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Arnold Jacobs

Arnold Jacobs is one of the most profound teachers in the musical world. Being a Tuba
player did not limit him, he taught all wind instruments including voice. Some of his most
masterful recordings include Jacobs was famous for his revolutionary pedagogical techniques
that centered around his famous breathing techniques. He preached song and wind, This idea
influenced countless wind players and his pedagogy can be found within the new generation of
instrumental music teachers.
Born in 1915, the Philadelphian had an illness that impaired his lung capacity at a very
young age; along with a development of asthma in his adult years he created advanced breathing
techniques to help him and his students maximize his the air that was used. he began on trumpet,
then trombone and finally ended on tuba. He attended the Philadelphia Curtis Institute of Music
at age 15 on scholarship. He played in The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the All American
Youth Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra before entering his long and noted
service in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where he served for 44 years between 1944 and
1988. during this time, Jacobs taught many different wind instrumentalists including brass
players, woodwind players and vocalists. Gene Pokorny, Floyd Cooley, and Rex Martin were
interviewed by the CSO, these recordings are now archived on the CSO website. Floyd Cooley
reminisces on Jacobs tubas that he used and, the hijinks that occurred in Jacobs youth in the
Philadelphia Curtis Institute (Floyd Cooley, CSO interview, 2014). Great stories of Arnold
Jacobs can be found in these recordings along with insight in his lessons. His legacy as a
performer for the CSO can only be outshined by his own legacy as a teacher.
There are countless books written and edited by his students but one of the most detailed
and true to Arnold Jacobs is Arnold Jacobs, The Legacy of the Master Edited by Dee Stewart.

Dee Stewart, an accomplished trombone player met with Arnold Jacobs frequent for many years
and eventually compiled all the notes that Arnold Jacobs gave him into a book. This book is not a
biography or a reflection on Jacobs but it is a resource of the notes that Arnold Jacobs gave his
students during his lessons. Dee notes how Arnold Jacobs greatly emphasized musical integrity
and how free flowing his lessons were. (Stewart). Legacy of an Artist by Frank Byrne not only
portrays audio clips of Arnold Jacobs but also audio time capsules of his teachings so that any
student may listen and gain insight (Byrne). Many brass players created resources based on his
teachings, some were as general as Legacy of an Artist but others were very specific such as
Lasting change for Trumpeter's by Luis Loubriel Although his recordings are sparse, there are 44
years worth of Chicago Symphony Orchestra recordings in which he is the principal tuba player
and where he can be found producing a beautiful and almost supernatural tone.
Arnold Jacobs not only revolutionized how one can play the tuba, he changed the way
wind instruments (especially brass players) think about playing music. Mr, Jacobs was a master
at playing the tuba, possibly the best that ever lived, but what makes him so important to brass
players today was his generosity to teach others his wisdom in creating music the best way
possible. Arnold Jacobs did not just influence his students, but his students influenced their
students and today, he is one of the fathers of modern brass pedagogy and a constant resource to
all musicians who wish to be great teachers.

works Cited

Byrne, Frank. Legacy of an Artist. Summit. 2004. Online


http://www.allmusic.com/album/legacy-of-an-artist-mw0001945853/credits

Pokorny, Gene. Floyd Cooley and Gene Pokorny. Perf. Floyd Cooley. Chicago
Symphony Orchestra. CSO, 2014. MP3.
http://csosoundsandstories.org/commentaries-on-arnold-jacobss-influence-playing-and-teaching/

Stewart, M. Dee., and Arnold Jacobs. Arnold Jacobs: The Legacy of a Master: The
Personal and Pedagogical Recollections of Thirty-one of His Colleagues, Students, and Friends.
Northfield, Ill. (200 Northfield Rd., Northfield): Instrumentalist Pub., 1987. Print.

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