Summer: The Perfect Time to Learn a New Skill

Summertime is here, and New Englanders have packed up their winter coats and pulled out their warm-weather gear. It’s truly the most beautiful time of year – the cities are buzzing with energy, and the whole landscape is bathed in sunshine. Seeing the trees and flowers burst to life has a way of making us feel motivated and ready to come out of hibernation and take on the world. Here at NBSS, we notice a significant uptick in our summer trade programs. Whether you’re still in school or working full-time, summer is the perfect time to learn a new skill, change careers, or dive deeper into something that’s always interested you.

About Our Summer Workshops

People from all walks of life join our summer programs: students that are just out of high school and are interested in trade work, NBSS alumni who want to continue their education, and adult newcomers who love to learn or are thinking of making a career switch. We offer a variety of courses for people of all skill levels, so whether you’re a master with a hand plane or have never heard of one in your life, there’s a program that’s right for you. We work with some of the best makers in the area; all our instructors are master craftspeople, and many are NBSS graduates themselves. Classes range in length from one day to three months. We offer workshops at times designed to fit a variety of schedules.

What’s Happening for Summer ’17

Our summer programs this year focus on many different areas of craftsmanship: book arts, woodworking, carpentry, jewelry making, and musical instruments. Here’s a look at some of our courses:

• Bookbinding Classes: Learn the age-old skill of bookbinding using a variety of structures and materials. If you’re new to the craft, our Bookbinding 101 course will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and mechanical skills you’ll need to get started. We also have courses for people that are familiar with the craft and want to fine-tune their skills, like Medieval Long and Link Stitch Bindings, Leather Tooling, and Conservation of Leather Bindings.
• Woodworking and Carpentry Classes: We offer woodworking courses for nearly every craft in the field. From carpentry workshops to furniture making courses (and everything in between), you’ll have opportunities to work on a variety of projects and structures. Specialized courses like Surface Texturing and Relief Carving offer intensive training in new skill areas. As always, we have courses for all skill levels – Woodworking 101 is a perfect introduction for beginners.
• Jewelry Making Classes: Jewelry making is an intricate and highly creative craft. Our jewelry workshops teach the basic skills you’ll need to work with an array of materials and styles. Start with our Essential Skills course to learn the necessary hand skills and history of jewelry making. Then, move on to our Soldering Intensive course to improve your benchwork skills through hands-on practice. Advanced courses like Stone Setting and Wax Carving let you learn new techniques and expand your creativity.
• Piano Technology Classes: If you’re musically inclined and love to work with your hands, why not check out our Piano Technology course? Our intro course will familiarize you with the techniques and materials needed to work in the field. You’ll learn about piano building, tuning, and repair –providing a foundation to learn more about your own piano or embark on a new career path.

Courses for All Skill Sets and Interests

Our list of courses is diverse. As the summer progresses, we offer more specialized courses at higher skill levels, alongside our rotating selection of introductory courses. We structure our summer workshops so that master craftspeople can always find something new to learn, and beginners always have the option to jumpstart an education. Whether you’re considering one of our full-time programs and want to “try before you buy,” or simply want to take a quick refresher class, our continuing education courses offer a wealth of opportunities. Ready to get started? Learn more about our upcoming summer workshops here.