Malden Courses

Trevor Head: Training In Musical Instrument Repair

(Llangunllo – Powys – Wales)

Specialist short courses in Musical Instrument Repair

Llangunllo School, Llangunllo, Knighton, Powys LD7 1SR.
Tel: 01547 550 622
Mobile: 07971 083 089 E-mail: trevorhead@btinternet.com
Director of courses: Trevor Head. Cert.Ed.

The Malden School of Musical Instrument Repair

Please click here for the 2009 course schedule.

The Malden School is in Llangunllo in mid Wales and was started by Trevor Head so that he could offer specialist courses in musical instrument repair. These are based in the old village school which Trevor purchased in 1986.

Trevor originally trained in trombone at the Trinity College in London. In addition to his playing he worked for Henry Keats whose family had vast experience in the making and repairing of brass instruments. This was very valuable practise for Trevor in accurate metal work and the use of tools.

Trevor is a qualified teacher, holding a professional qualification in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and is the President of NAMIR.

In 1972 Trevor began teaching second year engineering students at Merton College in South London. With his background he found it easy to start teaching instrument repairing when an opportunity arose and he was soon teaching the brass instrument repair and metalwork courses at the College.

This continued right through to 2001 when he resigned his post from the College and decided to move to the school in Llangunllo and set up home there.

The location is quite remote but it is situated in what must be one of the most beautiful parts of Wales and Trevor offers a unique range of specialist brass, woodwind and strings repair courses. Llangunllo is just a few miles from the town of Knighton which has an abundance of pubs and places in which to eat out. There is no accommodation at the school itself but the surrounding towns, villages and hamlets offer accommodation to suit all pockets and tastes.
You don’t need to drive any distance to experience the beautiful Welsh countryside; it is outside the door. Rivers, dams, lakes and even the sea on the west coast is only just over 50 miles away.

Trevor continues to run intensive training courses which are as popular as ever and he has recently decided to increase the number of his long established Foundation courses, due to demand.

He welcomes students from overseas visiting to study and has recently seen an increase in their numbers.

He has a fully equipped workshop at the school and encourages students to carry out all the processes needed for brass instrument repair. In addition to these courses which he directs himself he also offers courses in woodwind and stringed instrument repair which are taken by other specialists.

Teaching is done through careful demonstration of techniques followed by students practising what they have been shown.

On the 5 day Brass Foundation course the following is a sample of techniques covered:
- Soft and hard soldering
- Machine and hand polishing technique
- Dent removal from all parts of the instrument
- Valve and tuning slide repair and servicing
- Trombone slides; servicing repair and realignment
- Rotary valve servicing and repair.

On a typical woodwind course, the following are covered:
- Pad seating and replacement
- Tenon cork replacement
- Correct stripdown and rebuild procedures
- Students can expect to complete two or three full overhauls during the course
- Troubleshooting is a key feature

These photographs illustrate Trevor at work and some of the facilities at the school.