THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA. Report by - SALLY PELEKANOS Churchill Fellow

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1 THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA Report by - SALLY PELEKANOS Churchill Fellow THE JAMES LOVE CHURCHILL FELLOWSHIP to study Brass and Woodwind instrument repair, assembly and construction. I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any Report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant that my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed Dated Page 1

2 INDEX Introduction and Acknowledgements Page 3 Executive Summery Page 5 Program Outline Page 6 Fellowship Experiences Yamaha Corporation of America Page 7 JL Smith Company Page 8 Yamaha Artist Services New York Page 9 Roberto s Winds Page 9 Buffet Group USA Page 10 Howarth s of London Page 11 Selmer Paris Factory Page 12 Selmer Paris Showroom Page 13 Paris Conservatorium Museum Page 14 Monnig and Adler Company Page 15 Musikinstrumenten-museum Page16 Shanghai Music Trade Show Page 17 Conclusions and Recommendation Page 18 Page 2

3 INTRODUCTION In April 2012 I was honoured to be the recipient of the James Love Churchill Fellowship to study Brass and Woodwind instrument repair, assembly and construction. I embarked on my journey from September 9 to October My aim was to further my knowledge in my area of work, and to learn the skills necessary to instruct others in the repair and restoration of Brass and Woodwind Instruments. In addition to this I wanted to develop my ambition to produce good quality and affordable, locally assembled instruments for the Australian market. I wish to gratefully acknowledge the assistance and support of several individuals and organizations who have contributed to my experience. -First and foremost I wish to thank the estate of the late James Simpson Love, noted Queensland pastoralist. Without this generous sponsorship my experience as a Churchill Fellow would not have been possible. -My instructors and mentors who enabled me to study and work in my chosen field. These include Howell Whitehouse, John Stephenson and Paul Ryan. As Brass and Woodwind instrument repair is not a recognized trade in Australia, I have been very fortunate to have received the support and training I have over the years. -Bill Mathews, Member of the National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians. (NAPBIRT), based in Normal, Illinois. His assistance in all stages of planning the itinerary and establishing contacts in the USA proved invaluable. -Yamaha Corporation of America for generously allowing me access to the Buena Park complex. Jeff Peterson was very kind in showing me all the different aspects of this plant and answering my numerous questions. Everyone I was introduced to was very welcoming and forthcoming with information. -JL Smith & Co, Charlotte, North Carolina. Jeff Smith s program gave me access to the talents and experience of Harold Phillips, who patiently tutored me and passed on invaluable knowledge for which I am very grateful. Emily Cox s excellent organizational skills and hospitality made this leg of my trip run very smoothly. -Yamaha Artist Services, New York. Dave Lotozo gave me time out of his busy schedule to show me around this world class facility. -Laurie Orr, Buffet Group USA New York Showroom. Although my visit was quite unplanned, Laurie was most welcoming and showed me a range of instruments I would be unable to view in Australia. Page 3

4 -Roberto s Winds of New York. Roberto shared with me his workshop and incredible range of range of instruments, which provided me with very welcome reassurance and encouragement. -Howarth of London, for taking the time to show me their various workshops and for the opportunity to meet their world class repairers. - Veit Shindler of the Monning and Adler company, Markneukirchen, Germany, for taking the time to show me around the factory and provide me with an insight into how these handcrafted instruments are made. -Brent Lang of Select Music, Sydney, for helping me organize my trip to Shanghai, and for showing me around and providing me with valuable advice for making the most of the limited time I had at the Shanghai Music Trade Show. -My husband George for encouraging me throughout the planning and execution of my trip and his commitment to my business while I was away, and my two boys Gabriel and Atticus for their understanding. -The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia for providing me with this incredible opportunity and their support throughout the planning of the trip. The Churchill Fellowship is respected worldwide and therefore I believe this opened up doors and possibilities that may not have arisen otherwise. Page 4

