Repair class for Band Directors

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Douglas
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Repair class for Band Directors

Post by Douglas »

I'll be teaching a one week class at WU over the summer entitled Instrument Repair for Music Educators. I have some experience and training on the topic but I do not spend my time in the trenches of musical instrument repair. What does the tubenet think tank would want band directors to know?

What do they do that drive the repair professionals crazy? What do you think they should be able to do before having to send an instrument off to the shop? This class will cover brass, woodwinds, and percussion.

Here are some of the topics I know we'll be covering in our brass day:
Proper valve maintenance
Getting stuck mouthpieces, slides, valves moving
Spot-fixing broken solder with zip ties
Restringing horn valves

Thanks,
DB
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by Sousaswag »

How about storage? Never leave a horn sitting on its bell in the middle of the band room. Never leave one unattended anywhere. That is something I would stress, especially with big horns. Additionally, make sure the kids actually close the hard cases if you have them. One school I know of had the tech crew build "cubbies" for the tubas. That way, it eliminated the risk of kids tripping on hard cases, leaving them open, or knocking the horns over, and also keeps them out of the open.
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by chhite »

Train the students to remove the Sousaphone mouthpipe from the horn and store it properly. I know this is job security for repair techs, but it drives me nuts to see a nearly new, or older for that matter, instrument torn up because a little bonehead didn't take the extra 30 seconds to care for the expensive instrument he has the privilege of playing. Train the students to safeguard their mouthpieces and instruments, and institute a monthly maintenance day that lubricates all the slides and pistons, clean/polish the exterior of the instruments, clean the case and ensure it operates properly. Make a list of items that need to be addressed to keep the instrument operating properly.

Next, remove any set of pliers with teeth on them from the "repair" box and forbid them from using them to remove mouthpieces, valve caps or stems, or slides. A light duty canvas or small rawhide mallet, along with some patience, are the proper tools to persuade a stuck item to break free. And don't force it.

The zip ties are a great idea and they're cheap to purchase and easier to remove than a glob of JB Weld or the like.

Keep screwdrivers away from piston valves! Too many bottoms of pistons are damaged by forcing a screwdriver through the bottom vent and through the ports or from using a too-small drum stick to force out a tuba piston and wrecking the bottom plate.

Have on hand appropriate replacement valve guides, felts, generic water key springs, and peel-and-stick water key pads.

Develop a plan (money) to properly service the big brass to include chemical/ultrasonic cleaning. Don't just request the repair shop to break free stuck slides and valves and expect that to last the season. Additionally, develop a plan to periodically replace a portion of the large brass thereby avoiding (as much as possible) the need to replace the entire fleet. Not many programs have that kind of budget or booster support.
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by TheGoyWonder »

what if you just say, BRING YOUR OWN tuba and fees are waived. Double fees for flutes! (always too many of those!)
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Douglas
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by Douglas »

TheGoyWonder wrote:what if you just say, BRING YOUR OWN tuba and fees are waived. Double fees for flutes! (always too many of those!)
If only!
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by MackBrass »

Hi Douglas

Here is what you can add to the class as i speak with band directors every day.

1. Show how to oil properly. Oil via pulling pistons or directly through tuning slides. When oiling through slides show them why you dont just squirt it down the tube, aim for dead center so not to wash grease into the valve.

2. Oil before the start of the summer to prevent frozen valves in September.

3. oil both top and bottom bearing, not just the bottom.

4. Show them how to trim and install valve guides.

5. show how to pull a rotar and reseat it properly.

6. show how to grease a slide and how to pull a slide that was stuck from not being greased.

7. tell them how to tell their students to treat the horns and hold them accountable for every dent they inflict.

8. tell then to invest in a small set of screwdrivers and spot check their screws so they dont have to take their instrument to a repair shop for a stupid lost screw.

9. when oiling, use more than 4 or 5 drops on a valve, squirt the crap in there. Its funny to watch youtube videos of actual so called techs talking about the number of drops that are needed to oil a valve.

I have always wondered why basic maintenance is not part of low brass or woodwind method classes.
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Re: Repair class for Band Directors

Post by Radar »

I use to take care of very minor repairs for the Army bands horns, as well as determine when it needed to go to the shop. Besides covering how to clean, oil, and lubricate everything properly, some minor things a band director with a minimal supply of tools and parts could do would include 1) Pulling stuck brass mouthpieces (with a proper puller). 2) Replacing spit valve corks. 3)Taking apart cleaning, and putting back together rotary valves on brass instruments. Using a rawhide mallet to gently loosen stuck valve caps.

I didn't know much about woodwinds so the woodwind section leader took care of those, and he had a selection of pads and wold occasionally replace a single pad if it needed it, if it required more than a pad or two it went to the shop.

Something to cover would definately be knowing your limitations and when a professional is needed.
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