The RAB Trust funded 3 students to attend this course at Halsway Manor. Spending a week working with Tim Baker and other professional bow makers willing to share their knowledge was a valuable opportunity for those wishing to learn or develop the basics of rehairing and repairs.
Cameron Barnett and Ramkumar Sathiakumar, students at Merton College, attended the course. Cameron had spent a few weeks learning basic rehairing and repairs in his 2nd year and had since practiced rehairing on some old bows from auction and cheap Chinese bows, also 5 double bass bows, plus a few thumb leathers and refaces. He said of the course “It has allowed for a hugely insightful look into the bow world which the college hasn’t been able to cover to the same level. Getting to have so much contact time with Jutta Walcher was invaluable, getting to go far more in depth on repairs, refacing and rehairing bows”
Cameron found the conversations he had with the makers were invaluable: “Everyone was so open and transparent with how they run their businesses and how they transitioned from education to ‘the real world’ that it gave me more confidence on how I can create work after college.”
“Thanks so much to the RAB trust for organising and making available some space for students at Halsway manor.”
He said of the bow makers: “Seeing everyone’s different methods was also intriguing as there was so much variety of techniques and tools. Thanks also to Tim Baker for running it and making it such a warm and supportive environment.“
Muireann Ní Sheoighe Eachthighearn, in her 2nd year at Newark, had a very basic knowledge of bow rehair, having spent a few days learning from a recent graduate of Newark. She was keen to attend this course to become more competent and found she was immersed in the whole new world of making: “I spent the first day simply watching and reading, soaking up the shapes of bows by Peccate and other greats, names I had not heard of before. I studied the beautiful photographs of bows, shapes I had never paid much attention to – the fluting on the head, the contour of the camber, the frog’s outline and the sweeping head-tip’s curves.”
Muireann enjoyed the open structure of the course: “we were all able to set our own working pace and goals, asking questions of one another which often led to someone demonstrating an aspect of making or repairing to the group.“
She gained a lot from listening to conversations around technique between the makers and watching them work, also appreciating the insights gained from people active in the trade “into the ‘real world’ beyond the end of my time in Newark”. It was helpful to meet students from Merton College: “Cameron and Ramkumar both had more experience in bow related work than I had but I think it was a mutually beneficial and comforting thing to be able to connect and discuss our thoughts on what it is like to be starting out as instrument makers.”
Muireann summed up her feelings about the experience: “There certainly is something special about these courses – the encouragement between new and experienced makers, the amount of knowledge and new skills to absorb and the calming beauty of the surroundings. Thank you to all involved!”
And some heartwarming thanks to the RAB Trust: “The continued generosity and thoughtfulness of the Trust is something I will always be indebted to, and I hope that present and future students never take it for granted either.”