Reply To: Instrument Repair

[nafmeadmin]

I’ve found lots of really helpful videos on YouTube! I think every small repair I’ve done that I needed some guidance for I’ve been able to find advice and direction, I just choose a couple of relevant search terms and make sure that the video and repair technician seem reputable. I’ve been able to find instructional videos from people who are clearly music teachers or professional technicians (obvious because of the tools they have available and workshops in the background, and vocabulary/terminology they use).

When I was student teaching I remember being advised to never try to do any type of repair on a student instrument for liability and financial reasons – if I created a worse problem, I would have been responsible to pay for the entire repair, I was told. But after teaching for several years, I’ve found that every year I learn how to do a few more small repairs that are completely within my ability level, and every year I feel more and more comfortable. The nearest instrument repair shop is far from my school, so were I to send everything to them I would probably have students out for weeks while they waited. If I can do it myself, and it seems like something that doesn’t require special tools or could cause further problems, I’ll do a little YouTube video searching and go for it.