West Dean College’s Musical Instruments programme (often referred to as the luthier or stringed instrument-making course) has a strong track record of producing skilled graduates who build sustainable careers in making, repairing, and restoring instruments.
The Foundation Degree Arts (FdA) in Musical Instruments (and related historic craft pathways) focuses on both bowed and plucked stringed instruments, including violins, violas, cellos, violas da gamba, guitars, and early/historical instruments. Students develop high-level hand-tool skills, traditional construction methods, varnishing, setup, repair, and professional practices. The programme is described by the college as internationally respected for the proficiency of its graduates.
Career outcomes
Graduates commonly:
- Set up their own workshops (self-employed makers).
- Work in established instrument shops or for other makers.
- Specialise in historical, rare, or modern instruments.
- Combine making with repairs, teaching, or related work.
- Progress to further study or high-profile commissions.
Notable employers and destinations for alumni include J & A Beare Ltd and JP Guivier (London), Frederick Chaudiere (Montpellier, France), William Monical & Son (New York), and Andreas Post (Amsterdam). Many also build independent practices with international clients.
Notable alumni success stories
Peter Barton (FdA Historic Craft Practices – Musical Instruments, 1984–1986)
Established his own classical guitar workshop in Yorkshire shortly after graduating. He received a Crafts Council setting-up grant and has supplied instruments to professional and amateur musicians worldwide, including international classical players (e.g., Vladislav Blaha, Nikita Koshkin, Asya Selyutina) and a Tokyo studio. He also makes steel-string guitars and was commissioned by folk singer Kate Rusby (plus other folk musicians for tenor guitars, mandolins, and citterns). Since 2010 he has taught guitar-making short courses at West Dean. He describes making a living from the craft he loves—and hearing his instruments in concert or on recordings—as his greatest achievement.
James Cole (Early plucked stringed instrument making / lutes and baroque guitars, 1993–1996)
Continued instrument making and repairs after graduating, expanding into different styles and techniques. His instruments (lutes, guitars, banjos) are played and enjoyed by musicians. Recent projects include a baroque guitar and a gourd banjo for working gigging players. He has balanced lutherie with occasional other work while keeping the craft central, and still performs regularly.
Jonathan Hill (FdA Musical Instruments, completed 2012)
Specialises in historic and modern stringed instruments, particularly the viola d’amore (he is described as the only UK maker specialising in them and has produced more consecutive examples than any other maker, living or historical). He also makes instruments from the violin/viola families, lira da braccio, and related types. After training at West Dean he worked for other makers in the UK and Europe (and studied further abroad). Clients include musicians from leading ensembles and orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Kreutzer Quartet, and others. He won the inaugural Heritage Crafts / Axminster Tools Woodworker of the Year Award in 2022. He runs his own workshop and has taught at West Dean.
Other graduates have established businesses making and repairing instruments, taken on specialised projects (e.g., rare or unusual instruments such as the arpeggione), secured scholarships or bursaries to support their development, and had their work performed in concerts and recordings. Recent graduating students have showcased historically accurate recreations and original designs at college exhibitions.
Realistic path to success
Alumni frequently note that building a full-time living from lutherie takes time and persistence—often several years of establishing a reputation through high-quality work, exhibitions, networking (including early music festivals), commissions, and combining making with repairs or part-time teaching/other work. The intensive, hands-on training at West Dean, emphasis on traditional methods to a high standard, and exposure to professional expectations are repeatedly credited with providing a strong foundation.
Overall, the programme has a long history (with early involvement from Yehudi Menuhin as a trustee) and continues to produce makers whose instruments are played by professionals and whose careers demonstrate both craft excellence and commercial viability. For the most current alumni profiles and news, the West Dean College website’s School of Arts alumni section is a good resource.
