Clinics & Clinicians

All About Flutes-It’s All In Your Head
Joe Butkevicius

This is a double clinic concentrating on flute repair.  In the first session, Joe will review some of the most popular topics from his past repair clinics.  Information will include mechanics and design, acoustics, and the practical, in-depth aspects of padding and body preparation.  The second half will concentrate on all aspects of the headjoint bringing in an understanding of how the flute head joint functions with the rest of the flute.  From that understanding there are practical techniques that can be used both for the flute, and their players to solve either common or unusual problems.  

Joe started repairing instruments on the side during his early years as a music teacher.  He transitioned to a music store/shop owner in CT where he developed his specialty for flute repair.  After 18 years with his own business, he moved to Tennessee as product manager and flute specialist for Pearl Flutes.  Joe currently works at KHS America as the Quality Control Supervisor, Altus Flute Specialist, and Parts Logistics Manager for the last 10 years.  He has given many clinics for NAPBIRT going back to the 1990’s and has presented at many National Conventions, Regional Clinics, and NAPBIRT University courses. He has also served as a past Vice President of NAPBIRT.  When not repairing, Joe enjoys walking, hiking, cooking, and making hot sauce.  

Patching for Profit
Jason Bystrom

Patching is an efficient and cost effective way for band programs to keep instruments functioning within their budgets. In this clinic I will present various techniques I have developed during my career, including: ideas for forms and tooling, laying out the patch shape, brass vs nickel silver, tips when it comes to annealing, and my overall approach to the aesthetics of the patch.

Upon graduating from Minnesota State College Southeast in 2010, Jason gained employment with Brickhouse Music in River Falls, WI. He left Brickhouse Music in 2012 to establish his own freelance repair career. In the time since, Jason has been a repair tech for Interlochen Center of the Arts summer camps, a NAPBIRT Regional Conference clinician and was the instrument coordinator at St. Olaf until 2023. He has also been a regular volunteer with the repair school and is a primary substitute for the brass repair class. He now Co-Owns Red Wing Music LLC where he repairs all brass instruments and often fabricates parts for brass and woodwinds.

Beyond the Basics
Ned Nagy 

This clinic will deal with some of the rare and offbeat requests that I've had in my 48 years of repairing.  
It will also include non-industry products and tools which have worked well over the years. Finally, it will include my list of tools and products I could not live without.

Ned Nagy graduated from Allied Repair School in 1978 and has been employed by White House of Music in Waukesha, WI for his entire career.  He is the senior woodwind repair technician.  He was also blessed to be able to work alongside the renowned Chuck Hedges for several years.  Ned is also a Straubinger certified technician.

He joined NAPBIRT upon graduation and has written articles for the Techni-Com as well as presented and hosted National and Regional clinics.  Ned also has regularly given clinics and tutorials to graduate level performance students at UW-Milwaukee.

He services woodwinds for many of the local schools, students and professionals in addition to several of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performers.  Ned is a professional musician and performs with several Big Bands, Orchestras and Wind Ensembles in the Milwaukee area.

 He is always looking for ways to learn and help others to expand their knowledge about woodwind repair.  He is very happy to be able to present this clinic.

Saxophone
Jeff Reitz

This presentation will be a combination of several topics related to the saxophone.

Discussions will include:
- Input pitch,
- The importance of resonators and how they make a difference,
- Techniques for hinge tube straightening.

All these in one package will take your saxophone repairs to the next level.

Jeff Reitz holds a Bachelor of Music; Applied Saxophone with Woodwind Emphasis (having studied flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon as well) from U.W. Eau Claire. He is also a graduate of Minnesota State Technical College with a certification in Band Instrument Repair. Jeff continues to attend seminars, conferences and clinics to further his knowledge and skills as an instrument repair technician. He is Straubinger Flute Pad Certified and has hundreds of hours of further professional training in all aspects of wind instrument repair. He owns and operates Cool Winds…Chippewa Valley Band Instrument Repair. He has given clinics and seminars through NAPBIRT conferences (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians) and other Saxophone Events and is frequently seen supporting regional multi-school events with his “Emergency Repair Table” to help to reduce some of the stress which can happen at even the coolest events. Performing as a saxophone and woodwind doubler Jeff has played in jazz, classical and commercial settings including playing with bands and orchestras backing a wide variety of entertainers such as Myron Floren and the Stars of the Lawrence Welk Show, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Vinton, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Franki Valli and many others. Currently Jeff plays with Cathy Reitz & 7Swing, Cathy Reitz Trio, the Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra, Eau Claire Weapons of Brass Destruction and the La Crosse Jazz Orchestra.

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