Junior Ben Ames practices the tuba during one of the three music classes he takes. Photo by Paul Szewczyk '12

by Mandy Stussman ‘14

When junior Ben Ames was just starting at Rosa Parks Middle School, he made a decision that would come to shape his future. His music teacher asked him which instrument he would like to play, and Ames, just beginning on his musical journey, replied that he wanted to play the tuba, “because it was big and loud.” This rash and seemingly insignificant decision has guided Ames since then, and will continue to shape his career and beyond.

 “[The tuba has] definitely given me direction as to what I want to do with my life. I couldn’t imagine not doing something with it at this point,” said Ames. He participates in many tuba related activities, including Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra (MCYO), an exclusive and prestigious group of young musicians. Ames was accepted at the beginning of this year and performs once every three months through MCYO. In January this year Ames traveled with MCYO to London where he performed at Cadogan Hall, a great honor for musicians.

On May 18, Ames received a one, the highest possible score at a county-wide competition, allowing him to advance to the state-wide competition where he also received a one playing an extremely challenging piece by Edward Gregson that he had been working on for about a year and a half.

 “I really like the sound of bass instruments. It’s rare to play the tuba and I enjoy that I have a unique sound when I’m playing,” said Ames.

Ames practices for at least half an hour every day. He also meets with his private tutor, who he has had for five years, Scott Cameron, once a week. “Through his tuba playing, Ben shows a lot of dedication and attention to detail. That’s how he’s progressed as far as he has,” said Cameron.

Ames currently takes Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and AP Music Theory, and on top of that participates in the Pep Band.

He plans to take the tuba with him into his future, to make it his future. Ithaca College  in upstate New York is Ames’s top choice, one reason being its great music program. Ames wants to major in either music performance or music education, depending on what he decides to do for his career. “For a while I was debating whether to go into music or not. I worried about job availability and how much I would get paid,” said Ames.

Seeing Cameron succeed in the music industry has given Ames the hope that he could do it too. He is deciding whether he wants to become a music teacher or perform in a symphonic band of some sort. “At first, Ben was just trying to master the concepts, but he has recently turned into an artist,” said Cameron. Ames has grown exceptionally as a tuba player, and looks forward to the musical journey that lies ahead of him.