Studio that French heads takes pride in its brass because of accomplished alums like Senior Airman Max Crofton, who graduated from MSU in 2017 with a degree in Music Education.
Currently a tubist with the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, Crofton performs with the Concert Band, Ceremonial Band, and Airlifter Brass Quintet. In addition to the undergraduate degree from MSU, he holds a Master of Music from Indiana University and is a doctoral candidate at IU. He credits his parents for nurturing his talent and skill, and also lauds his teachers, including the late Ray Conklin, from Murray State.
“My musical beginnings stretch back to piano lessons at age 6,” Crofton said in a telephone interview. He described his musical journey and how it led to brass instruments in sixth grade and later to the guitar.
In middle school, he found that a trombone just did not fit him, while the tuba captured his imagination. “It grabs you like a bear hug,” he declared.
“It has its own reputation for being quirky. Other instruments have a wider repertoire because they stretch back further in history, but the tuba’s repertoire is still happening.”
“It took more than a hundred years to get its first major solo,” he explained, adding that the first tuba concerto premiered in 1954.
Limited repertoire did deter Crofton from winning the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2016. He competed in multiple qualification rounds, accompanied on the piano by MSU’s Meeyoun Park.
When, as the winner of the competition, he soloed with the symphony, he chose the Broughton Concerto to demonstrate his skills.
“It’s technical and tricky,” he admitted. “If you haven’t seen it before, it’s flashy.”
After graduation from MSU, with encouragement and recommendations from Ray Conklin, Crofton headed to Conklin’s alma mater, Indiana University.
Also in 2016, he was a semi-finalist in the 2016 ITEC Mock Band Competition in Knoxville, TN, and other musical accomplishments continued.
In 2017, he was the principal tubist for the Kentucky Intercollegiate Band and was also selected to perform in the National Intercollegiate Band. Since then, he has performed with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra (IN), Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra (IN), Columbus Symphony Orchestra (IN), Paducah Symphony Orchestra (KY), and the U.S. Air Force Concert Band (D.C.).
Crofton is a tuba devotee, eager to explain the variables associated with the instrument. For example, the sizes and weights of tubas can vary, averaging between 20 and 30 pounds. Crofton advises his students, “Pick a tuba that fits your body.”
“There are a lot of tuba types,” he said, adding that one can cost up to $12,000.
Today, Crofton is literally in the middle of moving from his current job in St. Louis to a new position in Washington DC. He is also finishing up his doctorate at Indiana University, where another mentor, Dan Perantoni, is Tuba-Provost Professor at IU’s Jacobs School of Music.
The move to DC is presenting logistical challenges. For instance, Max has to make two road trips in less than a week to transport all five of his tubas safely.
Regardless of the short-term stress of relocating, Crofton’s long-term vision is unwavering. He is determined to continue to follow the example set by his parents and mentors.
His desire? “To make something of myself” is the way he put it. “I want to be a great musician.”
This column is republished with permission from the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Read the original.
Constance Alexander is a columnist, award-winning poet and playwright, and President of INTEXCommunications in Murray. She is a board member for Hoptown Chronicle.
