Trevor Head: Training in Musical Instrument Repair

11/06/2026

Skills Continuation Course: May 25th to 29th.

This has certainly been a vibrant week - Action packed with repairs, giving Lynne a great deal to think about in solving so many complex repair problems.
Of course this is what you would expect, as these students were not beginners, and as such will certainly have saved up some difficult repairs to bring along to the course.

We love a challenge, and I particularly enjoyed playing my small part in helping out with some dent removal, lathework and silver soldering.
Lynne has summed up the week below, and as usual I have to thank her for the superb delivery of this course!

Hi Trevor
Here are a few words about the Continuation Course.

What fantastic students we had on the Woodwind Continuation Course!

Despite the unusual heat, they were a lively and committed bunch, armed with some great instruments to work on and many questions! We had everything from piccolo to bassoon via saxes, alto and bass clarinets. With such a range of instruments it was inevitable we would cover a huge array of repair techniques.

Work included all types of bodywork, dents, thumb rest fitting, crack repair, flute body soldering, instrument straightening, key fitting and soldering, regulation, shimming, tone hole work, cork pads, tenons, double reeds…. the list is pretty endless.

We were also very fortunate to be able to access Trevor’s vast knowledge throughout the week. His meticulous demos on all types of soldering, dent repair, rods and screw making, lathe work and more were very well received, and the students and I were most appreciative of his time and expertise, both in demos and working one to one with the students.

All in all, a full-on but very enjoyable course!

Lynne

04/06/2026

Saxophones Galore: May 11th to 15th 2026

A course designed to deal exclusively with the repair of the Saxophone.

Apologies for the very late appearance of this post - The pressure of life in general and courses has caused me to be behind with many essential tasks!

I must first of all say a very special thank you and welcome to Ben Plocki from 'Headwind' in Bristol, for his extremely knowledgeable and professional delivery of this course.

I am happy to say that the course was a big success, with many complex repairs being successfully carried out.

The range of students' past repairing experience was varied, from complete beginner to those with previous experience.

I enjoyed playing a small part in the course by giving my usual demonstration of soldering skills, and offering help with some dent removal.

Well done to all of you for your good humour and enthusiasm throughout the week.

Thank you again Ben, and good luck in the future to you all.

Trevor.

03/05/2026

Woodwind Foundation Course: April 27th to May 2nd 2026.

This week I have had the privilege of taking part with Lynne, in teaching a wonderful group of eager woodwind students.

My contribution was a soft soldering demonstration and the removal of some rather stubborn dents in three 'difficult to get at' areas!
Lucky for me I had a comprehensive range of ball irons to choose from, and also that the steel balls were of the same thread - 1/2" BSW made in the 1980's.

Still performing well.

It was really refreshing to be able to interact with this group of enthusiastic and talented students, and I look forward to welcoming them back on a future woodwind course, or perhaps even a Brass Repair Course!!

I know that Lynne enjoyed the teaching experience of the course, and she has written a few words to sum this up!

A few words from Lynne Williams:

What a lovely group of students I had on the latest Woodwind Foundation Course. I couldn’t have asked for a more attentive, harmonious, hard working group!

We covered basic servicing techniques for clarinet, flute and saxophone, initial soldering and dent work, some repadding, key fitting and crack repair.

Many thanks, Trevor, for your detailed soldering demo and dent work help - it was much appreciated by the students and myself!

We also got to see a very nice bass clarinet, a quick look at a bassoon, and we were treated to a visit from a couple of Renaissance instruments too!

We had great weather, and everyone enjoyed sitting in the sun during lunch time, with occasional visits from your cute cat Jasmine, and Pumpkin too! I

t’s been a great week, I hope the students enjoyed it as much as I did!

Looking forward to the next one,

Lynne.

02/05/2026

Subject: Two places remaining

Music Teachers Repair Course: May 30th to 31st.

Just 2 days, and on the weekend!

Although aimed primarily at instrumental music teachers, to give a greater understanding of the mechanics of these complex instruments - The content of the course also makes it a perfect introduction to the world of repairing woodwind instruments in general.

Perhaps you want to tackle minor repairs and adjustments to your own instruments, or for the more ambitious, the course is a perfect opportunity to discover whether you would like to extend your knowledge further and progress on to a Woodwind Instrument foundation course, which really is an excellent starting point to becoming a woodwind instrument repairer!

Armed with a basic tool kit, you will discover how to carry out minor repairs and adjustments whether it be in the classroom, on a gig or at home.

