The School of Musical Instrument Crafts was founded in 1972 under Principal Eric Ashton at Newark Technical College. Now, in the academic year 2022-2023, the School is celebrating a very special milestone – its 50th year.
Originally comprised of ‘Woodwind Repairs and Restoration’ led by Louis Rousseau, ‘Violin Repairs and Construction’ led by Maurice Bouette and ‘Piano Maintenance, Repairs and Tuning’ led by David Taylor, students initially studied all three disciplines in one course. After a few years the courses separated, forming their own specialisms, with a Guitar Making and Repair course being later added.
The content of the courses today remains faithful to the original, with a substantial focus being placed upon practical work at the bench.
Students are trained in repair techniques and have the opportunity to manufacture or repair their own instrument from scratch. The courses continue to evolve in order to ensure its relevance to the very latest industry requirements.
The making of specialist tools has been an important part of the courses since the early days, allowing students to create specialist tools that are often not available or costly to purchase.
Patrick Abbott, lecturer of Woodwind Making and Repair at Newark College and proud alumnus of the course, talks about the rich history:
“I had always visited repairers for my own instruments, but never really thought about where they learned their craft. As a lecturer, I am now in the privileged position to be able to share my knowledge.
“Over the last 50 years, there have been many great highlights to reflect upon, such as memorable visits and creative instrument making. A couple of these, for example, include a visit in 1980 to the Woodwind department by John Dankworth, as its patron, who performed in a recital at the Mary Magdalene Church in Newark. A group of students made the clarinet used in the performance.
“And in 2011, Musical Instrument Crafts at Newark received nationwide exposure when several tutors and students were invited to put their creative talents into making orchestral instruments out of scrap. Two clarinets, two flutes, a piccolo, plus 12 violins and four violas were created by recycling cutlery, plumbing materials and even pieces of guttering! The instruments were used to play Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture at the BBC Proms by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Hazelwood. The whole project was captured as a documentary and broadcast on BBC4 in December of that year.”
In more recent history, the year 2017 saw a big change to the structure of the musical instrument courses when they transitioned to three-year bachelor's degrees and became validated by the University of Hull.
The BA (Hons) Musical Instrument Craft degrees are designed to produce skilled craftspeople who are able to create and repair a whole range of instruments.
As a degree programme, the course continues to teach the core essential skills, but now includes modules necessary to ensure that all graduates are fully equipped for success in their field.
Business Practice is studied to prepare for their future career, be it as employed or self-employed; Making Specialist Tools enables the necessary tools to be made and gives knowledge of engineering techniques; and Applied acoustics, which gives a scientific understanding of the physics of the instruments. Fundamental to these studies, the crucial research and analysis skills are learned and honed, transferable skills that are expected of graduates holding a degree.
The degree qualification is of a high level, but the course has been carefully designed to minimize any barriers to entry and to be accessible by anyone who has the interest and dedication.
The unique skills to repair and create these instruments are in high demand by musicians and repair shops - both nationally and internationally.
Past students have taken successful roles at some of the world’s most renowned instrument manufacturers, and many of our alumni set up on their own or join established and respected repair shops.
Abi Taylor, Workshop Manager at Dawkes, said: “I manage one of the UK's largest woodwind and brass instrument repair workshops and probably the biggest challenge we face is acquiring new staff.
“There are limited options for anyone interested in this industry, even fewer for adults interested in a change of career. Professional, dedicated, tuition from the start is important for good practice and competence.
“Our workshop currently employs six full-time technicians and is faced with five months of service/repair work booked into our diary at the time of writing - the demand for professional instrument repairs is high.
“Newark College has been a valuable lifeline for us - budding repairers leave the three-year degree course with a fantastic foundation of knowledge, actively seeking a job to apply their skills. Given a few encouraging weeks in our immersive learning environment, we find that passionate graduates demonstrate all the right skills and attitude necessary for success early on.
“It's essential for the future of this industry that the courses remain accessible to people from all over the world. Many of our team are international students who were able to study this craft in the UK, drawn to the specialism and expertise that Newark College is able to offer. These individuals can develop into respected, valuable assets to the repair community as a whole.”
The School of Musical Instrument Crafts continues to attract students from all over the country, and the rest of the world, providing highly in-demand technical and expert training and filling the skills gap for repairers nationally and worldwide.
To learn more about the School of Musical Instrument Crafts Foundation or the BA (Hons) degrees in Musical Instrument Crafts, visit our courses page.
