Because instrument repair techniques are highly complex and not necessarily transferable, most instrument repair technicians specialize in one type or category of instruments, such as strings, brass and woodwinds, or electric guitars and basses. After theyve put in some time learning on the job and are confident in their abilities, they can strike out on their own. obtain the highest pay in New Mexico . All Rights Reserved. In other words, an instrument repair technician is a multiskilled and highly trained craftsperson with a variety of complex concerns far beyond simply replacing damaged parts. You will work in a workshop or visit customers homes or commercial premises to service their instruments as required. If you have multiple technicians in need of training, this might be the cost-effective option for you. It is a Classroom Based course with a duration of 1 year Full time. 2023 OnlineDegree.com, All Rights Reserved. Gabriel Golden photographed at LA Bass Works. He is excited to be a permanent member of our Repair Department. (Photos: Dario Griffin/USC). Using a range of materials and techniques, students will be guided in the use of hand and power tools, employing Jigs and traditional methods to construct a musical . There are musician hours and the people who actually work [in offices] have hours that are very different. Some people hate having people around when theyre working but I like catching up and talking to people. Communication skills are also vital, both for pinning down customers' specifications and building long-term relationships with clients. Major skills required to succeed in this field includes several points. There are lots of wonderful things to celebrate in life besides money or fame.. He plays French horn with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestraand works in the motion picture industry. Resources. Get on the internet, call technicians and ask them questions; youll soon find out which ones will talk to you and which ones wont. Further, superior customer service skills will come in handy in this career choice, in order to gain client networks and make customers satisfied with the services you offer. No two musicians play in exactly the same way. Musicians dont get up until 10 am at least so they tend to want to get here late, too.. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning. This is knowledge accrued over the last 37 years in the business. Most luthiers specialize in working with one type of instrument. Previous training in voice or your instrument, with the ability to sing and maintain pitch as well as demonstrate knowledge of music and various musical styles. I have been able to immediately apply the skills I learned, and I feel like this was an amazing value, to get this much one-on-one time with someone of Steves skill and experience. Start Free Trial . Gaining expertise in repairing and restoring instruments can be a tough challenge, since there are very few academic courses that teach these skills. In addition to playing trombone for film, television and video game recordings, he also plays the sackbut, a Renaissance precursor to the trombone. He started making money from that and pretty soon he opened a shop. If youre overly cautious, its going to be torturous for you to start working on someone elses horn. Trombone has been Closes passion since 5th grade. For over 25 years, Meis Musical Instrument Repair has provided high quality band instrument repair and orchestral instrument repairs to more than a dozen music stores and scores of professional musicians in Colorado's Front Range and Denver Metro region. I like going to woodworking shows, gun shows, anyplace with anything mechanical because theres always a tool there where Im like, Oh, look at that! Because I can use that. The longtime USC Thornton flute professor and former Los Angeles Philharmonic principal held an impromptu repair master class that day. BA (Hons) Musical Instrument Craft (Guitar Making and Repair) . Compare our two on campus program options. You kind of have to interpret for the customer what they ask.. Twenty-five years later, Kelley sometimes returns to Walkers now-famous flute repair master class as a special guest. He shares the La Crescenta-based retail space with fellow trombonist and USC Thornton alum Noah Gladstone (BM 04, MM 08), owner of the Brass Ark, a dealer in high-end used and vintage brass instruments and mouthpieces. What youre doing is getting prepared to become an Apprentice. You will be in my shop with a flute, clarinet or saxophone of your choice to repair. Asked if he has any advice for performance students, he offers this: One should work to live, not live to work. What is a Post-Secondary Degree, and Do I Need One? It's important to have the capacity to focus intently on one task and work alone for long stretches of time. There are certain commonalities in personality John sees among Instrument Repair Specialists; many enjoy being by themselves, which makes sense, as repair can be solitary work. It is usually a dusty environment and will involve long hours of intense work. Email: tbolinger@tedbrownmusic.com. I learned to repair instruments through an apprenticeship under my future father in-law. I might be going to a sporting event or to the store or whatever. The purpose of this job is to repairmusical instrumentsin a timely and proficient manner so that the instrumentis returned in good playing order. You dont want to limit yourself and you might need the income from different interests. Not if the instrument is hand-made, that is! When someone brings in something that looks like a basket case, anything can be fixed. To become a precision instrument maker and repairer you usually need to undertake an apprenticeship in electronics and communications, engineering tradesperson mechanical (fitter and machinist, first class machinist, or mechanical fitter), electrical instrumentation tradesperson or watch and clock repairing. Kelley came to USC intending to become an orchestral musician. NPR or KUSC softly plays in the background. You have to be confident about your abilities and if you exceed your abilities you have to have the resources to figure it out.. Honestly, I have a friend who got into repair and he did just what I said; he started buying eBay horns, fixing this and that, and putting them on eBay again. Are the hinge rods or screws