Whereeeee's the Blog???

It's been quite some time since we've had a chance to update our blog.  The reality is there are so many things happening behind the scenes it can get lost in the shuffle.  However with all these things going on the blog is a perfect place to talk about it.

Something else plays into the lack of new blog posts...We want much of it to be an insight into what we do here from a student perspective.  The last couple of years having student volunteers willing to contribute has been a little hard to come by.  This fall a new concept was unveiled at a staff in-service day in Winona. The college is looking to incorporate contributions from students college wide and spotlight their work online.  It's early in the implementation and not yet integrated on the college website but you can catch a "sneak peak" here.

Inspired by this and the need for more student perspective on our blog, first year guitar students will be required to contribute one post about a repair they will work on in our spring semester "Guitar Repair" class.  (Sssshhhhhhhh, they don't know that yet).  So if you're reading this and considering a future in the guitar program, please consider offering up content for our blog!
 

 And Now For Something Completely Different

As part of our second year program (Guitar Development and Production) we have set aside 1 credit of class time for "Special Topics".  The idea is to have people from outside the Red Wing bubble come here to talk about a variety of things happening in lutherie today.  Last year we had Derek Zelenka come up and share his experience working at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville Tennessee.  Derek is a graduate of the guitar program here in Red Wing and had a TON of knowledge to share.  The students really enjoyed meeting him and learning about repair, restoration techniques and the realities of life after school.  This year we are very excited to bring in Tim Thelen of the Lutherie Shop and Bilt Guitars based in Des Moines Iowa.  Tim is also a graduate of our program and is a whiz at repair work, building innovative yet retro electric guitars and all sorts of touch up work most shops won't consider trying.  We're really looking forward to that coming up in December.   

We're always discussing other ideas for people to share their knowledge and we'll be sure to keep you posted about what this "Special Topics' course is all about.  We strongly believe in a lifetime of learning and with lutherie, there is an endless well of knowledge to be gained and shared which is another reason we love lutherie.

Thinking of enrolling in the Guitar Repair & Building Program?

This is updated information from a blog post originally appearing August 2009.

If you are thinking of enrolling in the Guitar Repair & Building Program there are some helpful tidbits of information that should give you a great start in the process and hopefully increase the success rate for all new students.  No matter how hard we all try there are potential pitfalls that can arise for students.


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. The admissions office will generally start the waiting list process by mid-February. If someone procrastinates they could very well not be able to get in for the following fall.  Starting the process early will allow you time to fill out the necessary paperwork, apply for financial aid etc.  Also realize that applying to the college is not the same as registering for the program.  You must go through orientation & register for classes to obtain a spot in the program.


#2 - Don't wait to register!!!  Each registration day begins with an orientation session required for every student at the college.  There are 4 registrations for incoming guitar students. Get to the first registration you possibly can and do not arrive late. The program is usually full by the end of the July registration.

#3 - You will 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 in August 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.

#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 #3) 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.

Check out the college website today to become a student at Southeast Technical College!!

http://www.southeastmn.edu/become_a_student/index.aspx