Check out full courses information on my website:

www.trevorhead.co.uk

Or get in touch for more information or to reserve your place!

Mobile: 07971 083089 Call or text me!

email: [email protected]

Trevor

02/05/2026

An amazing opportunity to join our Skills Continuation Course running from May 25th to May 29th.

Just 3 more weeks!!

Come on now - You’re not telling me me that we’ve taught you all you need to know about woodwind instrument repairing?
Or that you don’t have those occasional tricky problems that you could do with a little help and extra advice with.

Learning new skills should be ongoing throughout your careers, and this is why we offer our skills continuation courses.

Designed to address the problems that new repairers encounter once they have completed a short, but intensive training course in instrument repairing.

The course enables you to recap on previously learnt skills, learn new and more advanced repairing techniques and gain the extra confidence achieved through tackling a wide range of repairs under the guidance of your tutor.

Our next course begins in just three weeks time, starting on May 25th, and at the moment we are low on numbers, but still plan to run it with just two students.

To boost the group size I am offering four places at the reduced rate of £1150.00 representing a discount of over 20%.

A saving of £295.00.

Please get in touch to reserve your place if you are interested, or if you would like more information.

Mobile: 07971 083089 Text or call me!

email: [email protected]

Best wishes,

Trevor.

29/04/2026

Last week we had the most amazing Brass Foundation course here in Llangunllo.
A most delightful group with such enthusiasm and energy.
Jammed tuning slides were in abundance, and a few complete instrument strip downs proved both challenging and so rewarding.
My friend and colleague Peter Lacey demonstrated the use of the magnetic dent removal system with some impressive results!
Thank you Pete for your support and input on the course, not to mention the very enjoyable couple of pints and meal out enjoyed by us all.
I am confident that with practise and perseverance this entire group will be joining the ranks of our nations great professional repairers.
Well done to all of you!

03/04/2026

I am pleased to offer an extra Woodwind Foundation Course this year.
The dates are October 5th to 9th. Five days duration instead of the usual six. However the days will be a little longer to ensure coverage of the course content.
Thank you to Lynne Williams for agreeing to teach this course considering her busy work schedule.
Any questions, please contact me:
Mobile: 07971 083089
email: [email protected]

23/02/2026

Welcome to a new season of Brass and Woodwind Instrument Repair courses in 2026.

The uptake so far this year has been phenomenal, with all brass and woodwind foundation courses now being fully booked with at least 3 interested parties being placed on waiting lists in case there should be any cancellations.

The first of two 'Saxophone Galore' courses running from May 11th to15th is also fully booked.

I will be introducing extra courses in brass and woodwind to take place in the Autumn : Dates to be announced.

Our Woodwind Skills Continuation Course running from May 25th to 29th and the Woodwind Instrumental Music Teachers course running from May 30th to 31st still have places available!

So to do the following:

Brass instrument basic repair and maintenance - April 7th to 9th

Just Trombones - July 27th to 29th

Brass Repair Skills Continuation Course - August 17th to 20th

Saxophones Galore - September 21st to 25th

I thought I would suggest that for any budding woodwind repairer, the Woodwind Repair Instrumental Music Teachers Course would be as good a choice as any, for anyone wishing to learn some basic woodwind repair techniques, whilst at the same time trying their hand at this highly skilful profession.

A Woodwind Foundation Course could then be attended at a later stage!

Please let me know if you are interested in any of the above courses or would simply like more information.

You can call or email me on:

Mobile: 07971 083089

Email: [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

02/12/2025

04/11/2025

Last Saturday was the final day of our last Woodwind foundation course this year, and it was a most memorable week.

The group were enthusiastic and eager to listen to and learn as much as they could.

I ventured into the workshop on a few occasions and I was most impressed with what I saw: Such a range of woodwind repairs, and being carefully and expertly carried out!

Lynne, as usual delivered a most informative and well organised course - Thank you Lynne, and to the group for making this a most enjoyable and memorable week, concluding our final course in our 2025 season of courses!

Lynne has summed up the week below:

We had a full Woodwind Foundation course, with 6 eager students all keen to start their repair journeys. We covered basic servicing techniques for clarinet, flute and saxophone, with some additional work on dent repair, soldering and joint fitting. Thanks to Trevor for coming in to add his expertise on a couple of soldering demos and some advanced dent removal! The group were very hard working and enthusiastic, and much learning occurred!!!

Lynne Williams.