Woodwind and Brass Department

Teaching

All teaching in the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes is carried out in a close connection between theory and practice, and students test their acquired experience in the implementation of a wide range of musical projects.
Individual and group teaching, lectures, exercises and self-study are combined.
The school cooperates within the Erasmus project with the best European universities and enables its students to have internships with top teachers within their field of study.
Thanks to the comprehensiveness of the study programs, students can achieve a quality music education under the guidance of experienced teachers, with an emphasis on the highest level of performance in their field.
The study deepens the existing skills and knowledge and brings new knowledge in the specializations of individual disciplines (instrument playing, methodology, history and literature of the instrument, study of orchestral parts) and also provides deeper knowledge of psychology, pedagogy, philosophy of art, history of music and others.

List of taught courses

“During my studies at the JAMU I met many important personalities I could only dream about before. I owe this opportunity to our school and I am happy to be part of a great international class of oboes.” Evžen Lubnin, 2nd year master’s student at HF JAMU (Russian Federation)

Bachelor’s degree programme – a graduate of a conservatory, music college or other secondary school whose skills and knowledge meet the requirements of a music professional, who has an obvious motivation and interest in the field of musical art as well as a broader overview and interest in the field of culture. He/she is equipped with a knowledge of one world language at secondary school level.

Master’s degree programme – graduate of a bachelor’s degree programme at an art college, with a high degree of skills in performance, including mastery of the basic repertoire of the main subject of the discipline, with sufficient insight into the field of methodology, didactics, pedagogy and psychology, with good language skills and appropriate interest in further education.

The acquired knowledge and skills can be applied by graduates in solo performance, chamber cooperation, as members of symphony, opera and chamber orchestras or as teachers in vocational art schools of all levels.

He studied at the Pavel Josef Vejvanovský Conservatory in Kroměříž under Jaroslav Hýlo and Zdeněk Škrabal (1984-90) and at the JAMU under František Svoboda (1990-94). In 1992-94 he worked in the orchestra of the Brno Operetta and Opera. He became a member of the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra (second bassoonist with first bassoon duties, 1993). In 1994 he joined the Army Art Ensemble Prague and the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra on full-time military service. A year later he returned to the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra and from 1996 to 2004 he worked there as a solo bassoonist. Since 1998 he has been teaching at the JAMU (assistant professor, since 2004 associate professor, since 2012 head of the Department of Woodwind Instruments) and since 2009 at the Brno Conservatory (since 2012 head of the Department of Woodwind Instruments). He has been a member of several chamber ensembles.

What are you most proud of during your time as an artist?
Rather than a list of artistic activities and achievements, the great feeling of contact with the world and the knowledge that we know how to do our work and do it well seems much more important.

Where do you look for a source of motivation and inspiration?
In the students – when I see their journey, artistic and human growth, achievements and ability to successfully integrate into life.

If you had to give one piece of advice to students, what would it be?
Trust in your intuition and your dreams. But also use your head on the road to their fulfilment.

What does JAMU mean to you personally?
The fulfillment of life’s dream and journey.

Milan Polák graduated from the Brno Conservatory (in the class of Lubomír Bartona) and in 1991 he graduated from the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno (in the class of Valter Vitek). He was a member of the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Theatre Orchestra in Bratislava. Since 1992 he has been the first clarinetist of the Prague Chamber Orchestra. With this orchestra he has given many concerts all over the world and has performed in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Cologne Philharmonic, Salzburg Mozarteum, Vienna Musikverein, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Santori Hall in Tokyo, Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, etc.
As a member of the orchestra he has collaborated with many renowned artists. Conductors have included Sir Charles Mackerras, Václav Neumann, Gerd Albrecht and Trevor Pinnock. Soloists have included Rudolf Buchbinder, Maxim Vengerov, Barbara Hendricks, Misha Maisky, the Beaux Arts Trio, Ivan Moravec and Alice Sara Ott. With PKO he recorded for Supraphon, Denon, BMG, Decca, Telarc, etc. As a soloist and as a chamber musician he has performed at many concerts and festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad – Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia and the USA.
In 2006 he performed the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by R.L. Aldridge, which was given its European premiere. For Czech Radio he recorded Clarinettino by Ondřej Kukal. As a chamber musician he has also performed with many ensembles. With the Pražák Quartet he recorded the CD A. Schönberg Pierrot Lunaire and Suite Op. 29 for the Harmonia Mundi label, as well as L. Janáček’s Concertino and C. Debussy. He is a member of the Prague Wind Trio and the Janáček Ensemble. He is a member of the international orchestra Solistes Europeéns Luxembourg.
He teaches clarinet at the Prague Conservatory and the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno.

What are you most proud of during your time as an artist?
My artistic career with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and the international orchestra Solistes Européen Luxembourg.

What are you most proud of during your time as a teacher?
Here’s to all our graduates, whether they are members of leading orchestras or teaching in primary art schools. But if I have to single out anyone, it is those who have been principal players in orchestras here and abroad. For example, Martin Adámek (Ensemble Intercontemporain) , Lukáš Dittrich (Czech Philharmonic), Jan Czech (Prague Symphony Orchestra F.O.K.), Aleš Tvrdík (Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra), David Šimeček (National Theatre Prague), Tomáš Kraus (National Theatre Brno), Matěj Veselka (B. Martinů), Jiří Tolar (Moravian Theatre Olomouc) , Vladimír Brablec (Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice), Juraj Pivoluska (Slovak National Theatre) and others.

Where do you look for a source of motivation and inspiration?
Concerts, exhibitions, listening to music, cultural events.

If you had to give one piece of advice to students, what would it be?
Try to work on yourself as much as possible.

What does JAMU mean to you personally?
I am glad that I was able to study at this school. I had excellent teachers and met great people.

One of the most important Czech flutists, he graduated from the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno. After ten years in the orchestra of the Janáček Theatre in Brno, he concentrated on his solo and chamber music career. For 23 years he was a solo flutist of the Prague Chamber Orchestra without a conductor. As a soloist he has given concerts in many countries around the world, including Germany, Austria, Spain, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Italy, USA, Canada and Japan. His art is recorded on many CDs (Harmonia Mundi, Praga digital, Orfeo, Supraphon, MusicVars, GZ) and dozens of radio recordings.

A special chapter of Kunt’s activity is chamber music, whether with piano, harpsichord, harp or in various other instrumental combinations. In addition to the above-mentioned playing activities, he is very intensively engaged in pedagogical activities, he is a full professor at the Faculty of Music of JAMU in Brno, where he also served as vice-dean. At the same time he also teaches at the Gymnasium of the Capital City of Prague. He organizes international performance courses at home and abroad.

What are you most proud of during your time as an artist?

After a period of fasting, we have opened up in some fields and have matched the performance of prestigious foreign schools. This is especially true in the areas of international competitions and auditions.

Where do you look for a source of motivation and inspiration?

In the contacts with the international environment, in the comparison of performances and success of our graduates, in the international courses and last but not least in the interest of young artists in studying at the JAMU.

If you had to give one piece of advice to students, what would it be?

Educate yourself in all directions, not just in your major. Then the world will open up and you will find your true place in the sun.

What does JAMU mean to you personally?

Years pass, but I’m still happy at HF. It’s one of the sources of energy – working with the younger generation, great colleagues, etc.