The National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians sums up the job this way: "A repair tech is a problem-solver, mechanic, acoustician, plumber, musician, bodyworker, innovator, painter, jeweler, tool and die maker, electroplater, counselor, buffer, chemist, designer, carpenter, and machine tool operator all in one." No? They have requirements to join but they also have outreach programs, resources available to technicians, and support. Trombonist Brad Close (MM 89) found his way into the instrument-repair world thanks to eBay. Musical instrument repair technicians maintain and repair musical instruments including keyboard, brass, wind, percussion, and stringed instruments. Next. Business is brisk, because double basses are always at high-risk of injury. A musical instrument craftsman is a professional who designs, builds and repairs musical instruments, such as guitars, lutes, violins, trumpets and pianos. It is a step-by-step guide to brass repair. I think theres probably a good portion of them who are probably kind of loners or curmudgeons as they get older, he says. Its totally free and could help get your career moving fast! 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. Each repair can take anywhere from 30 minutes for a simple adjustment to 30 hours for a full overhaul. String (violins, violas, cellos, bass . No appointment needed. For example, Minnesota State College Southeast offers. Any kind of training they can get is always good, but its generally catch-as-catch-can. Working on other peoples instruments is a delicate job that requires attention to detail and a mechanical bent of mind. I'm originally from a small town called Spring Grove, Pennsylvania and played saxophone and tuba in school. If youre not loving what youre doing, then switch gears. While instrument repair is not the most financially rewarding job in the world, he adds, I love it and personally dont need a ton to be happy. Resources. What Can You Do with a Criminal Justice Degree? View our program format options below to find the best fit for your lifestyle and schedule. He started making money from that and pretty soon he opened a shop. Careers in Musical Instrument Repair Useful information for anyone interested in pursuing a career in musical instrument making/repair. There is a fine art to musical instrument repair and our technicians are masters in their craft. It gives me some flexibility, and the client, too. The courses outlined as part of the instrument repair minor are designed to provide those enrolled a better understanding of the mechanics, assembly, disassembly, repair, and appropriate maintenance of musical instruments. He came down from Sacramento to take my flute repair course for a week. An active freelance musician, Golden plays double bass with regional orchestras and in studio sessions for film, television, music videos and video games. Take a look at our miscellaneous course options! Dont besmirch what I do as a fallback. Golden took up the period instrument, a pre-cursor to the double bass, while studying at USC. Our repair services include: Our musical instrument repair technicians are seasoned professionals who have apprenticed with master instrument makers and trained at the best technical colleges. To supplement his income as a freelance musician, he had previously worked office jobs at a law firm, a college bookstore, a tech company and so on. Those who take a freelance approach to the career might combine stints on tour with consistent work maintaining the instruments owned by local recording studios, for example, or occasional gigs as a piano tuner. He also works on the horns of several Professional Musicians in the area. Literally dreams about it. Learn how to enable Javascript. One or two years of formal on-site job training is standard with this occupation. I get a lot of people asking questions. Updates. How frenzied a Repair Specialists daily schedule is depends on how many repairs are already on deck and the pace of work he or she likes to maintain. 7 Best College Majors 2022: What Should I Major In? I especially like building things, creating something thats artistic and shows craftsmanship. Woodwind Instrument Repair Apprenticeship Classes - Steve Deutsch Music Woodwind Instrument Repair Apprenticeship Classes I will soon be 64, and I have a great deal of knowledge to pass on to those of you interested in Woodwind Repair. The complete career guide to be a Music Instrument Technician or Repair: salary, job growth, employers, best schools, and education you may need to get started. Tools that you dont have will be provided but you must have your own screwdrivers, pliers and an alcohol lamp. List of Colleges & Universities That Accept ACE Credits, Medical Billing and Coding Schools The Best for 2023, What College Should I Go To? Our Specialist Courses Designed & Delivered by Skilled Craftspeople. THE World Ranking: 351. Learn brass and woodwind repair skill skills including - Cleaning - Dent removal - Soldering - Pad replacement His instrument is the Guitar. Johns advice to aspiring Instrument Repair Technicians: I would make sure they have a mechanical background or mindset before they even think about it. Communication skills are also vital, both for pinning down customers' specifications and building long-term relationships with clients. NAPBIRT was created from these ideals and we proudly celebrate over 44 years of sharing and growing together. Now he dreams of performing surgery on the stringed leviathans. The patient securely clamped to the table, Golden dons surgical mask, goggles and gloves, shines a light inside the body cavity and pokes around with pointy tools. If youre really good at repair or youre not very good, by and large, youre wasting your time.). Musicians dont get up until 10 am at least so they tend to want to get here late, too.. 