Organ Builder

On an organ builder apprenticeship course, you’ll help design, manufacture and assemble the components required in a pipe organ.

Pipe organs and their components are specifically built and repaired using an organ builder’s expertise and labour. You’ll learn how to design, manufacture, and construct the components for a pipe organ as an apprentice, as well as how to place organ pipes on speakers and tune them, as well as how to repair, maintain, and tune existing organs.

You’ll learn to deal with various materials, including wood, leather, tin, and lead, and you’ll spend most of your time in a workshop or on-site, which is generally a church or public theatre.

The Institute of British Organ Building will recognise you as a qualified organ builder when you complete your apprenticeship, enabling you to work for any of its recognised members. You may also join as a single member or as an associate member.

What you’ll learn

On an organ builder apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Create and grasp technical specifications, drawings, and other written and spoken instructions (such as cutting lists, rollerboard layouts, and soundboard plantings).
• Choose and utilise the right processes, techniques, materials, tools, and equipment to accomplish organ building operations from conception to completion; create wood components such as soundboards and wind trunking; use leather to make bellows hinges and gussets, as well as pneumatic motors.
• Remove and dismantle components safely and systematically; reassemble and test that everything is working properly; tune individual pipes and complete ranks; identify and resolve action faults in existing instruments. 

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, but likely GCSEs or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment consists of three distinct assessment methods: 

• Final Project (portative organ)
• Skills Tests
• Professional Discussion

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 3 Organ Builder Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.