Newark Violin School
43 Kirk Gate, Newark NG24 1AD

2025 update - Save the Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts!

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Preserve heritage craftsmanship in the UK - Sign HERE  to help save the school.

Full detail of the issue can be found on the website https://www.newarkmusiccampaign.org 

As of the 7th of May, it was announced that Lincoln College will accept no new student onto the musical instrument craft courses at Newark.

It comes at a time when the school is under considerable pressure from its parent organisation, the Lincoln College Group, and the consequences of last weeks actions would mean that without a B.A.(Hons) degree there would be no pathway for overseas and EU students to study, and home students would be ineligible for student finance. Obviously that would lead to the eventual closure of the course when the current first-years come to the end of their studies.
 

There are some who think the school would be better off without the academic framework of a B.A., and whilst this may have some truth, it would mean that only UK home students who can pay for the course out of their own funds would be eligible or able to study. The further education and higher education frameworks have evolved since the time when that was possible.

The school of musical crafts includes the Newark School of Violin Making, and lesser known schools of guitar making, woodwind and piano repair. It is now the only full-time institution in the UK providing these skills, and it is no exaggeration to say that every child that plays a musical instrument benefits from the technical skills of it's alumni to make their instruments work, let alone the influence that they have at every level of the £4Billion UK music industry in making and maintaining instruments for musicians.
 

The situation at Newark is still evolving, and there are reasons to be optimistic about a potential outcome if we can show our strength and support for the school, and if we can illustrate how valuable it is for every aspect of music making in Britain and beyond.

You can add your support by signing this petition:
 

Save the Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts!

As admin of this group, im reaching out to all who can, to sign the petition to help !!

Newark is the place where musicians and instrument makers meet. Please support all creative souls who understand the value of the arts!

I have included a brief history of the building at the bottom



Detailed situation

The instrument making courses on offer in Newark are more than just qualifications from a college.

They have made Newark into a hub of musical instrument crafts and created a community to nurture and support makers through their training and beyond.

On these four distinct courses violin makers, guitar makers, piano technicians, and woodwind specialists learn the skills they need for fruitful careers, preserving traditional knowledge that could otherwise be lost.
 

These courses have a huge historic precedent, beginning with school of violin making founded in 1972, whose inaugural class are now among the most highly regarded makers in the country.

Many beginner makers embark on these courses with the help of student finance, making the qualifications far more accessible to those from a wide range of backgrounds. Each student brings a wealth of individual knowledge and experience, creating an irreplaceably unique community.

Alumni rely on this community far beyond graduation, from those who have not long left right back to the inaugural cohorts.

Some return to visit old tutors and friends and many make their way back regularly for specialist conventions still held in the town, not to mention those who rely on recent graduates from the schools to fill job opening in their workshops.

This is now all under threat!

Lincoln College, which oversees the Newark campus, along with the validating body, the University of Hull, has announced that there will be no new intake of students in 2025 and 2026.

This decision leaves students currently in their foundation year without a way to continue on the course as well as preventing any new students from joining either the foundation or first year on any pathway.

If this is allowed to happen, the schools will be starved of future funding, deter potential future applicants, and ultimately endanger their very existence.

The loss of these courses will have a profound and devastating effect on not only the instrument making community, but also on the global music industry as a whole! Put simply, if there are no instrument makers, there are no instruments.