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. There are very few repair classes. Get the right Music instrument repair technician job with company ratings & salaries. 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. From there, we leveled the tone holes using several different techniques and went on to key fitting. They sell a lot of repair tools but will send [the catalogs to] people who arent Repair Technicians. What are the symptoms? Its a mix of professionals and weekend warriors. Well, if youre not a very good musician, how are you going to teach music? Cynthia (Grinstead) Kelley (BM 91, MM 94) remembers the first time she saw the inside of a flute. What is the condition of the pads, corks, and felts? Basic mechanical knowledge of at least one brass, woodwind, percussion or orchestral instrument. Because then I can empathize with what a professional player would want. She taught me everything I know, Golden says, of his boss and mentor of 18 years. Hello I'm Tim Bolinger. The A projected 460 new jobs will have to be filled by 2018 in this sector. Pilgrim Instrument Repair Services, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Its just like being a player.. Musical Instruments-Repair Pianos & Organ-Tuning, Repair & Restoration. I thought: What a cool marriage of music making and architecture, of building and working with your hands and fixing things!He started apprenticing for Gass that winter and returned every summer during college. Stephen graduated from CIOMIT in 2013 in Strings. Table of Contents Why We Love It $38,590 Potential Avg. Golden delights in patching up the battered behemoths. Institute Welcome to the Music Instrument Repair School CIOMIT offers education and training in the field of musical instrument repair, focusing on the disciplines of brass, woodwind, and string. The National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians, Inc. (NAPBIRT) was founded in 1976 by a small group of technicians who realized the need for communication and the free exchange of information within their trade. He owns his own shop and specializes in brass repair. 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. will most likely earn wages of thirty-nine thousand seven hundred and seventy dollars on a yearly basis. Its that thing that if you dont know what youre doing, dont do the damage. Location: Seattle. Instrument repair technicians usually work conventional business hours, with evenings and weekends freean excellent schedule for those who also perform music on the side. As his inventory grew, however, maintenance costs added up. Music Instrument Repair Apprenticeship jobs Sort by: relevance- date 37 jobs Repair Technician Guitar Center3.3 Virginia Beach, VA 23464 $34.8K - $44.1K a year Indeed est. He gave me these two horrible flutes to overhaul, Kelley recalls. There are musician hours and the people who actually work [in offices] have hours that are very different. Due to their immense size, theyre usually transported in soft cases which provide little protection. Can you change the oil? Check out our apprenticeship program! While still specialized, touring instrument techs are largely valued for their familiarity with many types of instrument, which aids in reducing touring personnel costs. Musical instrument repairers and tuners are specialized in inspecting and repairing musical instruments that have been damaged to repair them back to working condition. This is a 3.5% change in growth over the next ten years, giving the career a growth rate nationwide of Below Average. Missing that I. I will soon be 64, and I have a great deal of knowledge to pass on to those of you interested in Woodwind Repair. We cant guarantee that you will get college or university credit for taking our courses since it's ultimately determined by your university or college and depends on a variety of factors specific to each individual, including but not limited to, which major you choose. Then I see what they did and I have to fix not only the first problem but what they broke, too. Kelton began repairing instruments in 2010 while still in High School. In addition to playing trombone for film, television and video game recordings, he also plays the sackbut, a Renaissance precursor to the trombone. If these procedures do not easily solve the problem take the instrument to a trained technician. I cant think of any schools where you come out ready to be a full-fledged decent technician, and on top of that, if you want to do any kind of specialty [you wont learn that there]. Anybody that really wanted to do it [this job], did it. 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