Wind Instrument Workshop

On what would have been a regular Monday morning, the music students of S.I.A. were lucky enough to have a break from the norm and instead spent an hour or two with the talented Adolfo Mendoza in a Wind Instrument Workshop. Mr. Mendoza, who is referred to affectionately as Pong, is the principal bassoonist in the Phillippine Pops Orchestra. (You can read more about his expertise over here!)

The bassoon is probably a more obscure instrument as opposed to the regular flute and clarinet that would be named by many people when prompted to give examples of wind instruments. He plays a German (Heckel) bassoon as opposed to another slightly less common bassoon system, the French (Buffet) which has a different timbre. To further pique your interest, a sample of what his bassoon playing sounds like can be found at the end of this entry. 

He gave the students personalised advice as they demonstrated their skills in front of the group. Among the goldmine of pointers was the adjustment of the music stand to facilitate one's height. Simply by increasing the height of the stand would result in a more correct posture and in turn, an improved projection of breathing to play the instrument. Mr. Mendoza also highlighted the importance of colour when playing a note. Emotion is very important when playing a piece, and one must convey said emotions. For instance, playing notes in a brash and forceful manner in a romantic piece adorned with legato phrases is not particularly enjoyable to listen to. Paraphrasing Mr. Mendoza, "You do not shout 'I love you' to the person you love!"

Although his advice was geared towards music students, many of his wise words are applicable across all fields and walks of life. Instead of turning the page when faced with a difficult etude, or simply skimming over difficult phrases by playing haphazard notes in succession, he stresses that one must focus on their weaknesses in order to succeed. Regardless Hard work, persistence, determination and diligence are all important qualities for succeeding in the musical field. Just like the phrase shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars- Mr. Mendoza mentions the importance of dreaming big, and how there is no limit on your imagination. It's the will to make your dreams come true that will move you along. 

He shared his path to success with the group: from his repetitive practising of scales and etudes even while watching cartoons in his college years, to the incredibly physically taxing all-day practices at the conservatory. From his own first-hand experience, one can tell the journey to achieving excellence is never effortless. 

Broadening of horizons is what a workshop aims to achieve, and the thoughtful advice given by Mr. Mendoza was taken seriously into consideration by our budding young musicians. 

As a token of appreciation we received two copies of contemporary music from Philippines performed by Philpops Orchestra, including Mr. Mendoza himself. We hope to see him in Sabah again, and wish him all the best in his career in the Philippine music scene. 

Here is a clip of Mr. Mendoza demonstrating his skils: