Baker University is full of multi-talented new students like freshman Kat Niehues who splits her time between cheerleading and being the only bassoon major on campus.<br/>Niehues has been playing the bassoon since seventh grade. She said she is used to being one of the only bassoon players in the band.Niehues has been playing the bassoon since seventh grade. She said she is used to being one of the only bassoon players in the band.
Niehues has been playing the bassoon since seventh grade. She said she is used to being one of the only bassoon players in the band.
Niehues moved to Baldwin City her junior year of high school and came to Baker to play bassoon and cheer this fall. She said she has always enjoyed playing music and doing athletics.
“The teachers here are really nice and they are willing to work with you if you have other things going on,” Niehues said.
Professor of Music J.D. Parr said bassoon players are hard to come by because most high schools have none or very few students playing that instrument. Parr said this is the second bassoon major that Baker has had in 25 years.
“Baker has had very few bassoonists,” Parr said. “I’ve been here 25 years, and I have only taught five students on bassoon.”
Parr said he knows instructors at large universities like the University of Kansas and Southern Illinois State University also have problems finding bassoonists.
“We are lucky to have Kat here and even luckier she wants to be involved in music,” Parr said.
Director of Bands Ray James said Niehues is a part of the symphonic winds, which is Baker’s concert band. He also said senior Kari Gales accompanies Niehues as a fellow bassoon player in the band.
“We are always working for a good balance of instruments,” James said.
James said he has not had a lot of opportunity to hear Niehues play because she is a cheerleader and cannot perform with the Wildcat Pride Athletic Band very often.
James said he does not find many students who play the bassoon, which is considered a premiere instrument because of its double reeds, much like the oboe.
“We were very impressed with her scholarship audition,” James said.
Parr said while the bassoon is a very odd looking instrument, like many instruments, it requires coordinated fingers and small hands can be a disadvantage.
“The bassoon is no harder to play than any other band or orchestra instrument,” he said.
Parr said he taught Niehues in her first formal lesson on Tuesday. He said if Niehues plans to become a professional bassoon player than she will have to learn how to make her own reeds from cane stock.
“She has a lot of potential, and she seems to be a naturally gifted musician,” Parr said.
Parr said Niehues will also have to own her own bassoon if she becomes a professional musician, but the instruments can cost up to $12,000.
Parr said it is not uncommon for students to go through their first year in the music department and decide to keep playing their instrument but drop the major. Parr said the commitment to their instrument is tremendous.
Niehues said her interest in music began when she was young because her whole family is musical. Besides the bassoon, Niehues said she also plays the oboe, clarinet and guitar.
“I would like to sing in a choir and play in a large orchestra,” Niehues said of her future aspirations.