Curriculum

From the 2014-2015 academic year the curriculum at BELE has been renewed. These are the main educational pillars at our school.

To get to know the main details you can read them in this PDF (in Spanish). Content is only in Basque and Spanish. If you need more information do not hesitate to contact us.

The academic courses usually begin the first or second week of September and end in mid-June.

Making a string quartet

For the three academic courses, the main aim is the construction and set up of a string quartet, consisting on two violins, a viola and a cello.
This includes the learning and training on the different varnishing and instrument finishing techniques.

Repair and restoration techniques

Having in mind that repair and restoration can take an important amount of the workload of a maker in their professional workshop, another primary objective of these studies is learning of the most usual techniques.

Bow maintenance and rehairing

For the professional player the bow is as important as the instrument itself and, on that basis, rehairing techniques, maintenance and care, repairing and some basic bow restoration are also taught.

Acoustics and performance

Another basis of the new curriculum, a hallmark of our School is the learning of the basic concepts used in acoustics: mechanical behavior of materials, complete instrument acoustics, sound adjustment, the study and application of the most recent researches in this field, and the use of measurement methods developed to our days.

We can say that all the fulfilled investigations till today help us to understand the complexity of the sound of the reference instruments.

Business environment. Practice.

We think that this is an important subject to deal as the students will have to face it when they finish at school. Subjects such as Entrepreneurship, practical training phase and the final project are another basis of the curriculum, intended to strengthen the chances of success of the professional projects that future luthiers will begin.

Instrument Playing.

The curriculum also includes learning the basics of playing violin, viola, cello and doublebass.

List of subjects and theoretical-practical load schedule.

First year. 925 hours. (more details here)

Building and set up a violin. 550 hours
Acoustics I: Basic concepts and material acoustics.50 hours.
Lutherie history. 25 hours.
Drawing and design. 50 hours.
Bow rehairing and manteniance I. 50 hours.
Wood technology. 75 hours.
Toll technology.50 hours.
New technologies applied to sound analisis I.50 hours.
Instrument playing I. 25 hours.
Second year. 900 hours. (more details here)

Building and set up a viola. 550 hours
Varnishing violin and viola. 50 hours.
Acoustics II: Analisis of whole instrument. 25 hours.
History of music. 25 hours.
Bow rehairing and manteniance II. 50 hours.
Bow repair and restoration. 50 horas.
New technologies applied to design II. 50 hours.
Business environment. 75 hours.
Instrument playing II. 25 hours.
Third year. 1175 hours. (more details here)

Building and set up a viooncello. 550 hours
Varnishing violoncello. 50 hours.
Acústica III: Diagnosis and sound treatment. 25 hours.
Instrument repair and restoration. 175 hours.
New technologies applied to bussines environment.III. 50 hours.
Instrument playing II III. 25 hours.
Final project. 100 hours.
Profesional trainig period. 200 hours.