Red List Comment Submission

Commenting on: Keyboard instrument making

Section one - About you

Section two - Description of the craft

If you are commenting on an existing craft, please select it here and skip the next two questions

Please enter the name of the craft you would like us to add here.

If this is a new craft type please select the most suitable category

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify country, region, county or town

Please identify an era/century/approximate historic period.

Heritage Crafts uses a system of four categories of risk to assess the viability of heritage crafts. A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. For more information on definitions see http://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/categories-of-risk/

Section three - Current numbers of those practising the craft in the UK

People earning their main craft income from this craft (selling, commissions, conservation/ restoration and/or teaching).

People practicing this craft commercially (selling, commissions, conservation/restoration and/or teaching) but as less than half of their income.

People acquiring skills in order to become a professional in this craft, they probably have to work under supervision even if they are earning money while training.

People whose knowledge and ability is at a level of the most skilled practitioners of this craft.

People who do not intend to practice this craft professionally or at the highest level.

Section four - Issues affecting the viability of the craft

Existing content:
  • Skills issues: There has been a large pool of skill and experience built up in the UK in this field, particularly over the last thirty to forty years. There is currently no next generation, so most of this experience stands to be lost. In time this is likely to have a serious impact on players, orchestras, colleges etc.
  • Skills transmission to the next generation: Of the few remaining early keyboard instrument makers, many are becoming increasingly reluctant to take on repair work, especially of lower grade and older instruments – of which there are many. This is in part due to the slowing down of the craftsmen concerned due to the age or health. Of the established builders referenced above, none are known to have a clear succession plan in place. Many have tried to take on help and/or to train younger people in some way at some time in the past. There are many difficulties to this – legislation and regulation, cost to a one-person business of supervising a trainee, and particularly a lack of candidates with suitable commitment.
  • Market issues: There is a healthy demand for good quality secondhand instruments but the demand for new instruments remains strong for the relatively small number of people now producing them
  • Ageing workforce: Hirers, tuners and conservators are also ageing. The situation has deteriorated just in the last few years with several experienced practitioners leaving the field on grounds of ill health or age.  London and the South East still have reasonable coverage but it is very difficult indeed to find a trained and suitably experienced early keyboard tuner or technician in the north of England. This can at times be very stressful work demanding experience and excellent personal organisation.
  • Training and recruitment issues: The whole training environment is difficult for small enterprises and especially for individual craftsmen. Proper long term training (3 to 5 years is probably required to gain basic competence as a maker) is financially pretty unsustainable and government schemes like the Modern Apprenticeships etc are just not geared up to this kind of training.
  • People who want to ‘have a go’, or even a ten-session college course intended to produce lots of new ‘technicians’, would be likely to be counter-productive. An influx of under-skilled newcomers would not benefit customers in the long run. What is needed is a long-term development of  a relatively small number of thoroughly trained and experienced younger people.
  • A maker probably reduces his own work rate by at least 50 per cent and adds considerable additional costs in the early days in order to supervise a trainee who possibly might contribute 10 per cent to overall output? And the there are substantial costs potentially around preparing a workshop to be safe (tot he satisfaction of insurers) for the formal employment of a trainee. The balance might improve after say a year when the maker might be producing at around 90 per cent capacity and the trainee adding around 20 or 30 per cent. And the balance would continue to improve. But if the trainee, for whatever reason, leaves after six months, or even two years, then all that investment of time, energy and cost comes to nought.
  • Sourcing raw materials: This is becoming acute. The biggest issues with materials are probably increasing costs, partly due to worldwide economic forces but in particular to the effects of Brexit. Probably of greater concern is that most makers in the UK and beyond rely on a very small pool of specialist suppliers for music wire, metal fittings and other specialised parts. Most of these suppliers are sole traders of mature years.

e.g. lack of qualifications, funding for training etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. lack of demand for products/skills etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

Tick the box if there are difficulties with the supply of raw materials, allied materials or tools

If yes, please describe the issues below

i.e. issues around running any small business, not just crafts

If yes, please describe the issues below

Is the main workforce made up of people who are approaching retirement age?

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. legal restrictions on materials, health and safety etc.

If yes, please describe the issues below

e.g. Brexit, Covid-19, conflict

If yes, please describe the issues below

Please describe any other issues

Section five - Current Initiatives to preserve craft skills

Please describe any UK projects or schemes

Section six - Main players in the craft – please tell us who you know about

Please list any known practitioners of this craft — add a row item for each person or business and complete the fields to the best of your knowledge. To get started click the `Add practitioner` button below.

1
Add practitioner

Section seven - Optional additional information

It may include when and where the craft developed, how it has changed over time, etc.

e.g. festivals, religious celebrations, agricultural practices, music, dance etc.

e.g. religious, ethnic, social class. Please give an overview of the techniques involved in the craft.

This may involve different materials, techniques, styles or finished products.

e.g. books, websites etc.