Culture, music and making of instruments is at the forefront of what we need more of in Southern Africa as a whole. From this observed need Svend’s violin, the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Co. and fiddlefax.co.za have jointly initiated a move to teach, make and grow skills for increasing and augmenting the quality of musical instrumentation locally.

In this land of change, innovation and opportunity we have the right ingredients to fuse ideas for the creation of musical instruments which can sing a rich and complex composition of afroBaroque song.

This pilot project was initiated at the beginning of March 2007 when the first few aspiring instrument makers set out on this vast journey of understanding exactly what the mastery of instrument making entails. Of course, agreeing that we would all have to figure this one out as slowly waking journeymen.

In observing the common needs in preparing these journey men & women over the last ten months; evidence has shown that there are a lot of basic skills that need to be developed so that their conceptual grasp and technical abilities can improve enough to allow them the joys of becoming well rounded instrument makers and repairers.

Some of the abilities that need some developing

·       For what and how to use, prepare and care for tools.

·       Workshop method and personal safety observations

·       Basic mathematical skills for processing and understanding of form and simple constructional principals.

·       Observation of form and eye training

·       Attention to detail when working with finely detailed wood

·       Basic art and music history for a better understanding of design evolution and musical epochs

·       Plus more to be discovered or remembered…

Some of the selected Students for the instrument making and servicing pilot training course initiated 2007 for assessments and to continue for a first instrument making workshop to run until the end of September 2008.

Pictures are of us working as a team in the hallway of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra Company.
One small wooden table in the middle of, what seems like, nowhere in a large space.

External Views and Observations

‘I think that the instrument repair training program is good for the individuals that are doing it Physical (eye and hand co-ordination), Emotionally (self esteem) as this will make them self sustainable financially and otherwise.

And for the community as a whole this training is creating jobs and skills development, people won’t need to go far to get their instruments repaired or maintained by professionals who charge a fortune for the same job that these guys are already doing.’ - Nomalungelo Thwala

Comments on the Instruments repaired in December/January 2008

Tshiamnagdzo Mudau wrote- “my cello has more sound now and the bow is clean and very smooth, I like it”

Buhle Mthelezulu wrote- “before my violin went to Svend in December I could never tune it cause the pegs were slippery and the strings were old, Thank you it’s much much better now”  

Go to the Aspiring Instrument makers listing to see the Participating Student profiles