R.A.W. Tuba Inspires Walker School students with Music and Resilience

Students at The Walker School recently got a visit from internationally recognized tubist and author Dr. Richard Antoine White, also known as “R.A.W. Tuba.” White spoke to students across all of Walker’s divisions, from three-year-olds to seniors preparing for college, sharing not just music but a deeply personal story of survival, perspective and possibility.

His journey, which is chronicled in his memoir “I’m Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tube and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream,” began far from concert halls and university lecture rooms. Born prematurely and weighing just over a pound, White survived early trauma and homelessness as a child. He remembers sleeping under trees and in abandoned houses, bathing at public water fountains and not knowing when his next meal would come. Eventually fostered and adopted, he discovered music — and with it, purpose.

Today, White is a professor at the University of New Mexico, principal tubist for the New Mexico Philharmonic and Santa Fe Symphony, a bestselling author and the first African American in the world to earn a doctorate in tuba performance.

But at Walker, titles were not the focus.

Instead, White spoke candidly about fear, judgment and the power of perspective.

“We’re all afraid of being judged,” he told Upper School students. “And we have to be careful about judging other people.”

He challenged students to examine stereotypes and labels. A stereotype, he explained, assigns one characteristic to an entire group. Labeling adds unnecessary adjectives that reduce a person to one trait. White acknowledged that everyone carries biases. The key, he said, is recognizing them and choosing kindness.

He also spoke to students about failure.

“Life is fair because it’s unfair to everyone,” he told students. “You will fail. But failure means ‘Finding An Intended Lesson In Needed Growth.’”

If something goes wrong, he encouraged students to ask: What did I need to learn?

Perhaps his most memorable message centered on fear.

“Fear has two meanings,” he said. “Forget everything and run. Or forget everything and rise.”

He urged students to choose the second.

For younger students, White used music to illustrate his points. Closing their eyes while he played, students described feeling “hype, energized or peaceful” — all without a single lyric.

“Music consists of motion and emotion,” he explained. “Whether it’s rock, hip-hop, country or classical, we all choose from the same 12 notes. Look what happens when we come together and are allowed to express ourselves. That’s when the magic happens.”

He also spoke about gratitude and perspective, describing his childhood disbelief at having three meals a day or pajamas to sleep in after being adopted.

“As angry as I once was,” he said, reflecting on being separated from his biological mother, “I now realize she was a hero. She gave me up because she wanted me to have a better life.”

White encouraged students to identify their own “superpower” — the unique strength that can help not only themselves but others.

“We will not reach the top unless we move together and lift everyone,” he said.

He left students with a simple formula for success:

Work hard.
Work even harder.
Give the world your very best.

“Winning,” he reminded them, “is a product of doing your best.”

White also worked directly with Walker’s concert band brass section, answering questions about his love for low instruments and sharing that even with a doctorate, he still practices at least three hours a day.

His closing message resonated across campus:

“You’re not done yet. Whether you succeed or whether you fail, you get another shot tomorrow,” he said.

In a month dedicated to celebrating Black History, White’s visit underscored the power of resilience, the unifying force of music and the importance of seeing one another fully.

As he told students before departing: “I’m possible. You’re possible. Together, we can make something spectacular happen.”