A Fall In Review

It is simply amazing how time flies when you're having fun. Make no mistake about it, this is challenging work and requires serious focus and discipline but it is fun. It seems like only a couple weeks ago we had an all new class full of aspiring luthiers coming from all over the country for as many different reasons as you can think of. Here we are just a week away from the holiday break!

I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the vacation to spend time with friends and family, catch up on some needed rest and perhaps put in some time working before we kick things off in January.

Everyone here is very excited to begin building their first instrument. Again the class will be divided into 2 sections with the classes running 7 weeks. What we call our "Section 1" classes will begin to build their first flat top acoustic guitar. They will have class 4 days a week and do nothing but work on their instrument. The other half of the class will be in "Section 2" and their classes will be Electric Guitar construction for 2 days, Finish Work for 2 days and then Guitar Repairs where we simulate a working guitar shop and students work on anything that needs fixing. After 7 weeks the students switch sections (rooms) and we do it all over again for 7 weeks.

Before we know it....this -10 degree weather will be gone, green grass will be back, students will be back in one group for the final 2 weeks of the semester when their finishing skills are put to the test on a real instrument. Then...they'll be stringing it up & playing their handmade acoustic or electric guitar filled with pride. Those of course that come to class every day, focus, don't talk excessively and do what is expected of them.

The others will scratch their head and not understand why their instrument isn't done. That however brings me full circle to some advice I give out the first week of school, and just about every week after which is...Come to class every day, on time, focus at your bench and do what's expected of you not just by your instructors, but by the professionals in the field making their living doing what they love and most importantly the people who hire our graduates. If you don't focus, work hard and always try to do your best this line of work will get the better of you.

I talk about that the very first week of school in late August, which of course, will be here before I know it.

So! We all hope the holidays find you and yours happy, healthy and looking forward to an amazing 2010.

Breather...

We have a couple days off school for the MEA days. It's been a great start to the year and a very focused, hard working group of students. They've earned a long weekend and we'll be back to it Monday.

End of Week 3

Wow, week three is just about done. To the rest of you reading this, you may just think that its not a big deal, but to us guitar students, its a HUGE deal! That means that the last week of tools is just around the corner. That is some exciting stuff!! But, at the same time, its also hectic because that also means that we must finish prepping our hand tools with Lisbeth and finish our power tool projects with Brian.

In hand tools, I am finished with the majority of my tools. Its a great feeling being in class and accomplishing tasks. It makes me feel...well, accomplished. I just finished flattening and polishing all my chisels yesterday in class. I thought it would take a real long time to finish, but to my surprise, I finished them all in the one class period with some time left over to work on my stinkin' burnisher. Which reminds me, my goal this weekend is to finish the burnisher at home.

And then, in power tools, I am learning a load of things. It's good stuff. I enjoy using all the quality tools in the shop. I'm starting to get more and more comfortable using them. I can't really wait until we actually start building guitars! Just thinking about it is exciting. Funny story though, not really but...here goes. I was working on my nut and sattle holder project which we take a block "blank" and sand it down to be flat and square to each and every face. And then we drill a hole down the middle, first with a forstner bit only about 3/16th of an inch deep, then second with just a regular twist bit down the center of the block. So I finished all my sanding, meaning I got my block square and flat on all sides. Brian had already set the forstner bit to stop at the required depth...or so I thought. I went to go drill my first hole and waited for the stop. Turned out that someone probably had set it to a different setting maybe the night before. So I obviously drilled too far. I went and asked Brian what I should do. He told me that I could either plug the hole with wood and glue it in, or I could start over. Gluing it in would take longer, so I felt like I wasted half of a day. Great story. And it's true. But I suppose its all part of the learning process right?

Instructor note: Making mistakes is part of learning and perhaps more importantly, how a person responds to that mistake. He did a great job!

Thinking of Enrolling? - What you NEED to know!

Thank you to everyone at the college responsible for welcoming new students from the very first phone call to the college, questions about the program, visiting the college, etc...We have made every effort to be sure students coming into the program have what they need, the information gets to them with plenty of lead time and they're ready to hit the ground running the first day of school.

No matter how hard we try there are situations that pop up and present a very serious challenge to new students so I'd like to talk about potential pitfalls for anyone thinking of coming to our program.

Your success in the program is the most important thing to us and we will do everything we can do to help you get to where you're going. That's why I've written this particular blog. The sooner you begin planning your future the greater success you'll have.

Here is critical information for anyone thinking of coming to the Guitar Repair & Building program:

#1 - Don't wait to apply to the college and get the wheels in motion. We have completely filled the program for the 2009-2010 school year. If someone procrastinates they could very well not be able to get in. This will allow you time to fill out the necessary paperwork, apply for financial aid etc.

#2 - You generally receive the first two tool lists at orientation. The hand tools ARE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS for the Intro to Tools class. There is no way the college can loan you tools to prepare in class (flatten, grind and sharpen). If you wait until the last registration day you only have a few days to order your tools. By then the vendors may be out of stock on those tools because so many other people have ordered theirs. If you don't have the necessary tools on the first day your ability to pass that class is severely reduced.

#3 - Don't wait to register!!! You begin the registration with an orientation session required for every student at the college. (see#2) There are 4 registrations for incoming guitar students. Get to the first registration you possibly can and DON'T ARRIVE LATE. The program is nearly full by the end of July. Also if you are from outside the 5 state area you may be able to do the online orientation which saves you travel time and money.

#4 - The Intro to Tools class is a prerequisite for nearly every class in the guitar program. If you don't pass that you can't continue in the program. (see #2) This class runs the first 4 weeks of the semester. Basically 1 day = 1 week of a normal 16 week, semester long course. If you start 2 days late without your tools YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PASS the class. Or should we say, no one has ever done it in the past.

#5 - Each class is a stepping stone to the next. Intro to Tools is required for the repair courses offered in the fall. The fall courses are required for the spring semester courses, so if a student for some reason doesn't make it through the other fall courses they are unable to come back to build a guitar in the spring semester.

#6 - Our program is a full-time commitment for 9 months. We don't have a way to offer part-time enrollment or picking and choosing only certain courses.

Contact the college with any questions you have, we're here to help!

And they're off!!

Well not quite as I write this blog but...School starts Monday August 24th and we're very excited to welcome a full roster of students this year. There are many great times ahead as students begin their voyage into the world of guitar repair and building and this years class will be the first ones to have the option of a second year diploma. Of course ANY former student of the guitar program can come back for the "Guitar Development & Production" program starting in Fall 2010. We'll be announcing more as the final stages of the development are completed.

Here's to another great year!!

Another Successful Year

Another year has come and gone with a whole new batch of hand-made student guitars. We'd like to wish all of our graduates the best of luck as they move ahead in life whether it be continuing their education here or elsewhere, working in the field or whatever is part of their plan. I'm sure they all have a plan right?

So thanks to everyone in the program, all of those at the college that help our students from the first phone call or email right on through the graduation ceremony. We have a wonderful staff here at the college at all levels which helps make this such a great place to get an education.


Thank you!!

Second Year of Guitar!

This year we worked hard to put together all the necessary planning and information needed to create a second year of the guitar program, then we just waited for state approval. Recently, we got word it has been approved! The Guitar Development & Production program will begin in the fall of 2010.

This is an additional diploma program which will allow students to design an instrument more freely using computer aided drafting and CNC (computer numerical controlled) router technology. Year two will also include building an archtop guitar or mandolin, an inlay class, advanced finishing class and an advanced repair class.

All of us here at Southeast Technical are excited to offer this new diploma.