The pain of the dancer in George Michael’s Careless Whisper, the hope in the Titanic classic My Heart Will Go On, and the vulnerability in Princess Leia’s Theme from Star Wars.
The emotions in these three iconic pieces of music owe much of their impact to a group of instruments that have sadly fallen in popularity over recent years….woodwind.
Griffith University’s Conservatorium of Music is playing a key role keeping these instruments relevant, with some of the top woodwind teachers in the country helping students gain mastery over saxophone, flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon.
With dozens of ensembles, more than 200 concerts annually and music being played every single day of the year, The Con is a one-stop shop for every conceivable type of musical experience, and woodwind is no exception.
Ethan Henke was studying a Bachelor of Music at The Conservatorium and played one of the most difficult of all the woodwind instruments.
“When I was in high school, one of my music teachers told me there was a worldwide shortage of bassoon players,” Mr Henke said.
“At that time, I was playing saxophone, and I hadn’t a clue what a bassoon was.
“But it got me thinking.
“I liked the fact that there were more opportunities for playing in orchestras with a bassoon and that’s something I really wanted to do.
“It is a challenging instrument to play.
“There are 9 different positions for your thumb alone.”
Associate Professor Tim Munro is a triple Grammy-winning flautist and brings a wealth of performing and teaching expertise to his role as Head of Winds at The Conservatorium.
Having worn many musical hats, as curator, broadcaster, writer and artistic consultant, Associate Professor Munro is attuned to the needs of students working towards a career in music and understands the importance of a wide range of opportunities.
“These young musicians can play in symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, musical theatre pit bands, film orchestras, jazz groups and even a gamelan ensemble,” he said.
“They play with conductors, without conductors…and can even learn to become a conductor!
“There is great demand for wind teachers, and the students all learn pedagogical tools during their degree.”
Bassoonists, such as Mr Henke, had access to the ‘bassoon room’ at The Conservatorium, where cane was available for reed-making.
“The saxophone and clarinet use one reed, whereas oboe and bassoon use two,” Mr Henke said.
“You can use ready-made reeds, but most professionals make their own.”
James Kukulies, a music teacher at Indooroopilly State High School, who encouraged Mr Henke to take up the bassoon, said the double-reeded instruments had not changed in design for hundreds of years, because there was nothing that had been invented that was better for generating their unique sounds.
“Each instrument has a role to play within the orchestra and to lose any of them would negatively impact the whole,” Mr Kukulies said.
“If you think of the orchestra as a rainbow, with each instrument being a different colour, losing instruments is like saying to an artist painting a picture, well, you can’t have green and you can’t use orange.
“The art won’t be as rich and varied.”
The Conservatorium is looking forward to welcoming new Bachelor of Music students onto campus at South Bank next year.
