Partnering with the talented musicians of the Sunway University Ensemble is an incredible opportunity, which is why Kane Music was honored to lead the instrument care clinics at their recent Orchestral Retreat.

Three is better than one.!! There’s no better way for musicians to grow than by learning and playing alongside fellow musicians. On 25th October 2025, Sunway University Ensemble (SUE) hosted an Orchestral Retreat in collaboration with Taylor’s Symphony Orchestra (TSO) and Monash Chamber Orchestra (MCO). The retreat was packed with music-making and learning opportunities, from maintenance workshops to sectionals, and concluded with a final concert performance.

We at Kane Music were honoured to be invited as the speaker and tutor for the Wind and Brass Instrument Maintenance Workshop. A total of 50 wind and brass musicians participated in our session! 

We began with a short introduction about Kane Music and our work. To warm things up, participants joined a fun Instagram poll before we demonstrated the effects of poor instrument care. We also showcased common repair cases from our website. The students were very excited about the repair and our website feature that shows before and after pictures side by side.

To make things more interactive, we prepared a few damaged parts for hands-on observation. Students eagerly gathered around the table, examining the parts and discussing what they saw.  It is quite refreshing to see the musician walk around and discuss the parts. There are also some students that help to explain to other musicians who play different instruments. It is nice to see people sharing their knowledge with each other. What is more shocking are the students’ engagement during the activity. One of the members asked about the difference between Pisoni and Muramatsu flute pads. This attitude shows their curiosity and passion. 

After a short break, we kicked off another Instagram poll: “How often should you service your instrument?” The answers were quite interesting! We then discussed proper service intervals and shared simple cleaning tips using tools like flexible cleaners, brass soap, cleaning paper, and powder paper.

Lastly we explain our service and how much it took to do a complete service and what was included in the service. This is very important for musicians to know what is beyond the servicing and to make sure they know what they are getting with doing complete service. 

After the session we stay for some instrument checking session for the musicians. While we were checking the instruments, we tried to educate the musicians about the parts of the instruments and how to take care of the instrument while making some minor adjustments. 

After the workshop session and had their lunch, they had their sectionals with their respective tutors. Kyvie and Kylie Tan (Violins), Wong Kai Jeff (Viola), Goh Wen Chih (Cello), Marina Zaini (Double Bass), Saufi Abdul Hadi (Flute), Chong Tao Xin (Clarinet), Lim Jing Hong (Saxophone), See Jin Feng (Trumpet), Khoo Min Khai (Trombone), Hairun Alif (Horn), Aaron Foo Xiang Jun (Euphonium and Tuba) and Lee Si Yuan (Percussion). 

After the sectionals they have a rehearsal to prepare for their concert later. They had their concert at night. There were also some special performances from Lumino Brass and Urban String Quartet. 

Overall, the retreat was a very fun and interesting program. We were very happy to share our knowledge about instrument maintenance. The members were also very engaging and active during our session which is what drove us to do this kind of activity.