I think that the woodwinds in a band should tune to the oboe, but my teacher says it is what you prefer. She uses the tuba to tune the whole band(an untune tuba). Is there a certain way to tune?

usualy you tune to one of the more advanced players who can almost always play exactly in tune, and more importantly hold a solid pitch

It depends on the band. I agree that you should tune to an excellent musician, though. I`ve played in bands where we tune to the tubas, and I`ve been in bands where we tune to the oboes. I`ve also tuned to mallet percussion, too, at times. Usually when the oboist just can`t get a good reed or isn`t there that day.

My band tunes to an oboe after I have personally helped that oboe to be turned to the correct pitch using a tuner...if not an oboe then a flute or clarinet.

In one band I was in, the section leaders went into another room before the concert with an electric tuner. After they were done, they came back and everyone else then tuned to them. However, that was only because we were in one of the rehearsal halls, and we had time before the performance to warm up and tune. On stage, in previous years, we have just tuned to each other, and trusted our ears. I guess the conductor thought we were trained enough to do that.

If available, use a piano, it`s much more likley to have perfect pitch.

There are some humans that have perfect pitch...

we tune to the clarinets. aka me. we`re usually the least out of tune... probably because there are so few of us.

We almost always use a piano.

we all tune to the tuba but for example the clarinets fit into the trumpet which fit into the trombone into the baritone/tuba

We all tune to the Piano. And we use Bb concert so every instrument plays a different note. Eg. I, being a saxophone play g, clarinets play c... and so on. Or we use an electric tuner or tune by ear, it varies a lot.

I hope all of your pianos are tuned regularly. The piano in our band room usually sounds quite awful.

Just realized that the pitch wasn`t ever covered, if that was what the original poster was referring to. Flutes, saxophones, oboes and bassoons usually tune to an A. Clarinets usually tune to an F in my band.