The brass department of the Zlatko Baloković School of Music offers flute, clarinet, trumpet and saxophone lessons.

Wind instruments are musical instruments that produce sound using the vibration of air. The degree of vibration is determined by the length of the pipe, manual changes and the effective length of the vibrating column of air.

During their education, students participate in public performances organized by the Music School, county and state competitions. The wind department of our school is one of the largest departments and a large number of students want to play the flute, clarinet, trumpet or saxophone. The trumpet, one of the oldest instruments, belongs to the family of brass instruments. Throughout its long history, the trumpet has developed into an instrument that has found its place both in serious, classical music and in entertainment. The trumpet is used in professional symphony orchestras, amateur brass bands, smaller chamber ensembles, bands and as a solo instrument. By mastering the correct technique of playing the trumpet, it becomes an instrument capable of virtuoso works of various characters, with a wide range of dynamics and a specific brilliant sound.

The clarinet is a woodwind instrument found in the symphony orchestra along with other woodwind instruments: flute, oboe and bassoon. At the top of the instrument there is a mouthpiece with an attached single reed, which vibrates under the current of air and thus produces a tone (similar to "playing" a blade of grass). Apart from its black color, the clarinet can be easily recognized by the bell-shaped extension located at the lower end of the instrument. It was invented around 1690 by Johann Christopher Denner, perfecting the Chalumeau instrument of that time. The clarinet is an instrument with a wide range of tones (from e minor to c4). Its deep tones sound dark and rounded, the middle register warm and gentle, and in the high register it is penetrating like an opera diva. This versatility of the clarinet quickly secured its place in symphony and opera orchestras in the 18th century, and not long after that it began to be used as a solo instrument, so today we have many works written for the clarinet. The most famous of them is the Concerto for clarinet and orchestra by the great W. A. Mozart, who wrote in one of his letters to his father: "If only we had more clarinets in our orchestras!" Mozart's enthusiasm for the clarinet was later shared by Romantic composers who dedicated many solo and chamber works in the 19th century. The clarinet continued to improve technically, to which the clarinetists and composers of the Paris school contributed the most, who wrote many textbooks and works for the clarinet.

In the first half of the 20th century, with the advent of jazz, the clarinet took on a new role in the history of music. The clarinet, as an instrument with different tones and excellent technical capabilities, is becoming dominant in small jazz ensembles and big bands, especially thanks to musicians - clarinetists, the most famous of whom is certainly Benny Goodman, about whom a movie was even made!

We also find the clarinet in folk music; it is indispensable in the folklore of Alpine countries (eg in polkas), and in Jewish (klezmer) and Roma folklore.

In our music school, you can complete elementary school (6 years), and after that, high school (4 years) for clarinet. The student must first pass a short entrance exam (hearing and rhythm test of the child), after which he can be admitted to the first clarinet class. The instrument can be rented at the school, and at individual ones

lessons (twice a week for 30 minutes for the first three grades and twice a week for 45 minutes for the other three grades of elementary school) teach the basic notation values, technique and tones of the clarinet, and then the first simple compositions as an introduction to classical music. Clarinet students present their acquired skills with piano accompaniment at frequent productions, public performances and parent meetings organized by the School. In addition to clarinet lessons, it is mandatory to attend solfeggio classes twice a week, where the basics of music theory are taught.

In the music school of Zlatko Baloković, you can learn the clarinet at the Ivanićgradska and Travno locations in the class of prof. Ante Krpana and at the Zaprešić location in the class of prof. Bruno Philippe.

The saxophone (abbreviated as "Sax") is a musical instrument made of metal, but it is classified as a woodwind instrument due to its mechanics (conical tube and technique similar to the oboe) and tone-producing factor (wooden single reed similar to a clarinet). It consists of a tongue, a mouthpiece, a pipe and the body of the musical instrument itself.

The saxophone was invented in 1840. Antoine Joseph Sax, a famous maker of brass instruments and registered in 1846. as a patent of 7 musical instruments (soprano, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass and double bass). The saxophone is one of the few instruments that is named after its inventor. Initially, it was used only in military orchestras, mostly in France, Belgium, England and the USA. In symphony orchestras, it is used very rarely, mainly for the performance of solo sections. Great musicians such as Hector Berlioz, Gioachino Rossini and Strauss soon noticed the sound capabilities of this new instrument and began to use it in their musical compositions.

The saxophone gained its fame only at the end of the 20s, when its application and affirmation was found in jazz music. During that period, more than 100,000 saxophones were produced in America, and by the end of the decade, one and a half million Americans played it, some better and some worse. It becomes one of the most used and most loved instruments around the world, a synonym in jazz music of the 20th century. Today, the sax often appears in rock and pop music as well as in jazz.

The flute is a musical instrument that belongs to the family of woodwind instruments, and is also the oldest instrument in that group. It existed even in prehistoric times. The oldest flutes were made of bone, bamboo, clay. The father of today's flute is Theobald Böhm, who in 1847 made the flute as it is today.

Today's flutes are made of metal, silver, gold, glass, platinum. It is 67 cm long, consists of 3 parts, played with 9 fingers. Everything from classical to rock can be played on the flute. We offer children the opportunity to get to know the flute as soloists and in group music, and to enrich their knowledge of music, understand and see it in a different way.