Australia Regional Conference
Surfer's Paradise, QLD - May 25-27, 2012
CLINICS & CLINICIANS
Updated: September 20, 2011
Jeff Smith has been repairing instruments professionally since 1977. In that time he has worked in all manner of situations and workshops from a one-person shop to managing a 20-person service department. Jeff has trained and supervised many technicians over the years and takes a keen interest in bringing along new talent. He believes very strongly in the value of this craft and feels an obligation to pass on what he knows. Jeff is a frequent clinician for NAPBIRT and often presents clinics at regional and national events as well as at the NAPBIRT Technical Training Center (NTTC) in Normal, IL. In 1991 he started his own business: J.L. Smith & Co., which services woodwind instruments and sells good quality flutes. They also design, manufacture and distribute tools and supplies for technicians and factories. As well, J.L. Smith & Co. is the manufacture of the Valentino brand line of pads, tools and supplies. When Jeff is not making the world a safer place for wind instruments, he messes around with guitars and sailboats.
Woodwind Bench Methods: This clinic will span (2) sessions and centers on helpful ideas for resolving many common issues encountered on clarinets, flutes and saxophones. Loaded with tips and tricks, particular attention will be paid to areas that are often misdiagnosed, neglected and under-treated. Each participant will leave with some fresh approaches to certain areas of woodwind work. With the knowledge gained, attendees will be able to provide more comprehensive services on woodwind instruments.
Ed Strege owns and operates Badger State Repair Supply and Cases in Elkhorn, WI. He has been repairing for over 40 years and loves what he does. Ed is a charter member of NAPBIRT and has attended every NAPBIRT conference except one in Charlotte, NC. He is an active clinician haven given clinics for NAPBIRT here in the United States and also in other places around the world. He started Strege-Wuttke Tool and Supply over 30 years ago but has now moved everything to the Badger State Repair facility. The repair department has about 25 technicians and is a state certified repair school where they have 6 students a year from around the world. Overhauls have been performed for over 1,000 dealers and close to 1,500 dealers purchase tools, supplies and cases.
Lots and Lots of Tips and Tricks for Brass & Woodwinds: Here are over 40+ years of tips & tricks from "Fast Eddie". There will be tons of tips on both woodwind and brass. If you have ever been to one of Ed's clinics, you know that many new ideas are added every time, for the technicians who keep returning. The clinic is fast and furious as it will pack in short cuts at the rate of over 1 per minute. Remember: TIME IS MONEY! A clinic like this has been given at many NAPBIRT conferences as well as regional clinics and 4 times in Germany. There is always a little "magic" included at no charge. Relax ... have fun ... and take notes!
Chip Owen has been employed at Fox Products Corporation Since 1968. His primary areas of responsibility include supervising the contrabassoon department, customer repair service and the accessory department. Additional duties involve design of special mechanisms for bassoon, customer contacts at both the consumer and dealer levels and other special projects. He often gives tours of the Fox factory. Chip has performed on bassoon and contrabassoon and has retired from actively performing with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic after 25 years in that orchestra. Chip was a musician in the U.S. Navy. He has attended every NAPBIRT Conference since 1980. He has presented clinics at NAPBIRT Conferences and Regional Clinics and is a NAPBIRT Master Clinician.
The Bassoon - Inside Out: The inner workings and mystical wonders of the bassoon revealed. Topics to be covered will include padding techniques, adjustments, U-tube sealing, body repair, tenons and sockets and the special needs of maple bodied wind instruments. Participants are welcome to bring bassoons with problems for discussion. Be sure to come with questions about these most different of all band instruments.
Dirk VanEmmichoven started playing the saxophone in his early teens and was so intrigued by the instrument and how it worked he began to study instrument repair with Don Archer in 1983, at the age of 15. He continued his formal training at the Victorian College of the Arts, the Sweelinck Conservatorium, Amsterdam and at the Australian National University all the while working on woodwinds on his own. In 1994 he worked with Geoff Speed of Woodnote Musical Repairs.
In 1996 Dirk stepped out on his own and opened Tritone Brass & Woodwind in Canberra as well as joining NAPBIRT. He continues his training through attendance at many NAPBIRT Annual Conferences and clinics. He became a Straubinger Certified flute technician in 2010 and in 2011, studied flute head joint making with Jonathon Landell of the Vermont Guild of Flute Making. Dirks hopes to finish his own flute, serial number 0001 in 2012.
The Padded Room: Padding techniques for flute, clarinet and saxophone will be discussed. Topics will include pad selection, adhesives, preparation and adjustment of pads and pad cups to specific needs. Dirk will share his many tips that he gathered over the years of bench time as well as many clinics. Additional discussions and private instructions will be included, all of which could shave precious seconds off your padding time and make the pad ready to meet that prepared tonehole for a better seal.
Curt Altarac is a saxophonist, saxophone repair technician and owner of MusicMedic.com. He received his Masters degree in saxophone performance at the University of Southern Mississippi and has studied saxophone with Harwood Strobeck, Dr. David Abrams, Dr. Laurence Wyman, Dr. Lawrence Gwozdz and Larry Panella. As a teacher and musician Curt is active with both classical and jazz saxophone, focusing on the Baritone and Bass saxophones.
