Skilled Trades
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
Median salary (BLS)
$46,420
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$31k – $72k
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Education
Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Entry / Junior
$31,220
~2 yrs to advance
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Established
$46,420
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Senior
$59,010
Key skills
A typical day
- •Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- •Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- •Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
- •Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
- •Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.