Youngsters were not coming through schools with an interest in learning to play musical instruments.
But now, a new tune is playing in the wings. Community ensembles are witnessing a rejuvenation due to an influx of young people.
Dunedin Youth Orchestra secretary and Otago itinerant music teacher Paul Claman said that five years ago the youth orchestra had more empty seats than a sieve had holes.
"We would have had trouble finding one French horn player five years ago. It was the same with trombones. Now, we've got four of each.
"Oboe players have been quite rare in Dunedin in the past, too.
"We have 13 young people learning the instrument at the moment,'' Mr Claman said.
He said the string and woodwind sections of the orchestra had also expanded and were the largest they had been for many years.
"That's quite amazing. I'm gratified I can put an orchestra on stage that is made entirely of young people, rather than having to find adults to fill empty seats.
"There seem to be more people learning, and interested in playing in an ensemble".
Mr Claman believed changing attitudes among young people towards playing musical instruments were contributing to the boom.
"When I was a boy, playing a musical instrument was not a macho thing to do. Life at school was dangerous. It was all sports.
'But people like [opera singer] Jonathan Lemalu, who have become world famous, have changed attitudes and made it acceptable.''
City of Dunedin Choir director and St Paul's Cathedral Choir director David Burchell agreed. He said schools seemed to be generating enthusiasm for music by creating an atmosphere where music was fun.
While the number of young people in established choirs had not increased in recent years, he said two new youth choirs had been established in the past five years, which was proof the number of young choristers was increasing in Dunedin.
Brass Bands Association of New Zealand (BBANZ) president Dianne Smeehuyzen, of Dunedin, said it was thought for many years that primary school-aged children were physically and psychologically too young to play brass instruments.
Brass tutors had focused their teaching on pupils at intermediate and secondary schools.
"But tutors have realised that children make up their minds a lot earlier in life. Waiting later means we lose a lot of potential musicians to other activities.''
Now, New Zealand has five brass academies across the country, all focused on getting primary kids to learn brass, she said.
Dunedin has its own academy the Southern Brass Academy which trains about 65 young players each year.
Some of those trained by the academy over the past two years were now joining the city's three bands St Kilda, Kaikorai and Mosgiel and the Dunedin Youth Orchestra.
The University of Otago could also take some credit for the increase in numbers of young people in the city's musical organisations, she said.
At the St Kilda Brass Band, about half of its members were also students at the University of Otago.
Miss Smeehuyzen said there would have been less than a handful of young people in most band rooms across the city 20 years ago.
"Now, there's a real buzz about band rooms. There's genuine excitement that so many young people are coming back to banding".
