Save the Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts!

Preserve heritage craftsmanship in the UK!

As of the 7th of May, it was announced that Lincoln College will accept no new student onto the musical instrument craft courses at Newark.  
The instrument making courses on offer in Newark are more than just qualifications from a college.

They have made Newark into a hub of musical instrument crafts and created a community to nurture and support makers through their training and beyond.

On these four distinct courses violin makers, guitar makers, piano technicians, and woodwind specialists learn the skills they need for fruitful careers, preserving traditional knowledge that could otherwise be lost.

These courses have a huge historic precedent, beginning with school of violin making founded in 1972, whose inaugural class are now among the most highly regarded makers in the country.

Many beginner makers embark on these courses with the help of student finance, making the qualifications far more accessible to those from a wide range of backgrounds. Each student brings a wealth of individual knowledge and experience, creating an irreplaceably unique community.

Alumni rely on this community far beyond graduation, from those who have not long left right back to the inaugural cohorts.

Some return to visit old tutors and friends and many make their way back regularly for specialist conventions still held in the town, not to mention those who rely on recent graduates from the schools to fill job opening in their workshops.  

Lincoln College Group, which oversees the Newark campus, has announced that there will be no new intake of students in 2025 and 2026.

This decision leaves students currently in their foundation year (level 3) unable to progress onto the Degree programme (level 4)

The loss of these courses will have a profound and devastating effect on not only the instrument making community, but also on the global music industry as a whole! Put simply, if there are no instrument makers, there are no instruments.  

We must put pressure on Lincoln College to:

· Allow the incoming applicants, who have already been offered places, to take part in the courses they were offered

· Secure the future, both short and long term, of all four musical instrument craft qualifications

· Ensure that the courses remain accessible by maintaining funding and progression pathways for students from all backgrounds