Music Education Documentary 'The Last Repair Shop' wins an Oscar
"Music education isn't just about creating incredible musicians, it's about creating incredible humans."
How wonderful to hear this quote from film maker Kris Bowers, as he accepted an Academy Award on Sunday night for his short documentary, "The Last Repair Shop."
The film tells the story of the four people who keep some 80,000 musical instruments in good repair for the Los Angeles Unified School District - one of the last districts in the country to provide free and freely repaired musical instruments to its public schoolchildren.
The documentary makes it clear that for these people, fixing broken instruments is a calling - they know from personal experience how much a musical instrument can change a child's life. Please enjoy:
* * *
Enjoying Violinist.com? Click here to sign up for our free, bi-weekly email newsletter. And if you've already signed up, please invite your friends! Thank you.
Tweet
Replies
I watched it a while back on Disney+ and I think it's streaming on Hulu as well. A very moving documentary with a great cross-section of featured individuals. I have to admit is wasn't what I originally thought it would be. Being an avid consumer of YouTube videos featuring the making and restoration of "Fine Instruments" I have certainly been in a sort of a mental bubble regarding instrument repair. Ultimately the movie is more about inspiring and providing opportunities for the young players and in some cases the luthiers themselves.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Subscribe
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
March 11, 2024 at 01:38 PM · An adult violinist group I belong to on Facebook posted a link to this film. I'd never heard of it but I'm so glad that I got to watch it. I defy anyone to watch it without getting a tear in ther eye or a lump in their throat. As a very late starter to the violin and one for who the violin helped get through difficult childhood, I could relate totally to this film. It deserved to win!