How to look after your string instrument

Every year, thousands of musical instruments go to landfill as the cost of repairing them is so expensive. Unwanted musical instruments present a recycling challenge as they are typically made of high value materials such as rare woods and metals, but with regular maintenance and repair, these instruments can last for decades. This is why we launched the Olympias Recycled Orchestra earlier this year, with funding from The Oglesby Charitable Trust.

The project involves repairing 100 instruments donated by the public to ensure they can be played and enjoyed for years to come by children experiencing low income, rather than contributing to growing landfill sites and wasting finite natural resources. Several wonderful luthiers and woodwind specialists came together over a weekend in spring when they repaired instruments for all to see.

This weekend also saw a workshop for some of our instrumental teachers who are now equipped with a ‘First Aid’ kit for string instruments. 

First Aid Repair Kit contents (see list of contents below)

As part of our Recycled Orchestra we have created some useful resources for looking after your instrument, or to pass onto those you teach:

• Watch the workshop video with useful tips to look after your instrument

• Download our 'Guide to Instrument Care' sheet with further information below

• Check our Maintenance Kit List below for essential items for your toolkit to help you look after your instrument

  
  

Olympias_Guide to Instrument Care.pdf

Download PDF • 578KB

String Instrument : Maintenance Kit List

• Tape measure

• Dry soap

• Oil 

• Peg paste

• Tweezers 

• Pliers 

• 6B pencil

• Pencil sharpener 

• Microfibre cloth

• Chalk 

• Bridge templates

Thank you for helping to preserve our planet, one instrument at a time!