Most people think of the tuba as a slow, ponderous instrument. In fact, in the right hands (And lips!) it is as light and facile as any instrument in the orchestra. But don’t encourage your child to play the instrument. Student model instruments cost about $7000, whereas you could pick up a flute for as little as a hundred bucks.

To give you some idea of just what a tuba can do, check out Øystein Baadsvik:

Given this, it comes as no surprise that Los Angeles is having a tuba crime wave. According to NPR, the string of thefts are going to supply the needs of banda groups who are all the rage. What is banda? It’s a Mexican brass band that plays German polka-derived music. Stranger things have happened.

But their loss is your gain. Enjoy: