Musical Instrument Repairer

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Work Tasks

• Maintain, fix, and tune musical instruments
• Tighten or loosen strings to tune instruments
• Replace worn parts and clean instruments
• Follow blueprints to put instruments like organs together
• Work indoors in repair shops, customers homes, public buildings, instrument manufacture and repair shops, or themselves in their own shop
• Work with pianos, organs, violins, cellos, violas, guitars, trumpets, oboes, flutes, clarinets, drums, cymbals, xylophones, tuning hammers, tuning forks, wrenches, screwdrivers, mallets, hand tools, and burnishing tools

Salary, Size & Growth

• $39,500 average per year ($19.00 per hour)
• A small occupation (5,600 workers in 2010)
• Expected to not change (0.0% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A high school diploma
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree in music and an apprenticeship in musical instrument repair
• Skills/Courses: Courses in instrument repair and piano tuning
• Licensing/Certification: Certification for piano tuning is available.