“Excuse me sir, my reed doesn’t work,” says a Year 7 student to me as the lesson begins. It’s a Monday morning in a teaching studio in a school somewhere in Melbourne. I’d heard that story before. Many times before.

In fact, enough times that at that moment I decide I am going to make reeds for my own students. As I do that, I make a promise to myself the I will do my utmost to bring joy to my students playing, improve their sound, bring colour into their world, make them want to play this gorgeous instrument.

Rad!Reeds began in the corner of a modest room in the back of a house in June 2016.