Academy of Musical Science and Technology
Organology, Musical Acoustics and Musical Instrument Making

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History, iconography, organology and musicology are also included subjects as related to the design, construction and operation of the instruments, but the AMST is not devoted to music, music theory and music performance except in their relation with the science and technology of the instruments.

I have been building guitars since 1969, and teaching guitar making since 1985. Before opening Luthiers School International (formerly Luthiers School Pan-Galactic, but that seemed too grandiose), I was director of the American School of Lutherie, in its second Healdsburg, California incarnation. Before that I ran the Luthiers School of the Rockies. I have had the good fortune to work with students from such diverse places as Australia, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Dominican Republic, Spain, Japan, and Texas. You guess the hardest to communicate with! My goal in teaching lutherie is not to create the best luthiers in the world; I will be happier if I can nurture some luthiers toward the guitars they truly wish to build. Building guitars is not difficult. A well-trained monkey could probably do it; just ask my new associate. However, making really good guitars, really interesting guitars, guitars that are true to the vision of the luthiers who build them, is very difficult. When you leave LSI hopefully you will be equipped to continue the journey of discovery that I believe lutherie to be. Some students never build another guitar. One was their goal. Others have gone on to be professional luthiers. I create my own competition, if you will. It keeps me on my toes. Not all students who come to LSI have experience as woodworkers. I do not teach lutherie as an excercise in woodworking, although on some level it is one of the highest forms of woodworking. I teach guitarmaking as a series of steps to be considered, understood, executed, and reconsidered. I love it when a husband and wife take the class together, or a father and son or daughter, of brothers. I have had all of these combinations and they all have left alive and well, sharing a new understanding of guitars, if not each other! Lutherie is one of the few areas where no matter how good you become, there is always more to learn. As Robert Lundberg said, and I paraphrase: The study of lutherie is not about the perfection of the guitar; it is about the improvement of the guitarmaker. Come to LSI, have a great time, get really tired, leave with a guitar that you made from scratch.

We offer a unique and intensive hands-on program in such fields as guitar building, furniture making & turning. Our degrees and certificates are suited to fit your goals, whether it's pursuing a career in woodworking/lutherie, or merely honing your skills as a hobbyist.

The approach we take is a combination of old-world and modern techniques, providing the most comprehensive woodworking and lutherie education available in the region. The breadth of experience at Red Rocks is second to none. We provide a variety of excellent courses in three paths of learning - furniture, craft and lutherie. Our classes are scheduled in the day, evening and during the weekend in order to allow students to further their education without interrupting their careers.

The AMST is committed to making the best education in the world available to any person who seeks it. We envision people throughout the world getting access to world-leading education that has so far been available only to a tiny few. For many reasons we believe that high-level education must be much more available and affordable than it is now. We see people using this education to improve their lives and the communities they live in, avoiding myths and misconceptions that easily grow when the knowledge is not appropriately spread.

We see a future where world-leading educators and top-notch universities serve thousands instead of hundreds. In this future the online conversation between educators and students will take place, and the internet is the place where students go to for most of their academic needs.

The AMST offer several in-person, blended and on-line courses and workshops.

For self-teaching we also offer a free access to many documents through our Encyclopaedia of Musical Science and Technology.

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