When Arnold Jacobs died on October 7,
1998, he left a legacy of concepts and former
students that few have equalled. During his
lifetime Jacobs drew an endless parade of
musicians to his studio, from the obvious
tuba players to professional singers and
woodwind players. Because he suffered a
childhood illness that left him with diminished
lung capacity, Jacobs began to study
the mechanics of breathing. This soon
became a lifetime pursuit that was never
an end in itself, just a means to play well
without the hinderance of improper breathing
habits. Indeed, after extensive instruction
on correct breathing, Jacobs would then
admonish students to just match the sound
in their mind with comments such as “Have
Herseth in your head” or “You must have a
tape recording in your head of what you
want the sound coming out of your horn to
be like.”