Clinics & Clinicians

Flute 102 - Elevating Your Student Flute Repairs
Keren Barr

Student flutes live at the bottom of the instrument totem pole. They have sloppy key mechanisms, ocean wave tone holes and potato chip pad cups. Repairing them is actually more difficult than addressing handmade flutes. How can we best address these issues to make the flute play like a pro without expending the player’s budget? In this clinic we will look at ways to elevate our repairs to make student flutes play easier without making techs lose their shirts with money and time. Come prepared with a student flute of your own to look at while we discuss techniques on padding, shimming, seating, key fitting, tenon fitting, tools, and more!

An Atlanta native, Keren, along with her husband Michael, own North Georgia Band Instrument Service. Keren earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia in 2000 and after teaching band in the metro area for several years, she went back to school to complete the Band Instrument Repair Program at Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical in Red Wing, Minnesota in 2005. Keren, a flute player, dove into professional flute repair in 2009. She is a Muramatsu and Straubinger certified flute technician, training with Paul Rabinov and David Straubinger and has also been an active member of  NAPBIRT since 2004.   Keren stays involved within the community; she is a flautist for Shallowford Presbyterian Church where she also leads a women’s small group and in addition is a member/corporate sponsor of the Atlanta Flute Club. The Barrs reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their precocious daughter, Miranda and furry companions CiCi the tabby cat and Lexi, a retired racing greyhound.

Things You're Afraid To Ask About Adding A Lathe To Your Shop
Michael Barr

When I first decided to add a lathe to our shop I was bewildered by the options for not only the machines themselves but also all the tools, accessories and maintenance that went along with it. In this clinic I’ll share some things that I’ve learned, money I’ve wasted and mistakes I’ve made in my own journey to becoming comfortable with the biggest tool in the shop so that you won’t spend your time and hard-earned funds aimlessly like I did! 

My aim will be to ease some of the anxiety around purchasing a lathe and getting started with machining in your shop. I’ll provide tips on space and power considerations, locating and inspecting used machines, must-have (but not budget-blasting) tooling and accessories to purchase, setting up your lathe in virtually any space, and tasks you can add to your repair skillset to expand your offerings to your clients. I’ll also talk a little about what types of raw materials to stock as well as modifications and other machines to add that will take your work to the next level! 

Michael Barr is originally from Piney Flats, Tennessee and is the co-owner of North Georgia Band Instrument Service in Atlanta. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Georgia Southern University in 1998 and graduated from the Band Instrument Repair program at Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical in 2005. Prior to becoming a repair technician, he was a school band director in greater Atlanta and held district- and state-level executive offices with the Georgia Music Educators Association. 

In addition to repairing, Michael enjoys traveling, skiing, astronomy, hot weather, studying the history of the Cold War and the Balkans, communicating around the world via amateur radio, and relaxing on any beach. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Keren, their daughter Miranda, and their retired racing greyhound, Lexi.

Flying By the Seat Of Your Pants: The Early Years of Repair
Keke Collier

Stepping into one's first repair job is such an exciting experience! However, it can also be overwhelming and exhausting. I'll be sharing information that I've learned over the last few years that have made my life in the repair industry much easier. We'll be talking repair techniques for brass and woodwinds, how to navigate different types of work relationships, ways to drum up more business, cool and useful tools, and more! 

Keke Collier is a 2018 graduate from Western Iowa Tech and also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Henderson State University. After graduation, she went to work as a brass technician/store manager in Northwest Arkansas. Currently, she works for Palen Music Center in Springdale, AR as a woodwind technician. She has a strong passion for music as well as sharing and testing knowledge for instrument repair. When not at the shop, Keke can typically be found either singing or teaching dance classes around town.

Shop Set Up and More
Jerry Olson

In this clinic we’ll talk about shop improvements that can be easily made in a new or existing shop focusing on organization, workflow, and maximizing utilization of the space. These tips and tricks will make your workspace more comfortable and more efficient. This will lead to happier employees and owners as well as allow for increased productions and profits. 

Jerry Olson started his career in 1987 after graduating from Red Wing Tech. He then went to work in Tuscaloosa AL at Buddy Grey Music. After a short time there he accepted a position in IA with Storm Lake Midbell for 2.5 years. He then took a job with Trestmans Music in Richfield MN Moving Jerry back to his home state. He then moved on from there to Southdale Instrument repair working for Bill Burton in 1992 and was the start of a working relationship with Schmitt Music. In 2014 Jerry accepted an offer from Bill to buy the shop after Bill’s retirement. The business was renamed Twin Cities Instrument Repair located in Edina MN. In 2022 the shop was moved to its current location in Schmitt music Anoka MN. 

