Mercer Artist: Marlon Moody

Marlon Moody’s instrument towered over him. He said this is why he chose to play the bassoon in the fifth grade. He has been playing the woodwind instrument ever since.

Moody is a fourth-year technical communications major at Mercer. He plays the double reed instrument in the Mercer Wind Ensemble.

However, his practice habits were not at the level they are now and he used to clown around in class.

Moody said attending Mercer has been a humbling experience.

As a young player Moody was over confident in his musical talents. He said he was not dedicated to the instrument like he is nowadays.

He has gained maturity through studying music at Mercer.

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Today as a bassoonist in the wind ensemble things are very different for Moody.

“I (am) expected to perform at a certain level,” he said.

He never sat first chair in the ensemble until he came to Mercer. He said first chair players get harder parts.

Moody attributes his successes in the Townsend School of Music to his professors Douglas Hill and Maestro Adrian Gnam.

Gnam is Moody’s private bassoon instructor.

Moody said Gnam knows where he is musically and knows where he wants to take his playing.

“I feel like I have the potential to do something great with (the bassoon),” Moody said.

Moody wants to play to give people chills. As an artist he said he is captivated by the emotion behind playing and not necessarily by the technical skill.

As a child, music was his creative way to free what was on his mind. It was this release of emotion that kept him going.

“I love music,” Moody said. He continues to play for that love.

In light of his own musical journey Moody said he wants people not to limit themselves.  If people want to learn to play an instrument and put their mindset to it, he said they can do it.

Moody said that he thinks children in Macon feel limited.

“Don’t let society limit you to what you can achieve,” Moody said. “After awhile you develop the want to be good.”