rusty? Salaries below this are outliers. I have found that unless you pay me for my time it is worth less to you. UK Music helps develop apprenticeship schemes, which aim to support music employers to hire committed and passionate apprentices and help get talented people into paid jobs in the music industry. We have tried to provide relevant, up to date information about colleges, careers and degree programs. Musical instrument repair technicians maintain and repair musical instruments such as pianos, pipe organs, band instruments, violins and other stringed instr. Im not saying you should only fix what you play but you dont know till you try, so Id learn about anything. He adds, If somebody is good at anything mechanical you can always go to a music store and apprentice. Youll always be learning on the job and thats part of the fun. For example, Minnesota State College Southeast offers. Come learn instrument repair in a real shop environment. In order to find consistent work as an instrument repair technician, it is important to network with musicians, acquire strong references, and build a great reputation. The highest paid 10 percent earned $51,940 or more per year, and the lowest paid earned less than $17,050 annually. After several years, CIOMIT called to ask him to become an Ed Rep and the head of the string department. Completing a repair job can take time up to three weeks or can be done in a few hours. Careers Advice - Directgov - Search for "Musical Instrument Maker-Repairer" https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/. We covered key fitting, dents, leveling tone holes, and pad installation on both flute and piccolo. If I was going to tell anybody to get training Id tell them to get training in everything, not just brass, not just woodwinds, not just strings. Obviously, an Instrument Repair Specialist must have a high level of technical aptitude, but he or she must also have strong performance skills, and be familiar with instruments outside of his or her area of specialty. The course is taught through traditional classroom style, lab learning, and practical applications. Skip's Music has an on-site repair shop at our Sacramento location staffed with specialty band and orchestra technicians who are prepared to provide quality and timely service. Requirements: * Must demonstrate an understanding of music . Close plays on the freeway philharmonicshuttling between regional orchestras in Thousand Oaks, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, Downey and Palm Desert. As a repair technician, you will have the chance to fix instruments for a wide variety of people, whether its children enrolled in music school or advanced musicians like concertmasters or session musicians. Tim Bolinger. But in her freshman year, the sudden death of her younger brother shook Kelleys complacency, and she started planning for contingencies. There are people who do overhauls but they do it so badly that they shouldnt. Instrument repair technicians repair and restore musical instruments that are broken, neglected, or have otherwise fallen into disrepair. Students will learn how to repair, maintain and adjust woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments typically used in big bands. Another great place to start is having a thorough understanding of a musical instrument or multiple instruments, depending on what you want to specialise in. Golden delights in patching up the battered behemoths. He is a 2017 Graduate of the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Johnis a Southern California-based Instrument Repair & Restoration Specialist. We offer unique, comprehensive online classes in the instrument repair field. A surgeons tools. If the Repair Specialist is employed by an instrument shop, he or she may also work with the Music Store Manager, Instrument Sales Representative, and Music Store Salesperson. Cynthia (Grinstead) Kelley (BM 91, MM 94) remembers the first time she saw the inside of a flute. Inspiration occasionally comes in dreams. As a music instrument repair technician, you will likely for around 40 hours a week, from Monday to Friday. Full-time instrument repairers and tuners had a median income of $28,530 in 2004, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Instrument Repair & Restoration Specialist John says on a normal workday, theoretically, Ill go in and work on projects that are already here and field phone calls. Its probably more damage to the instrument than helping anything. Can you change a tire on your car? I had very little, but I always had people I could call and ask questions.. Ordering parts for an instrument is also an important aspect of the job. Kelley employs two full-time technicians to help with the workload. They should be able to play their instrument at a high level, John says. Whats the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career? Always be willing to learn more, and look outside of instrument repair for inspiration and tools. You can read a book; I doubt anyones ever become a Repair Tech because they read a book, but you can always say I know how to do this and the book says to do that and figure it out. Its that thing that if you dont know what youre doing, dont do the damage. Guitar luthiers typically work in one of three settings: guitar factory, guitar repair shop, or a self-employed . Musical Instrument Crafts By Newark College. Music Theory Books: How to Find Books for Beginners, How to Write a Rap Song: Your Roadmap to Starting Out in Rap, Music Licensing for Film & TV: How to License Your Music as a Musician, How To Become a Sound Engineer and Music Producer, Advice From An Expert, The Best Guitar Learning Apps for Beginners, How to Write Good Song Lyrics: Simple Songwriting for Beginners, Free Music Distribution: The 10 Companies Worth Your Time, Stagehand Career Advice: How to Get a Gig in the Live Music Industry. From there, we leveled the tone holes using several different techniques and went on to key fitting. You name the brass instrument and we will teach you how to fix it! What are the symptoms? Musical Instrument Making and Repair is a course run by Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Dublin. The waiting room is jammed with 60 sick basses. Could call and ask questions having people around when theyre working but I like up... 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