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sally Pelekanos, Owner Operator or Audrey s Music Shop, 10 Jane Street, West End, Brisbane, QLD, , Project Description: To study Brass and Woodwind Instrument repair, assembly and construction. HIGHLIGHTS. - Visit to JL Smith Co, Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to seeing the day to day running of a workshop that repairs instruments from all over the USA, I received one on one tuition from renowned woodwind technician Harold Phillips. Harold spent time going through areas where I felt I needed greater competence. He also showed me new ways to carry out routine repair tasks. -Tour of the Selmer Factory, Mantes le Ville, Paris under the personal guidance of Jerome Selmer. Selmer Instruments are considered world class professional instruments. -Personal tour of Monnig and Adler, Marknerukirchen, Germany. This visit gave me the unique opportunity to see these handmade instruments being produced Shanghai Music Trade Show. In contrast with handcrafted instrument production in the European Factories, instrument production in Asia is based in mass production assembly line model. I was therefore afforded an insight into contrasting methods of productions. Although I visited a wide range of companies with varied business structures, each provided a valuable experience. I found that most were facing the same challenges, mainly due to economic pressures. The general feeling was that much of this was caused by the competition brought about by mass production techniques and lower labour costs in Asian Countries. In many cases this production method has resulted in poor quality instruments. I found it encouraging that companies like Howarth of London, Monnig and Adler in Germany, and Selmer in France still take pride in production of top quality hand crafted instruments. It is clear to the professional musician that these instruments are still the best in the world, although increasingly financially out of reach. The Churchill Fellowship experience has encouraged me in my ambition to combine these contrasting production methods in order to produce a good quality reasonably priced instrument for the local market. As Brass and Woodwind instrument repair is still not a recognized trade in Australia, training opportunities are extremely limited. If financial incentives were available (recognized apprenticeships/traineeship) experienced repairers would be enabled to pass on their skills and knowledge. In the USA, professional bodies such as NAPBIRT hold regular conferences and workshops to provide opportunities for professional development. Opportunities such are this are extremely rare in Australia. Since my return to Brisbane in October, I have a renewed confidence in my trade and business management. I have relocated my workshop to a larger premises and I have made contact with many more music teachers in the Queensland education System. Page 5

6 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME 11/09/2012 Yamaha Corporation Buena Park, LA of America 13-14/09/2012 JL Smith Company Charlotte, North Carolina 17/09/2012 Yamaha Artist Services Manhattan, New York 18/09/2012 Roberto s Winds Manhattan, New York 19/09/2012 Buffet Group USA Manhattan, New York 24/07/2012 Howarth s of London London, UK 02/10/2012 Selmer Paris Factory Mantes La Ville, Paris 03/10/2012 Selmer Paris Paris Showroom 05/10/2012 Paris Conservatorium Paris Museum 09/10/2012 Monnig and Adler Co. Markneukirchen, Germany 10/10/2012 Musikinstrumenten- Markneukirchen, 13-14/10/2012 Museum Shanghai Music Trade Show Germany Shanghai, China Page 6

7 FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCES Yamaha Corporation of America, Buena Park, LA. My fellowship experience began with a visit to Yamaha s USA headquarters. From the moment I entered this 5000 square foot Atelier, I was struck by the massive scale of the operation. Not only does the center offer a base for all Yamaha spare parts across the USA, it also houses a state of the art facility for world class Instrument design, restoration and customization. In addition, it acts as testing centre for all Yamaha products. Jeff Peterson, kindly showed me around the facility, explaining its workings in great detail. We initially walked through the spare parts area, where he explained some of the processes of the distribution of parts across the USA. The workshop provided the highlight. It is here that Jeff and his team not only repair instruments for some of the world s best musicians, but also specialize in customizing instruments for musicians specific needs. The facility is also a testing centre for Yamaha Brass and Woodwind, and the knowledge and ideas of the team are often used to implement modification and design improvements to Yamaha Brass and Woodwind instruments. Seeing this part of the business inspired me to learn more about the customization aspect of instrument repair. Professional musicians in Australia would have great difficulty finding a repairer able to carry out this sort of specialized work on their instruments. I plan to explore this avenue further as a possible future area of specialization. The tour of the workshop was an unprecedented experience for me, being quite unlike anything that exists in Australia. From the state of the art ultrasonic machines to the soldering rooms, to the purpose built buffing room, this facility was a real eyeopener. The centre is leading the world in the latest innovations and technology in musical instrument design, repair and customization. Jeff also showed me through the purpose built acoustic room. This room has been designed with the purpose of affording the professional musician an opportunity to get the best results when trying out an instrument either for customization or for purchase. This soundproof room features acoustically perfect 5 degree angled walls made from acoustic conditioning panels, which work to scatter sound waves with a pleasant sound and minimal acoustic interference. Page 7

