Band Instrument Repair Program - Overview

By completing the Band Instrument Repair (BIR) program at Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing, you will gain the entry-level skills necessary for employment and advancement in this rewarding, viable career option within the music field.

• In 2 semesters of comprehensive study, the Band Instrument Repair Diploma program will teach you the fundamentals of repairing clarinets, trumpets, flutes, trombones, saxophones, French horns, oboes, bassoons, and large brass. You will also learn how to fabricate tools and instrument parts using lathes, drill presses, grinders, sanders, and bench motors.
  
  
• Incorporating all diploma-level BIR courses, the 2-year Associate of Applied Science in Band Instrument Repair degree adds coursework specific to small business development and marketing; it also includes college-level general education classes such as math, English, and humanities. The AAS was designed primarily for students who want the one-year program, but have sufficient transferable college general education credits to narrow the time frame to complete the AAS degree to one-year.
  

Up to 48 students enroll yearly in Band Instrument Repair, many coming from either performance or music education backgrounds — men and women looking to channel their interests and talents in a challenging educational setting where hands-on practice is central to success.

The majority of our graduates will gain employment in music stores with in-house repair facilities or in independent repair shops. The outlook for employment in this field is quite good as demand for qualified graduates has remained constant since the program’s founding in 1976.

Learn more about the Band Instrument Repair program on the MSC Southeast website. To become a student in the BIR program, apply for admission to Minnesota State College Southeast.