UK’s Only Degree in Stringed Instrument Making to Close, Sparking Fears for Traditional Craft

The UK’s only full-time degree course in stringed instrument making is set to close, raising serious concerns about the future of luthiery and other traditional musical crafts.

The Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts, managed by Lincoln College, announced it will no longer accept new applicants to its internationally recognised programmes, including violin making, guitar making, piano technology, and woodwind repair. The closure will also affect current foundation-year students.

The decision follows years of financial losses and low enrolment, with only 17 students accepted for the next academic year. The college said it is exploring options for privately funded alternatives, though such courses would lack government support and would be inaccessible to international students due to visa restrictions.

The move comes just after the Heritage Crafts Association updated its Red List of Endangered Crafts, warning that luthiery could soon be classified as “critically endangered” in the UK.

The announcement has sparked backlash from the music community. Twenty-four former BBC Young Musician of the Year winners have signed a letter opposing the closure, while a public petition has gained nearly 14,000 signatures.

Former chair of the British Violin Making Association, Benjamin Hebbert, said the closure threatens the foundation of the UK’s £4 billion music industry: “Without instrument makers, there will be no instruments—and without instruments, no music in schools or communities.”