8 JL SMITH COMPANY- Charlotte, North Carolina. This part of my trip was a definite highlight. I learnt many new techniques that make every day jobs easier and more efficient. I also learnt a lot about different materials that can be used in both instrument pad production and as alternatives to using cork. At the JL Smith company I received one -on -one training from Harold Phillips. The main purpose of this training was to gain more confidence in certain areas of my work where I felt I needed to improve my technique. With more than 32 years of experience, Harold Phillips, supervisor of the J.L. Smith repair shop, is one of the most highly regarded woodwind technicians in the USA, and is a virtual legend in the field of instrument repair. He often teaches classes and clinics for NAPBIRT and various other industry groups. Harold is considered one of the world s great masters of piccolo repair and is obviously passionate about sharing his knowledge with others. As I had never received specific training in piccolo repair, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from the master. Harold then familiarized me with the materials now being used in the manufacture of pads and instructed me in the most effective techniques and applications for their use. His expert instruction in the use of Valentino pads was especially valuable. These pads are made from a very dense closed-cell foam with a slick and impervious plastic surface, and are very different from the traditional felt and skin pads. Valentino pads are long lasting pads which I think would be ideally suited to the Australian Musician. As the JL Smith company makes many of their resources in-house, the technicians have unlimited access the best pads, tools and supplies in the business. Unfortunately, in Australia, repairers do not have access to locally-made supplies and ordering of parts often proves difficult. I would like to take my business further into the area of custom repairs and modification, but this lack of readily available parts and supplies causes problems in serving the professional musician within the required timeframes. Since returning to work in Brisbane, I have implemented many of the techniques taught to me by Harold and I have already noticed more efficiency in some everyday tasks. I have accessed much more literature by other technicians around the world to expand my knowledge of the industry. I have kept in contact with Harold at JL Smith as he has been very willing to answer any of my questions. It is great to have this support network and I hope to promote similar activity in Australia. Page 8

9 YAMAHA ARTIST SERVICES, New York Showroom Established in 1987 in New York City, Yamaha Artist Services provides a wide range of professional services exclusively for performing artists, concert venues, performing arts organizations and educational institutions. I had the great pleasure of meeting world class technicians Tomoji Hirakata and Dave Lotozo, as well as looking through the impressive showroom. This visit turned out to quite brief as the technicians had one of their professional clients in for an impromptu repair, but I was still appreciative of the time they did make available. ROBERTO S WINDS As my pre arranged visit to The Yamaha Artist Services, New York Showroom was fairly brief, this left me with time to explore other businesses and professionals in New York. I made an impromptu visit to Roberto s Winds, a retail store and repair workshop in Manhattan during my time in New York. Although I arrived completely unannounced, Roberto was very generous with his time and showed me through his amazing showroom and his busy workshop. After my previous visits to very high tech workshops, Roberto s shop gave me renewed confidence in my business and what I had established in Brisbane over the last 10 years. Roberto s minimal approach to tooling and machinery made me realize that I do not necessarily need a lot of expensive and high tech equipment to achieve my aims. Roberto has his own line of quality Saxophones at an affordable price. This provided me with the reassurance and encouragement I needed that I can achieve the same. The highlight of this visit was Roberto s Selmer Mark VI room. Selmer Mark VI s are considered the world s best vintage horns. It was a privilege to get to see so many of these amazing and quite rare instruments all in one place. My visit to Roberto s Winds was a very enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Page 9

10 BUFFET GROUP, New York Showroom I also thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from my visit to The Buffet Groups New York showroom. Manager Laurie Orr was very generous in giving me time out of her busy schedule to show me around. Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the Buffet Group USA New York Showroom offers an amazing selection of Buffet Crampon woodwinds, Besson brass, Antoine Courtois Paris brass, Keilwerth saxophones and W. Schreiber bassoons. Most of these brands are available in Australia; however, there were many models in the range of brands that I have never seen in Australia. I am grateful for the contacts made during this visit. Hopefully Australian retailers will one day have the same opportunities to supply instruments that are currently unavailable. The Buffet Group Showroom of New York also offers professional repairs to many well known musicians. It was refreshing to see a workshop very similar to my own serving a professional market. Page 10

11 HOWARTH OF LONDON The Howarth name is first linked with wind instrument making in 1874, when George Howarth was apprenticed to the flute maker Alexander Liddle in London. George was the father of T W (Tom) Howarth, whose name became the firm's original name 'T W Howarth & Co Ltd' when it was established in In 2008, the firm changed its name to 'Howarth of London LTD Howarth of London is internationally known as the maker of the finest oboes, English horns and clarinets. The company is also one of the world's leading suppliers of, bassoons and saxophones. It was an absolute pleasure to visit their London Showroom. In complete contrast with practices at Yamaha s LA facility, Howarth of London is using very traditional techniques and tools. The repairers at Howarth of London use only a pedal lathe, whereas most workshops I have visited in the past use an electric lathe. I plan to investigate the possibility of sourcing a pedal lathe in Australia as my experience has made me realise that my repairs would benefit from some of the more traditional methods of repair, such as the use of a pedal lathe. Page 11

