Managers from global piano manufacturer, Yamaha, visited The Piano School at Newark College to build upon an exciting partnership and add value to the student experience.
Yamaha, who unveiled their first grand piano 120 years ago, has built a reputation of producing high-quality instruments by blending traditional craftsmanship with advanced digital technology.
Malcolm Hardie and James Sargeant, managers from Yamaha Music Europe, first visited the campus back in May 2022 to explore the facilities.
Alongside a guided tour of the piano workshops and tuning booths, they met with first and third-year students studying on the BA (Hons) Piano Tuning and Restoration degree programme.
Malcolm Hardie, said: “We met at Newark College last spring and agreed that Newark and Yamaha should work in partnership to develop the skills and experience of their third-year students on the piano tuning and restoration degree course.
“For Yamaha, our interest is in identifying and developing potential new tuners for our centre in Milton Keynes as well as fostering positive relationships with new technicians entering the field.
“Following the training that we hosted in July 2022, the feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive, so much so, that three of the students maintained their contact with us and subsequently completed the two-day Yamaha European Technical Academy Training Course.
“Further to this, I am delighted to say that one of the students who has recently graduated, Asa, is now one of our regular freelance tuners.”
The visit comes as The Piano School, part of the School of Musical Instrument Crafts at Newark College, celebrates their 50-year anniversary, having been established in 1972 by Principal Eric Ashton.
Jill Maynard, Head of Creative Arts at Newark College, added: “This visit was incredibly valuable for our students. The Yamaha brand is world famous, and our partnership enables exciting opportunities to collaborate and particularly to develop opportunities for our Piano students.
“Traditional methods and techniques are still very much valued by Yamaha, and our courses develop tuners and technicians of the future - many of which have gone on to work at Yamaha, including their current full-time technicians and several freelancers.”
Learn more about the School of Musical Instrument Crafts, including the BA (Hons) Piano Tuning and Restoration degree.
