real women play the tuba

I think you know how much I love my daughters. And how much I love the fact that Emma is fully committed to playing an instrument twice her size.

She has asked me over the years to ask readers to support her efforts to raise money for abused horses or buy new band uniforms for her high school, and I have always declined. Not because I didn’t support what she was trying to do, but because I never wanted to impose on people who come to this blog for inspiration, not to be asked for money. For that same reason, I don’t accept advertising on this site and I don’t use affiliate links that give me a kickback if you purchase some product–I only tell you about things I love if I love them, without any attachment to money. And I still don’t want to impose, but I have agreed to support her in a special quest because I can see in her beautiful blue eyes how very much it means to her.

She has played the tuba (and its marching band cousin, the sousaphone) for eight years. She has played on loaner instruments from the schools she’s attended all that time, some good and some not so good instruments. Teachers always remark on her beautiful tone. People who see her diminutive stature always are shocked to see her wield a huge sousaphone and not only carry it, but dance with it as part of the NC State University marching band.

And all that while, she has longed for her own horn. Tubas are very expensive, and we told her she’d need to raise the money herself. (With flashbacks to my childhood of wanting a $40 pair of hiking boots and washing EVERY SINGLE DISH in my house FOREVER at 5 cents a dish to pay for them. And of collecting bottles along the side of the road FOREVER to reclaim the deposit money and buy a color TV for the family–my brother and I did it! I think my dad had made that goal thinking we’d never be able to do it!).

She has saved $3000 and tubas are way more than twice that amount, so she knew she’d have to wait. But yesterday, while idly looking at Craigslist, she found the very tuba she has longed for–a used one that is a great deal at $6000, IF you have $6000, which she doesn’t. So she made this video to see if she can crowdsource the tuba of her dreams before someone else snatches it up.

Yeah, I’m a proud mama. I’m prouder still that she is interested to spread the world that girls can (and should!) play the tuba! Watch her video, and contribute if you can. Even a little bit will help and she’ll send a signed print of one of her art pieces to every contributor.

You can contribute via Paypal to emma.ptak@gmail.com. Be sure to include your mailing address if you’d like to receive her art print!

Thanks for letting me break my own rule this one time. With love.