Piano Keyboard Repair, Restoration & Installation Hands-On Master Class
Four days. Real keyboards. Real work. Unmatched anywhere in the world.
September 22–25, 2026 | Rockford, Michigan
10 Students Maximum · Tuition: $2,900
The Reyburn Academy is a four-day, hands-on intensive in piano keyboard repair and restoration, held at the Reyburn Pianoworks facility in Rockford, Michigan. This is not a lecture series or a survey course — it is a working program. You are at the bench from Day 1 — you diagnose, repair, restore, and finish install a real keyboard under the direct supervision of some of the most experienced keyboard professionals in North America.
Limited to ten students session, the Academy is taught by Dean Reyburn RPT — PTG Hall of Fame member and Certified Tuning and Technical Examiner — alongside Aaron Reyburn, PTG Associate, master keyboard maker, piano action designer, keytop recovery specialist, PianoDisc installer. Dean and Aaron are WNG action class graduates, Renner Academy alumni, and Steinway factory-trained technicians. Classes will also include supporting instruction from the master keymakers and bench technicians of the RPW production floor.
You leave with new skills, a Certificate of Completion and Competence, and the confidence to handle any keyboard that crosses your bench — whether you're installing a brand-new RPW key set or returning a century-old original to first-class playing condition.
Who Should Attend
This course is built for working piano technicians who want to move from guesswork to genuine mastery in keyboard repair and restoration and new installation:
Registered Piano Technicians (RPTs) seeking to deepen keyboard competence
Piano rebuilders and restoration specialists
PTG Associate members with previous grand action regulation/repair experience pursuing advanced technical training
Any serious piano technician who regularly encounters keyboard repair and wants professional-level skills and confidence
PREREQUISITES
PTG, RPT status or equivalent experience, PTG Grand Action Regulation course completion, or equivalent professional experience. Applicants should have experience and be comfortable regulating grand piano actions and keyboards. Applicants unsure of eligibility are welcome to contact RPW directly. RPW reserves the right to limit registration to technicians who meet the minimum recommended prerequisites.
What You'll Learn
Every student is assigned a sample keyboard and action on Day 1. You diagnose it, repair it, restore it, and bring it to a finished, regulation-ready condition by Day 4. The curriculum covers:
Keyboard analysis and documentation — for new key sets and restoration assessment
Key repair — loose mortises, pulley-key correction, re-wooding
Easing and fixing pulley keys, broken and worn keys, keyframe repair — correct procedures and materials
Plugging lead holes — species selection, glues, grain orientation, and surface finishing
Key bushing — removal, replacement, and easing
Installing and moving capstans — determine optimal location for geometry, plug, drill, chamfer and install
Key leading and weigh-off — placement, balance weight, friction, down/up weight to tolerance
Keytop repair and replacement — replace ivory correctly with modern materials - keytop touchup
New key set installation and integration
Upgrade a “Prelude” keyboard all the way to “Concerto” - pianist-ready.
The RPW approach to analysis, measurement, and quality standards
Day by Day
Day 1 — Tuesday: Keyboard Analysis, Diagnosis & the Wood Beneath Your Hands
Know Before You Touch
The morning begins with keyboard anatomy, design principles, and the RPW approach to analysis and measurement. You'll learn how RPW collects measurements, tolerances, and shimming logic for new key sets, and when full replacement is warranted versus repair and restoration. In the afternoon, you're at the bench — performing a full written analysis of your assigned keyboard, documenting keystick geometry, lead placement, bushing condition, capstan positions, and keytop condition. The day ends with a group debrief where Dean and Aaron review your findings and establish a repair and restoration plan for the days ahead.
Day 2 — Wednesday: Key Repair — Wood, Holes, Plugs & Surfaces
The Keystick as a Woodworking Problem
A deep dive into the wood species used in keyboard construction and how species and grain structure affect dimensional stability, plugging behavior, and long-term performance. Lectures and demonstrations cover plugging balance rail and front rail pin holes, plugging lead holes, and re-wooding keysticks — followed by a full afternoon of hands-on work on your assigned keyboard with faculty rotating to each bench.
