First Responders: Instrument Repair Basics for Band and Orchestra Directors

By Cliff Hall | From the September/October 2025 issue of Strings

In school music programs—where equipment is often shared, rented, or loaned—stringed instruments are subject to constant wear and tear. From mysterious buzzes to collapsed bridges, directors are routinely faced with challenges they may not feel prepared to solve. According to Sandy Neill, string specialist for Menchey Music, a family-owned full-service school music dealer in Pennsylvania, certain common issues appear frequently. “Broken strings, fallen bridges, and soundposts,” Neill writes in an email, adding that “bows not tightening, sticky pegs that make tuning difficult, open seams, and stuck endpins” also top the list.

Neill, a cellist by training, has been accumulating this knowledge since she was young, spending over a decade as a brand manager for bowed string products with D’Addario & Company before joining Menchey Music. But what about band teachers who, having never formally studied the violin or other stringed instruments, suddenly find themselves with a job that requires this specialized skill set?

This was precisely the challenge Bryan Sanguinito faced when he started the string program in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1998. He brought that experience to the Reading School District in 2003, where he is now an orchestra director. Unlike Nazareth, which was a more affluent district, his role in Reading involved navigating significant instrument accessibility and repair needs from the start. Today, he is one of seven string teachers supporting the district’s more than 18,000 students, leading a large program with hundreds of instruments circulating.

“As somebody who only played woodwinds up until college, I had to research or reteach myself everything that I had learned in my two semesters of strings methods courses in college,” Sanguinito writes in an email. “This was back in the ’90s, when Google was not yet around, so a lot of work went into this endeavor.”

He notes that a lack of consistent maintenance is a chronic problem in many school settings. “Too often, we just give students instruments at the beginning of the year and collect them at the end of the year without doing any proper inspection or main-tenance throughout the year,” Sanguinito says. Directors can easily address typical issues like incorrect rosin application or early signs of instrument damage through routine monthly inspections and frequent tuning checks that allow for observation of cracks, bridge placement, and neck stability.

This process should always “start with a thorough visual inspection,” advises Neill, who notes that while some things like cracks and broken strings are obvious, “the more difficult things to diagnose would be buzzes, string-height issues (they could be the result of fingerboard problems), or just a low or high bridge.”

DIY Repairs

While some repairs should always be left to the pros, many everyday issues can be handled in-house with a little training and confidence. For example, a frequent problem is slipping pegs, which can often be resolved with a few simple tools. “Sometimes they just need to be cleaned and relubricated. You can use 0000 steel wool to clean the peg off, so you are just taking off the dirt, not the material. Then use peg lubricant (not peg drops!) to dress the pegs,” says Neill. “If a peg still slips after this treatment, or feels out of round, it’s time to send the instrument in.”

Changing a broken string is another regular task directors can easily handle on their own. It is critical to replace strings one at a time to maintain tension on the instrument’s top and prevent the soundpost from falling. The soundpost, a small wooden dowel inside the instrument, is held in place by the tension of the strings on the bridge. This critical fact is sometimes not clear to parents, whose panicked first instinct when a bridge falls can be to reach for a tube of super glue—and make a manageable situation much, much worse.

A fallen bridge is one of the most common emergencies a school director may face, but super glue is (obviously) never the answer. First, make sure the soundpost is still set, as a fallen bridge is sometimes accompanied by a fallen soundpost. Paul Murr, an educational representative for Menchey Music and a percussionist by training, was the director of bands at Lancaster Catholic High School for 18 years. He writes in an email a memorable diagnostic tip: “If the instrument sounds like a maraca, you probably have a soundpost issue!” If the soundpost has fallen, detune the instrument so there is no tension on the top of the instrument and send it in for repair.

“If the soundpost is still upright, then the director can reset the bridge themselves,” writes Neill. She suggests loosening the strings slightly and standing the bridge back up—making sure it’s oriented correctly. Usually the bridge manufacturer puts a stamp with their company name on the back side of the bridge, facing the tailpiece. Often the music shop will put their stamp on the front side of the bridge, facing the fingerboard.

“Stand the bridge up underneath the strings (making sure each string is in the string groove) and then center the bridge (looking down the fingerboard), and it should also fall evenly between the f-holes,” says Neill. “The bridge should stand perpendicular (at a 90 degree angle) to the top of the instrument, looking on the back side of the bridge. The middle of the bridge feet should line up with the notches in the f-hole.”

Shop-Worthy Issues

What about the more complex repairs, like resetting that fallen soundpost? For these, you must know your limits. Murr offers a simple rule: “If you don’t have the knowledge or tools to fix it, please send it into the shop. The last thing you want to do is make the problem worse.” 

Neill details why this rule is so vital, particularly for soundposts. “Resetting a soundpost is challenging and not recommended to do unless you have a lot of experience!” she says. “Not only can it be frustrating fishing it out but then getting it to stand without falling off the soundpost setter and getting it in the correct spot. You need a soundpost setter, a flexible ruler to make sure the soundpost is in the right location. If the soundpost is set incorrectly, it will affect the sound and tone of the instrument, and it could also cause a bump or crack on the top of the instrument.”

Neill offers another specific example of a repair that can seem simple but is best left to an expert. “Open seams: They can be a quick fix with glue, but you need to do it right. If you use the wrong glue, you’ll ruin the instrument,” Neill says. “Cracks need to be evaluated by a professional, because they may not be a simple surface crack but a crack that goes through the wood.”

Encourage Basic Care

The most effective way to extend the life of stringed instruments is by teaching students how to take proper care of them from the very beginning. “I would suggest that you speak to your students about taking proper care of their instrument on day one,” emphasizes Murr. “Many method books have a page that talks about care and maintenance, so be sure to do that!”

In a pervasive but dangerous habit, some students love to balance their cellos precariously against their chairs. Neill offers advice for how lower string students should put their instruments down. “When setting cellos and basses down during rehearsal, always set them on their side. Never flat down with the bridge up,” she says.

When considering the long-term health of a rental fleet, proactive measures are key. “Just making sure that educators are taking the time to go over the basics of taking care of their instrument but also reinforcing it after each lesson or rehearsal,” Murr says, adding that directors must be consistent. “Teaching requires repeating yourself over and over again.”

Murr says that administrators should understand the needs of the instruments as well. “Be sure that your administration and building supervisors know that your instruments cannot be stored like textbooks,” writes Murr. It’s also vital to have the right supplies on hand. To be prepared for everyday emergencies, directors should keep a basic inventory of new strings for all four main stringed instruments. It is also smart to stock other basic supplies like rosin, a polishing cloth, and endpin stops for cellos and basses. For long-term care, especially in school buildings with fluctuating climates, having in-case humidifiers on hand can be a great way to prevent cracks and other issues caused by dry air. “Temperature/humidity/location all can factor into an instrument in good condition or poor condition,” says Murr.

As both a teacher and a composer whose music has been performed at the Midwest Clinic and other national stages, Sanguinito understands how technical issues can affect a young musician’s confidence. “Nothing’s more frustrating for a student than for them to do everything right and yet not get a good sound out of their instrument,” he says. “That will discourage them tremendously, while the problem the whole time was their instrument or their bow and not them.”