12 SELMER PARIS FACTORY- Mantes La Ville Henri Selmer Paris Company is a French family-owned enterprise, manufacturer of musical instruments based at Mantes La Ville near Paris, France, since It is known for its high-quality woodwind and brass instruments, especially saxophones and clarinets. I am extremely grateful to the Selmer Company and to Jerome Selmer for allowing me to visit this factory. It was an opportunity that most repairers and professional musicians could only dream of. Jerome Selmer was incredibly generous in giving up the best part of his day to take me on an in depth tour of the factory. Selmer instruments have been regarded as world class for many decades and it was such an privilege to see how they are made. Jerome walked me through every single stage of production, right from the piece of sheet metal to the finished and final stages of setting up and testing the instrument by professional musicians. He answered all of my questions with enthusiasm and everyone in the plant made me feel most welcome. A lot of the original machinery used for some of the earliest Selmer instruments is still being used to produce their modern day instruments. I found it very interesting to see the use of traditional machinery being incorporated with modern day techniques. I was impressed by the fact that, even in today s economic situation, (Jerome mentioned they had to reduce staff numbers due to economic pressure), the Selmer factory had not let their high standard of production waiver. I found it very interesting that each instrument had its very own unique set of key work. This meant that throughout the production process each instrument and its parts could be manufactured with precise detail and care. Jerome also showed me through the manufacture of the Selmer mouthpieces. Seeing the care and time put into the manufacture of these instruments, I can see why they attract such high retail prices in the market. Page 12

13 SELMER SHOWROOM, Paris The head office is located close to the "Republique" area (in the centre-east of Paris). It includes the showroom, the repair shop, the sales, marketing and accounting departments, general administration and management services, and shipment facilities. It also houses several testing studios and a private concert room to ensure comfortable and discrete surroundings for musicians and visitors. Once again, Jerome Selmer generously gave me his time to show me around this amazing facility. I was also very privileged to meet Patrick Selmer as well as the famous saxophone player and composer Benny Golson. As a saxophone player and jazz musician myself, it was an absolute honour to meet Mr.Golson. At the Selmer showroom in Paris, I was able to meet the onsite repairers and watch them at work. I learnt a lot from the way they liaised with the musician to deliver the best repair or adjustment for the player s technique and playing style. Page 13

14 PARIS CONSERVATORIUM MUSEUM On my last day in Paris I found myself with a day with no set plans. I happened upon some information about the Paris Conservatorium Museum. It was incredibly interesting and if I had known about this centre earlier, I would have arranged to meet some of the musical instrument restorers and researchers working there. The museum is linked to the Cité de la Musique, a place focusing on music, culture, teaching and listening and is dedicated to music lovers. It houses about 4500 instruments from the 16th Century to today. Thanks to headsets, paintings, sculptures, engravings and models, I was provided with an in-depth look into the history of music. Each section was presented by a theme and accompanied by a piece of music. The museum is considered world class in both its collection of instruments and its innovative ways of displaying them and engaging the visitor into the history of a vast range of the different musical genres. Cité de la Musique also includes a technical restoration laboratory and a major research and information center. The auditorium offers regular cultural events and concerts using instruments from the museum. Page 14

15 MONNIG AND ADLER COMPANY- Markneukirchen, Germany. Markneukirchen, Germany was a highlight of my trip. This town is the main town of the German musical instrument making region that it is known for high quality brass and string instruments. During my stay in this town I had the great pleasure in visiting the Monnig and Adler Company. For more than 100 years Monnig and Adler have manufactured woodwind instruments. They make hand-crafted high precision, oboes, bassoons and clarinets that are designed to meet the requirements of both novice and soloist musician. I was very fortunate to have one of the company directors, Veit Shindler show me extensively around the factory and explain all of the different processes in depth. Visiting companies in both the USA and Europe made me realize there is quite a difference in the way makers and repairers in the different parts of the world work. European makers seem to hand craft instruments and use a lot more of the traditional techniques and processes, where makers and repairers in the USA are leading the world in innovations and state of the art facilities. Company directors at both the Selmer factory in Paris, and at Monnig and Alder in Germany both mentioned to me that the Australian Market for professional instruments is almost nonexistent. This could be equated to one of Australia s biggest instrument wholesalers going into receivership. It is very hard for a musician to source a particular brand or model they desire here in Australia. We are very limited by what is available to us. I hope this situation improves in the near future. I walked away from my visit to Monnig and Adler feeling incredibly privileged to have witnessed these amazing instruments in production. I hope that the age old techniques used there will always have a place in instrument making, and that this dwindling market will find its place in the industry once again. Monnig and Adler Granadilla wood Handcrafted Key work 10 year aging process Page 15