Day 3 — Thursday: Bushing, Easing, Key Leading, Weigh-Off & Moving Capstans
Precision, Balance & Feel
The most technically demanding day of the course. Morning sessions cover key bushing fundamentals, removal and replacement technique, easing, and the when and why of moving capstans. The afternoon focuses on the physics of key leading — down weight, up weight, inertia, and dynamic response — followed by a hands-on weigh-off session where you measure, adjust, and verify results with touch weight gauges.
Day 4 — Friday: Keytops, New Key Sets, Final Integration & Graduation
Surface, Fit, Finish & the Credential You Earned
The final day covers keytop replacement for both ivory and modern materials, and how a new RPW key set integrates into a full rebuild. You bring your assigned keyboard to a finished, regulation-ready state, and Dean and Aaron do a final critique of each student's work. The day concludes with a graduation celebration dinner at a local Bistro where each student is presented with their embroidered RPW Shop Apron and Certificate of Completion and Competence.
What You Receive
Certificate of Completion and Competence in Piano Keyboard Repair & Restoration, presented by Dean and Aaron Reyburn
A personalized, embroidered RPW Shop Apron — a mark of craft and professional identity
A 10% discount (up to $750) redeemable with Reyburn Pianoworks on any future project
Catered lunch provided daily, custom curated by Grace and Martha Reyburn from local West Michigan eateries
Graduation dinner, Friday, 5:30 to 7:30 at a local Bistro. Certificates and shop aprons handed out, great fellowship and food!
What to Bring
Students are expected to arrive with their own basic piano technician repair and regulation tools. All specialty materials, supplies, and shop equipment are provided by RPW.
Tuition & Registration
Tuition is $2,900.00 USD per student, due in full at registration. Enrollment is first-come, first-served, and the Academy is limited to ten students session. Seats are expected to fill well in advance — register early. A wait list will be available for the next session’s Academy.
Refund policy:
60+ days before the course: full refund
30–60 days: 50% refund
Less than 30 days: no refund, but registration may be transferred to another qualified technician (transferred registrations are subject to the same eligibility requirements)
In the event of cancellation by RPW due to circumstances beyond RPW's control, a full refund will be issued
Accepted applicants will receive an invoice and enrollment details within 2 business days. Your seat is confirmed upon receipt of payment.
Questions? Contact Aaron Reyburn — 616-263-7090 · info@reyburnpianoworks.com
Lodging
We recommend the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Cedar Springs, just minutes from the RPW facility:
Holiday Inn Express & Suites 14190 White Creek Ave NE Cedar Springs, MI 49319 (616) 696-0450
Academy group rate: $107.00 per night (plus tax and applicable fees) for September 21–25. Identify yourself as part of the Reyburn Academy group when booking. Rooms at this rate are limited — book early.
The hotel provides a buffet-style breakfast each morning, making it easy to fuel up before the short ride to the shop.
Transportation
Daily shuttle service is provided between the Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Reyburn Pianoworks each morning and evening (just 5 minutes drive). Students staying at the hotel do not need a rental vehicle for daily travel.
Airport: Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR), Grand Rapids. Airport transportation between Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) and the Holiday Inn Express & Suites is provided by Reyburn Pianoworks. Students should share their flight details at the time of registration so pickup and drop-off can be coordinated.
Arrival: We encourage students to arrive Monday afternoon or evening, September 21 and check in to the hotel so you are rested and ready for an 8:00 AM start on Tuesday.
Departure
Friday's graduation celebration dinner at a local bistro concludes at approximately 7:30 PM on September 25. Most students will find it easiest to stay Friday night and fly home Saturday morning.
Students who must depart Friday evening are welcome to do so — certificates and shop aprons will be presented at lunch on Friday for those with evening flights. Please note your departure plans at registration so we can coordinate airport transportation. The airport is 45 minutes south, please check your airlines for arrival time required (usually 2 hours before flight).
About Reyburn Pianoworks
Reyburn Pianoworks has been designing and manufacturing precision retrofit piano keyboards and actions for the rebuilding trade for 7 years, drawing on nearly five decades of hands-on expertise in piano technology and action design. Our methods, tools, and systems — represent the highest standard in the industry. When you attend the Reyburn Academy, you're learning from the people who make the keyboards.
Students are welcomed not only into a world-class shop, but into the Reyburn family — and the warmth of that hospitality is woven through every day of the Academy.
Reyburn Pianoworks · Rockford, Michigan · info@reyburnpianoworks.com · reyburnpianoworks.com