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Sixth
grader joins troupes of tuba players at Rockefeller
Center
While many students spend
their Sunday afternoons relaxing or playing videogames,
Schuylerville sixth-grader Nikolaus Steg prefers a
little more adventure—traveling to New York City to join
450 tuba players in Rockefeller Center, for example.
Nikolaus did just that recently when he participated in
TubaChristmas, an annual event held in cities throughout
the world where tuba and baritone players gather
together to play Christmas carols. This was the second
TubaChristmas event the young musician has participated
in…and it was exciting!
“It was great—one of the best things that ever happened
to me,” Nikolaus says. “How many kids get to stand in
Rockefeller Center and play tuba with 450 other tuba
players in front of thousands of people?”
Nikolaus traveled to New York City with his parents and
Schuylerville music teacher Vicki Young. Young also
played during the performance. “This was an incredible
experience for both Nikolaus and me. We were right in
the front row of all the tuba and baritone players,”
Young says.
Before the performance, the two Schuylerville musicians
practiced musical selections in school and then with all
their tuba teammates in an underground garage below
Rockefeller Center. “We only had two hours to practice
as a group,” Nikolaus recalls. “And when we eventually
played in Rockefeller Center, the music echoed
throughout the city.”
After the formal performance, Nikolaus and Young decided
to extend the adventure a bit by setting up their
instruments in Times Square and becoming the latest in
street musician sensations. “People stopped to have
their pictures taken with us. It was so much fun,”
Nikolaus mused.
Nikolaus hopes to continue participating in
TubaChristmas events. “My dad found one that takes place
in Switzerland. I hope I can play there some day,” he
says.
In the meantime, Nikolaus will continue as one of only
two tuba players at Schuylerville Elementary School,
along with pursuing the many other instruments he plays,
including bass guitar and drums. “I’m looking forward to
going to the Jr.-Sr. High School so I can join the pep
band,” Nikolaus comments.
TubaChristmas was developed to celebrate those who play,
teach and compose music for instruments in the tuba
family. The first TubaChristmas was held in 1974 as a
tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell who
was born on Christmas Day in 1902. On that day, more
than 300 musicians played and that started a phenomenon
that continues to this day.
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