Bill Muter Discusses Holding Down the Low-End as a Touring Musician and Music Ambassador for the US
When you’re a touring tuba player, a good attitude at the airport can make all the difference in getting your instrument to its destination safely (and inexpensively). For Bill Muter, who is frequently flying out of the Palm Beach and Miami airports, he says the best thing to do when you’re checking your tuba onto a flight: go there with a big smile on your face.
“In the back of your head, you have to always know that they may charge you $0 to $400 or more for overage charges,” says Muter. “You’re always at the discretion of the person checking you in, and a lot of times you can just go there with a smile on your face, they’ll help you out.”
Muter has toured the world, playing with artists such as Jon Batiste, Shania Twain, and the late Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy. He is currently performing with Medjy on his world tour, and has toured with many prominent Haitian artists, including Arly Larivière, Baky, Gabel, Alan Cavé, and Richard Cavé. He also toured Japan, South Korea, and North America for five years with the Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway production Blast!
Needless to say, Muter and his instrument have covered many miles together.
Between tours, Muter teaches, writes, and continues his music education. Recently, he completed Berklee Online’s Music Theory and Composition 1 course with Melissa Howe, taking advantage of a Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC), which can help eligible students offset the cost of tuition.
“Before the beginning of my teaching season, I can take a course, learn a little bit, help gather my knowledge, and get a little bit better,” he says. “Essentially, I can pay for it without taking out loans, which is a perk.”
Like many Berklee Online students who are professional musicians, Muter came to Berklee Online to fill in some educational gaps with a non-degree course.
A Match Made in Middle School Band
Growing up in South Florida, Muter’s family was active in his church’s music community, his mom a singer and guitarist, and his grandfather an organist. When he got to middle school and it was time to pick an instrument for the school band, he says he didn’t have much choice in the matter.
“Apparently, I picked up the tuba and played a beautiful low B-flat, and the rest is history,” he says. “They pretty much were like, ‘This is the instrument that you have to play.’”
His touring career began right out of high school. In addition to playing the tuba, Muter also plays the trombone and bass guitar in show settings. However, the tuba is his primary instrument, to the point where he’s earned the reputation of being a “Tuba Visionary,” a nickname that his friend encouraged him to use as his Instagram handle in 2014, and has since evolved into his personal brand.
Music as Diplomacy
Muter’s career has taken him around the world, not only as a performer but also as a cultural ambassador. Since 2018, he has traveled to Mexico, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Kosovo with the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The program started in the 1950s, sending jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington overseas for music diplomacy. Muter recommends the PBS documentary Jazz Ambassadors for anyone interested in learning more about the program’s history.
“We can fight wars on the ground, or we can do things to help prevent wars from happening, like creating connections through music diplomacy,” Muter says.
One of his most memorable experiences took place in Kosovo, a country still grappling with the devastation of war in the late ’90s. Muter was traveling with a trio of musicians, leading a workshop with Serbian, Roma, and Albanian students. The classroom was too small to fit them all, and the air was polluted by a nearby power plant.
“We got to this area, and nobody was smiling; it was rough conditions,” he says. “They didn’t have power, so we just took our instruments out. I had my sousaphone, we had a vibraphone, and the drummer just drummed on my tuba case.”
Once they stopped talking through a translator and just started playing music, the students were smiling and dancing.
“Seeing the impact that it had in that moment, and I can’t speak for the lasting impact of that community, but it definitely had a lasting impact on me, understanding how much music is important in everybody’s life, and can kind of bridge some of those cultural barriers that we tend to put up,” he says.
Encouragement from Jon Batiste
Another musical experience that had a lasting impact on Muter was performing with Jon Batiste. He recalls receiving a call from Elmo Lovano, the CEO of the music networking platform Jammcard, asking if he could play with Batiste at the Montreux Jazz Festival. As the show approached, he realized that Batiste is a true jazz improviser who trusts his band to do what they do best.
“I was getting really nervous, and about five minutes before I walked on, they’re like, ‘Alright, everybody cool with the Spotify playlist? I’m like, ‘What Spotify playlist? I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, you didn’t get it? You’ll be fine.’”
Holding his phone speaker up to his ear, he tried to listen to as much of the playlist as possible before the show started.
“Jon Batiste was like, ‘Man, you’ll be good, you’ll hear it.’ Inside, I’m like, ‘I love that he has faith in me, but he’s never played with me, so I hope I hear it,’” says Muter.
In hindsight, Muter says he was overthinking the situation.
“We went out there, we played, and I was able to fit in where I needed to fit in,” he says.
After the show, Muter was jamming with Batiste and other musicians in the band, and received some more words of encouragement.
“He [Batiste] comes up to me, and he says, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know, you have a beautiful sound, you have a beautiful gift,’ and I was almost in tears,” says Muter. “That gave me so much more fuel and courage.”
Music Networking for Introverts
Experiences like performing with Batiste reinforced the idea that playing music is only part of the job. As a self-described introvert, Muter never felt comfortable promoting himself or working a room. Instead, he built his reputation by being prepared and willing to help.
“To me, networking is not just talking; it’s doing the gig and then doing the extra things that people are going to want you around for, for the next gig.”
He recently shared a video on his YouTube channel on the topic.
Muter shares examples of going the extra mile, like creating a detailed spreadsheet for the band about the weather at each tour stop, and arranging horn parts on his tour with Medjy.
“We could spend hours and hours learning these parts, or I could just write them out—it would take me a lot less time—and I’ll send it out to the whole band,” he says. “I’ve come to learn over time that those are the things that get you rehired again.”
Authentic networking is another reason why Muter enrolled at Berklee Online.
“One thing I learned is don’t take yourself so seriously,” he says. “When you’re at an institution like Berklee, whether you’re in person or online, that’s a rare chance that you have, being in class with all like-minded people.”
Muter emphasizes that having a positive attitude, being a good collaborator, and being of service to others are key to a successful music career.
“You can go faster alone, but you can go a lot further with a group, and I think that concept is really baked into the Berklee Online experience that I had,” he says.
