While enjoying a view of the water, people strolling along Ballena Bay in Alameda may run into - and hear - something unexpected.
Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, it was not unusual to find music teacher Joe Osborn strolling along the water. "I was getting into spending time outdoors for the sake of being outdoors instead of being trapped inside," he told KCBS Radio.
But while some were out learning new hobbies like making bread or learning TikTok dances, Joe, decided to take up a new instrument.
"I crossed paths with another musician who had an extra one and was a little tight on cash…and he gave me a super deal on it," Osborn said.
Joe Osborn strolls along Alameda's Ballena Bay, turning heads as he practices.Matt Boone/KCBS Radio
He’s talking about his new sousaphone, a nearly three-foot-tall, modified tuba designed for marching bands; later popularized by New Orleans jazz and second line bands. "(It) sits right on top of your right shoulder," Osborn laughed about the large instrument. "If you’ve got any tension in your shoulders, you’ll feel it immediately. It’s about 20, 25 pounds."
As they say, practice makes perfect.
He said it just felt natural to take the sousaphone down to the water and it’s been hard not to notice. Lots of people have been honking their horns as they drive by.
"Oh yeah, they love it," Osborn said of his growing fanbase. "A lot of thumbs up, a lot of smiles. Often people will stop and just listen for a second."
Joe Osborn has built up a fan club by simply doing what he loves.Matt Boone/KCBS Radio
It’s no secret live music has been hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis, and as a teacher, Osborn knows the pain has extended to music education. His lessons have mostly moved to Zoom, which isn’t an ideal platform for teaching.
"I started teaching guitar to a 4th grader in April of last year and he’d never really played it before and that was a huge challenge to do that through Zoom," he explained.
Another reason he wanted to take out the sousaphone: to remind his students about the joys of playing music.
"I’m hoping to inspire everybody," he added.
Even if you’re not his student, it’s a message that resonates.
"That’s why I did it. To say, ‘We are all still here we can all still make music.’"
