In middle school, Dr. Adam Frey was the first chair trumpet player and loved it. Then, he was "asked" by the director to change to the euphonium for a single concert. He did and never switched back.

Now, the University of North Georgia (UNG) associate professor of music plans to share his fondness for the instrument with a euphonium textbook in three languages.

"This will be the first book with original material written for the euphonium that will be presented in multiple languages: English, Spanish and Chinese," Frey said.

Frey explained most textbooks for euphoniums are adapted from trumpet or trombone books. He thought the euphonium, commonly described as a baby tuba, deserved to have a book of its own.

"This new textbook will take traditional teaching elements and scenarios I've developed and put them into a written form," he said.

Frey received a semester release to write his textbook, which is funded by a Presidential Incentive Award. Earlier this year, Dr. Bonita Jacobs funded 44 faculty and staff projects with a $415,000 investment.

Frey's vision for the book is to organize euphonium exercises from basic to advanced levels to help musicians master the instrument. He plans to serve as an artist-in-residency at four higher education institutions to test the effectiveness of the textbook.

Frey also aims to present the completed book at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in May 2021.