Curt is known for sharing his knowledge of saxophone repair with the repair community. The tools designed by Curt and MusicMedic.com are being used throughout the world in the finest repair facilities and factories. In the past few years he has created several new techniques for saxophone repair: "The Balanced Venting Method" for setting key heights on saxophones based on tone and intonation. "Dry Fitting," a technique developed to allow saxophone pads to be installed more precisely."Tuning and Toning" a finishing technique for adjusting saxophone tone and intonation. These innovations have contributed to Curt's most recent accomplishment, the design, implementation and successful operation of the world's only production-line professional saxophone overhaul shop.
Pro Saxophone: Curt knows exactly what it takes to make a saxophone play at the highest level. He is known around the world for improving Saxophones via extensive key fitting, modifications, superior padding, tuning and toning. Curt's unique techniques are based on a desire to improve the instrument and our trade while satisfying the most discriminating professional customers on the planet. Having just opened the largest Sax ProShop in the United States, Curt has designed procedures to ensure that his work and the work of the new MusicMedic.com Sax ProShop will be outstanding and consistently exceed expectations. Curt will share the knowledge he has developed working exclusively on professional saxophone overhauls and translate it into concrete techniques you can use in your shop.
Morrie Backun Clarinet: (Information Coming Soon)
Dave Snow studied and graduated from Allied Repair School in 1978 then opened Snow Sound Shop in his basement in July. He then worked for a local music store, Music Mart, from 1979 to 1983. He started Blackhawk Music Service in October of 1983. Two years later, he concurrently worked for Allied Music as Service Manager in 1985/86 and grew Blackhawk Music into a full line store with an overhaul shop. In 1997, the name was changed to National Band to focus more on wholesale repair.
David has been a NAPBIRT member since 1978 and has presented clinics at national conferences covering valve rebuilding and service, trombone slide repair, set up and customizing, and dent removal on large brass instruments using old world techniques as well as the new magnetic technologies.
Instrument Overhauls: Travel along as we follow instruments being overhauled through our shop starting with brass teardown and stripping of finishes. Next, it's onto the dent department where we will see the techniques used today to remove dents of all sizes. The next step in this process is to re-solder the instrument. Moving along, it's off to the buffing room to restore the shine and see what it takes to bring that instrument back to new. Lastly we will see how they are cleaned, lacquered and reassembled.
Now we will switch from brass and follow some woodwinds to see how they are disassembled, cleaned and prepared for repadding and mechanical overhaul. Included in this presentation will be key polishing, key repair with brazing techniques, tenon replacement procedures and everything else that is necessary to put woodwinds into "like new" condition.
In the last portion of this clinic, we will cover proper packing, shipping techniques and tips on how to affordably ship your instruments.
John Morris first started repairing in the early 1980's. After specializing in piano tuning and repairs, he was involved in the formation of the Piano tuners and technicians guild in Australia and went on to become state president and national vice president. During the 1990's and John being a saxophone player, he worked with local technicians and attended courses on both brass and woodwind and basic string instrument repair.
In 2000 John joined NAPBIRT and attended the New Orleans Conference and was surprised by the free exchange of information, ideas and the array of new tools and machines that were being so widely used among NAPBIRT members. After attending three national conferences and two regional clinics, one of the must have time saving ideas that worked as promised was the ultrasonic machine and so he added this to his shop.
Ultrasonic Cleaning for Band Repair: Passing along information gained from the ultrasonic's providers, his own experience and that of other NAPBIRT technicians on using the ultrasonics machine in your workshop is the point of this clinic. John will cover the start to finish procedure for brass instruments as well as talk about other uses including cleaning guitar parts, piano, guitar and bass strings, cymbals and more. Ultrasonic cleaning also helps in woodwind overhaul, repad preparation, proper cleaning after valve lapping, removal of stuck and frozen parts as well as stuck pivot screws and rods. This clinic is designed for Australasian technicians to see why so many technicians in America highly recommend the ultrasonic cleaning process.
Andrew Berrington completed a Bachelor of Arts, in Adelaide, before training as a woodwind instrument technician at John Lehner flutes in Sydney. He then worked for Trevor J James in London and on to further training, as a woodwind instrument maker, at W.Fischer in Germany, concentrating on Flute construction.
In 1991 Andrew started the specialist woodwind and brass retail store FOR WINDS which was merged with Musicorp in 2004. He continued working for Musicorp as a retail and repair technician manager looking after up to 20 Technicians around Australia.
Andrew now owns BLOW Woodwind and Brass Repairs in Brisbane with three other technicians, but on a day to day basis, looks after the interests of the Buffet Crampon Group in Australia and New Zealand.
Design and Construction of Flute Head Joints: This clinic will cover all aspects of flute headjoint construction including the historical, design and acoustical aspects. Design of the tube, chimney (riser), lip plate and crown will be discussed and demonstrated. The metals used and their properties are important and this will also be covered. At the end of the clinic session participants will have a fair idea about construction and more expertise when dealing with those 'special' flute customers.
