MILWAUKEE — In the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day, a priest and professor at Marquette University is sharing his passion for music through his popular tin whistle lessons.
Father Ryan Duns’ journey into the world of tin whistling began back in 1987, during a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at a local pub, where he was mesmerized by Irish musicians.
“I knew that somehow, even at the age of seven or seven and a half, that’s what I want to do,” said Duns. “I want to be one of those guys.”
Following that inspiration, he started taking tin whistle classes. After years of practice, he was ready to share his love of the music and what he learned.
That’s why he started his own Irish tin whistle course on YouTube in 2006.
“I could post these to YouTube and the students could watch these from the comfort of their dorm rooms,” said Duns. “I didn’t realize at the time that they would take off in popularity.”
His instructional videos have generated nearly 5.5 million views.
“I was once at Boston College studying and this very tall man came up and he said, ‘Hello, my name is Iman,’” said Duns. “He said, ‘You are my teacher.’ I smiled but was confused and said, ‘Oh, that’s awesome; where did I teach you?’ He said, ‘I learned to play the tin whistle from you on YouTube, in India during college.’”
Duns’ videos are so popular that he decided the time was right to teach an Irish music course at Marquette University. It starts this fall.
“Not to just teach students about music, or something you could read in a textbook, but to actually put their mouths, hands and their breath to use with a tin whistle,” said Duns.
He said he sees music as a cultural bridge that connects generations.
“It’s a music that not only connects you immediately with one musician and another in an Irish session, but this is the music that came over on boats and airplanes as our families immigrated from Ireland to the United States, and they kept so much of their passion for their history alive,” said Duns.
He said the most rewarding moments are when his students’ music comes alive.
“I love seeing a student suddenly click and move from playing notes, one after the other, to playing music,” said Duns. “It may not sound perfect. It seldom sounds perfect, but it’s their song. It’s their tune, their melody, their rhythm that they’re playing, and they come alive.”