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KM Woodwind instrument repair and maintenance is managed by Kaiya Mitchell, a graduate of the Newark School of Instrument Making in the UK. She has completed several internships in the UK and Europe, and is a member of NAMIR and NAPBIRT. Through her wide range of experiences with woodwind instruments, all repairs are completed to a high standard of workmanship.
Kaiya Mitchell completed her Bachelor of Music at Melbourne University on oboe in 2014, following it with a Master of Music – Performance Teaching. During her time in Melbourne, she developed an interest in woodwind repair, frequently stripping her own instruments down to learn more about their function and how to repair them, eventually advancing to the point where she could make some adjustments and quick repairs for friends and students when needed.
In 2017 she was accepted into the Newark College Musical Instrument Crafts course in the UK, a three-year endeavour which equips graduates with the skills and knowledge to work as instrument repairers and makers. During this time, she completed several internships in the UK and Europe, including at the Huttenlocher workshop in Tübingen, Oboen-Ries in Lübeck, and Howarth of London, as well as learning under the direction of the knowledgeable tutors at Newark. These experiences were made possible by the Australian Council for the Arts’ Career Development Grant, and have cultivated an extremely high standard of work, which Kaiya has brought back and implemented in her own workshop.
A range of repairs are offered on all woodwind instruments, including saxophone, oboe, flute, and clarinet. Instruments of all kinds are welcome, from students with their first clarinet joining the school band to professionals who need their instrument playing to its maximum potential. Services offered include basic and full services of all woodwind instruments, overhauls; where the entire instrument is stripped and all pads replaced, crack repairs, emergency repairs, and check-ups. For much woodwind instrument repair, players will desire a specific material to be used on their instruments, from Gore-tex pads to specific kinds of leather. These materials may not be stocked regularly, so Contact us by phone or email ahead of time that they may be ordered in.
For an instrument to be properly maintained, it is recommended that it be serviced every six to twelve months. This will prevent a plethora of issues which could otherwise occur, such as binding keys, cracks in wood, ripped pads, and missing cork. These are things which naturally occur as an instrument is exposed to the elements and can be exacerbated depending on how the instrument is treated and how often it is played. A musician can maintain their instrument to a certain extent on their own. For more information on how to care for your instrument, please get in touch.