Violin Making & Repair

ROMAN BARNAS

Roman is originally from Zakopane, Poland, and began making his first violins at age 14, when he attended the Secondary School of Fine Arts. He studied music and violin making for five years at the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, Poland, eventually receiving his Master of Fine Arts.

Roman came to the U.S. in 1996, where he worked for more than nine years specializing in violin restoration at Psarianos Violins in Troy, Michigan. He has studied with Hans Nebel and Boyd Paulsen, and is a regular participant in the Oberlin Violin Making Workshop. Among Roman’s past commissions was a replacement Gaspar da Salo viola for the late Nathan Gordon, a former Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, one of Roman's violins earned him a Certificate of Merit for tone for at the 2010 Violin Society of America violin-making competition.

Nathan Abbe VM ’20

Violin Making & Repair Teaching Assistant

GUEST LECTURERS & INSTRUCTORS

In addition to the regular faculty, we often have established artisans visit the School to lead workshops and special classes. Some of our guest lecturers include:

• Andrew Ryan
• Philippe Raynaud
• Paul Wiessmeyer
• David Hawthorne
• Marco Coppiardi
• Christopher White VM ’88
• Kevin Kelly VM ’92
• David Polstein VM ’89

• Students are admitted in September and February.
• The maximum enrollment is 12 students.
• Classes meet 8:00 am- 3:00 pm, Monday - Friday, September through June.
• The course length is three, ten-month academic years (40 weeks per year, 120 weeks or 3900 class hours*).
• Students who complete the program receive a Diploma of Violin Making & Repair.

* Class hours equals clock hours.

• September 2021-July 2022 tuition is $26,000 yearly totaling $78,000* with the option of making 30 monthly installments of $2,600.
• The estimated cost of hand tools is $2,800.
• The estimated cost of materials for violins is $1,000 per year (totaling $3,000 for the program), billed in monthly installments of $100.

* North Bennet Street School reserves the right to increase tuition in the second and subsequent years of a course. If the school does increase tuition for a course in subsequent years, that increase will not exceed 7.5% of the previous year’s tuition. Should the school exercise its right to increase tuition, the school must give the student a minimum of ninety (90) days written notice prior to the effective date of the increase and a new enrollment agreement will be executed.

How to Fund Your EducationFinancial aid, scholarships, and veterans benefits available for qualified students.

Graduates of our Violin Making & Repair program work for others and are often self-employed luthiers. Others go on to be shop owners of full service string instrument shops. They repair, restore, and build violins and cellos.

EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK

Please keep in mind that the job classifications defined by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) do not match the highly specialized skills of graduates from NBSS. Therefore, it’s difficult to be specific when looking at wage and employment data.

The closest job classification the DOL uses is “Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners,” which includes repair of percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments, often with a specialization in one area. The classification does not include repair and tuning of electronic instruments. This classification falls into the same category as our Piano Technician Career page.

SALARY AND WAGE DATA

According to O*NET, the average annual salary for musical instrument repairers was $35,660 as of 2015, and an average hourly rate of $17.14. Payscale reports that the median hourly wage in 2016 was $14.00. However, they also note that experience has a moderate effect on income. Additionally, Chron.com reports that the average income for a luthier as of 2013 is $52,000. Income for this occupation varies widely based on industry and location. The U.S. DOL reports the following:

Industries with the highest levels of employment for musical instrument repairers:

• Sporting Goods, Hobby, and Musical Instrument Stores – Average annual salary: $38,330 | Average hourly wage: $18.43
• Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance– Average annual salary: $33,970 | Average hourly wage: $16.33
• Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing– Average annual salary: $43,580 | Average hourly wage: $20.95
• Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools– Average annual salary: $50,670 | Average hourly wage: $24.36
• Elementary and Secondary Schools– Average annual salary: $46,700 | Average hourly wage: $22.45

Top paying industries for musical instrument repairers:

• Performing Arts Companies – Average annual salary: $60,880 | Average hourly wage: $29.27
• Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools– Average annual salary: $50,670 | Average hourly wage: $24.36
• Elementary and Secondary Schools– Average annual salary: $46,700 | Average hourly wage: $22.45
• Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing– Average annual salary: $43,580 | Average hourly wage: $20.95
• Miscellaneous Durable Goods Wholesalers– Average annual salary: $42,480 | Average hourly wage: $20.42

Top paying states for musical instrument repairers:

• Texas– Average annual salary: $39,840 | Average hourly wage: $19.15
• California– Average annual salary: $41,700 | Average hourly wage: $20.05
• Illinois– Average annual salary: $38,410 | Average hourly wage: $18.47
• Florida– Average annual salary: $31,240 | Average hourly wage: $15.02
• New York– Average annual salary: $40,070 | Average hourly wage: $19.27

For more information, visit the following resources:

• The Violin Society of America
• NBSS Violin Making & Repair alumni websites