Custom Jobs in The PC Shop
Terry Staten 

Many technicians enter the repair field with ambitions of using their creative side only to be disappointed and at times burdened by the "grind" of school and student work. How creative can we really get with an everyday repair? Will our customers even notice the nuanced details that we put all of our attention and care into? So many of us want to come up with the next best thing for our customers but don't have the opportunities readily available or don't know where to start. This clinic will explore the concepts of "custom work", meeting the needs of customers and building customer relationships, building a name and reputation for your work, along with many ideas and materials to get you started on custom jobs in both brass and woodwind repair and to finally scratch that creative itch. 

Terry Staten is a musician and woodwind repair technician from Dayton, Ohio. He has a bachelor's degree in music education from Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio and an Associate of Applied Science in Musical Instrument Repair Technology degree from Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City, Iowa. As a musician Terry has performed throughout the Midwest and East coast. He has performed with groups such as the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, The O'Jays, The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, The Dayton Jazz Orchestra, as well as numerous professional big bands, wedding bands, and pit orchestras throughout the Midwest. Terry has been an active repair technician since 2017. He is a Straubinger and Muramatsu certified flute technician. Currently, Terry is the lead woodwind technician at Buckeye Brass and Winds in Plain City, Ohio.

Efficiency and Organization in the Shop
Katy Jacobson

If you work in a big shop, small shop or you fly solo - there will be something in the clinic that will help you be more efficient with your space or the tools you use. I have worked in all of those settings and am going to share some of the lessons I have learned in each. We will discuss the importance of organizing your bench, toolboxes, dent tools, a few repair methods and some of my favorite tools that have helped my repairs be more efficient.

Katy Jacobson always thought she wanted to be a band director but after a few years of university she decided BIR was where her future was leading. In 2008 she graduated with a BA in fine Arts-Music from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. She then began BIR studies at MSC Southeastern in Red Wing, MN and graduated with honors in 2009. Her first repair job was at Palen Music Center in Liberty, MO, where she did woodwind, brasswind, string and percussion repair from 2009-2014.  Mark Schmedinghoff and Walker Carter were her mentors during this time. In 2014, she accepted a job with Gadsden Music Company, Gadsden, Alabama.  She began as a full time woodwind and brass technician and was promoted to Shop Manager. At the end of 2022 she left Gadsden Music and opened her own repair shop - Katix Music. Lately she has been focusing on improving her flute repair skills through classes, clinics, books, mentors and certifications. Her focus may be on flutes at the moment but she still repairs all the other brass and woodwind instruments. This summer she enjoyed working as a guest technician for KBI Music Shoppe in Fredericksburg, VA and Zeswitz Music in Reading, PA.

Katy lives in Pinson, AL.  Her hobbies include stunt kites, knitting, sewing and traveling. She participates in multiple community bands, judges Bible Drill competitions and is an active member of the Alabama Master Gardeners Association.

Schedule 

Friday, February 21, 2025

1:00 PM                                  Welcome and Introductions – A57L
1:30-3:00 PM                          First Clinic Sessions:
A47L – Keren Barr, Flute 102: Elevating Your Student Flute Repairs
A48L – Terry Staten, Custom Work in a PC Shop

3:30-5:00 PM                          Second Clinic Sessions:
A47L – Keren Barr, Flute 102: Elevating Your Student Flute Repairs
A48L – Keke Collier, Flying By The Seat of Your Pants: The Early Years of Repair

5:00 PM                                   Tentative -- Dinner for clinic participants and students
WITCC Campus

Saturday, February 22, 2025

8:00 AM                                  Coffee and donuts – A57L
(Refreshments provided by Ray’s Mid-Bell Music, Sioux City IA)

8:30-10:00 AM                        Third Clinic Sessions:
A47L – Michael Barr, Adding A Lathe To Your Shop
A48L – Keke Collier, Flying By The Seat of Your Pants: The Early Years of Repair

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM             Fourth Clinic Sessions
A47L – Michael Barr, Adding A Lathe To Your Shop
A48L – Jerry Olson, Shop Setup and More

12:00-1:00 PM                        Lunch (provided by Ray’s Mid-Bell Music, Sioux City IA)

1:00-2:30 PM                          Fifth Clinic Sessions
A47L – Katy Jacobson, Efficiency and Organization in the Shop
A48L – Jerry Olson, Shop Setup and More

3:00-4:30 PM                          Sixth Clinic Sessions:
A47L – Katy Jacobson, Efficiency and Organization in the Shop
A48L – Terry Staten, Custom Work in a PC Shop

Registration