Donald Little

Donald C. Little joined the College of Music faculty in 1976 and now serves as Regent Professor of Tuba. He previously served as a faculty member at the University of Northern Iowa. 

He was born in Philadelphia and grew up on the southern New Jersey seashore in Wildwood Crest. He received his Bachelors of Music Education in 1970 at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with John Melick. He was awarded his Masters of Music in 1971 at Northwestern University, where he studied with Arnold Jacobs. He has also completed additional graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Cherry Beauregard. 

Mr. Little served as principal tuba of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Opera Orchestra for 45 years from which he is now retired. He has also performed and recorded with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the German Radio-Symphony Orchestra of Berlin. Mr. Little is a former member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, Colorado Festival Orchestra, and The York (Pennsylvania) Symphony. He has also performed with the Chicago, St. Louis, San Antonio, Baltimore, and the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Dallas Winds.

Since 1975, he has served the International Tuba Euphonium Association (formerly TUBA) as President, Past-President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Conference Coordinator and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors and Honorary Advisory Board. 

Mr. Little was awarded the 2018 International Tuba Euphonium Association Excellence in Teaching Award. He was nominated by professional peers, students and former students for “the advancement of the pedagogy of those instruments and dedication to the mentoring of young in recognition of demonstrated excellence in the teaching of tuba and euphonium musicians.”

He has authored, transcribed, arranged, edited and composed published works for the tuba, euphonium and brass ensembles with various publishers including Belwin Mills, Southern Music Company and Kagarice Brass Editions. His solo and chamber music publications receive thousands of performances annually at professional, faculty, and student recitals, contests and competitions throughout the world. 

He has contributed instructional materials and solo editions for the tuba and euphonium to Belwin Mills'Medalist Band Course and Contemporary Band Course. This course also includes Practical Hints on Playing the Tuba, his publication for high school and college tubists.

Former students hold or have held teaching and performance positions in the Hague Philharmonic of Holland, Orquesta del Principado de Asturias of Spain, Mississippi Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Breckenridge Festival Orchestra, Disneyland, United States Coast Guard Academy Band, United States Navy Band of Washington, D.C. and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Many former students also serve as professors at numerous universities and colleges.