Musical Instruments

Technologies of Music at London Metropolitan University

The Sir John Cass Department of Art Media and Design is located at the vibrant eastern fringe of the City of London near to Spitalfields, and offers the broadest provision in the UK for the study of the technologies of music.

Musical Instrument Making

The focus is on the technologies and tools for music and music making. Our Musical Instrument courses have an emphasis on the making, repair and regulation of musical instruments. From early on in their courses, students are learning the basic and specialised skills needed to achieve this, combining research, analysis and communication skills with those of the workshop.

You will be able to specialise in one of a range of instrument families including:

• Guitars: steel string guitar, classical guitar making and repair
• Violins: violin, viola, viola da gamba making and repair
• Early Stringed Instruments: lute, viol, early guitar making
• Early Keyboard Instruments: harpsichord, clavichord, spinet, early piano making
• Woodwind Instruments: bagpipes, recorder, flute, clarinet, making and repair
• Pianos: tuning, regulation, servicing and repair
• Musical instrument repair

Working drawings are available from several museum-based collections, allowing students to make close copies of extant musical instruments.

The main course is the BA/BSc (Hons) Musical Instruments degree programme, which can be taken full time over 3 years, or part time over 6 years.

For further information contact David Armitage: d.armitage@londonmet.ac.uk