16 MUSIKINSTRUMENTEN-MUSEUM- Markneukirchen, Germany The Musikinstrumenten-Museum was founded in 1883 by Paul Otto Apian- Bennewitz, a teacher and organist. He envisaged a teaching collection of European and ethnic instruments. There are now over 3100 items from Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia in the collection. The core collection consists of instruments from the immediate area that document the development of instruments from the 17th century to the present day. In the last 60 years, 3 million people have visited the museum in the Paulus-Schlösschen, a late baroque town house. I enjoyed immensely viewing this unique collection. Page 16

17 SHANGHAI MUSIC TRADE SHOW- Pudong, Shanghai This part of my trip provided a stark contrast to the previous visits to workshops and factories throughout Europe and the USA. The instruments in the Asian market are generally mass produced, assembly line instruments, very different from the hand crafted instruments in Europe. Organized by Messe Frankfurt, the Expo was held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The Music China Expo is recognized as one of the biggest exhibitions based on musical instruments and accessories. The two days I spent at the event provided me with enormous opportunities to interact with reputed importers, dealers, distributors and retailers from all over the globe. As one of my goals is to find a manufacturer with whom to work closely to create my own range of good quality affordable instruments in Australia, this expo provided me with a hands on opportunity to begin my quest to find a good supplier. I spent the best part of two days meeting manufactures and testing their products. I made contacts that would not have been possible without attending the trade show. I came to the conclusion that although the production of Chinese instruments is improving generally, it is the Taiwanese made instruments that can provide the market with both affordability and quality. As much as I was in awe of the handcrafted instrument making I witnessed at both Selmer, and Monnig and Adler, I am aware that the instruments being mass produced in the Asian market do hold a valuable place in the industry. Page 17

18 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS I found my trip to be incredibly insightful and educational. As Brass and Woodwind instrument repair is not a recognised trade in Australia, I am extremely grateful for this learning opportunity. Each component of my trip was very educational in its own right. I visited many places with a wide range of business models and structures. This allowed me to not only learn a great deal about my trade, but also gave me insight into how different businesses operate. The Yamaha Corporation in Los Angeles, and The Yamaha Artist Services in New York, showed me a different side of musical instrument repair. Their major focus is on the professional market and instrument customization, an area in which I hope to further my skills as I believe the Australian market is lacking technicians capable of good quality work in this regard.. The hands on training I received at JL Smith in North Carolina was incredibly beneficial to me. I gained proficiency in several new techniques, as well as learning about different tools and their uses. I also gained knowledge of new materials being used for instrument repair parts. Visiting the factories allowed me to acquire an improved understanding of the processes involved in the area of manufacturing, and I am now able to more clearly explain to customers these processes and answer their questions in greater detail. Visiting the factories and meeting other repairers around the world has enabled me to establish new contacts in the industry. This network should prove invaluable for consulting other professionals when problems arise and in locating spare parts or tools. The different manufacturing processes enable companies to service different markets, but I have been made aware of the decline in the demand for the high end, handcrafted instruments. I believe this is for two main reasons, worldwide economic pressure and an improvement in the quality of some Asian instruments. The implementations of automated manufacturing techniques have resulted in more efficient manufacturing and the availability of more affordable instruments for students. In saying this, I do believe that these instruments will never be of a quality equal to that of the hand crafted instruments I witnessed being made in Europe. I hope that these specialized instruments will always have a place in the market. I do believe that the Australian market does need some better quality, affordable instruments. As a repairer I am often dismayed at the poor quality of many of the instruments arriving at my workshop. Children learning on these instruments are much more likely to discontinue their music education after the first year or two. I will persist with my goal of meeting the needs of the Australian market and will explore all avenues to make this possible. Since my return, my passion for the industry has grown. I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge through workshops and I hope to soon begin training an enthusiastic student in the area of Brass and Woodwind instrument repair. Page 18

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