Event Overview
Dates and Times
- Saturday, October 17, 2026 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM (EDT)
Location
NEARI Union Hall
99 Bald Hill Rd. Cranston, RI 02920
Join us for a hands-on day designed for K–12 music educators and brass students, featuring a practical instrument repair workshop, lunch, and student masterclasses led by accomplished musicians and educators.
Music educators may register for the morning workshop, the afternoon masterclasses, or the full day. Students should register through their teacher for the masterclass that best matches their instrument and should bring their instrument with them.
Schedule
10am-12pm | Instrument Repair Workshop for K-12 Music Educators
12pm-1pm | Lunch Provided
1pm-2pm | Brass Student Masterclasses
Instrument Repair Workshop
Practical Repairs and Maintenance for the Music Classroom
Learn practical techniques to keep instruments in good working order and address common problems without immediately sending them out for repair.
Led by Sam Boswell, the workshop will cover proper instrument maintenance and storage, preparing instruments to return from long-term storage, identifying potential damage, and quick fixes that can be handled in the classroom or on the marching field.
Participants will explore:
- Proper long-term storage and preparing instruments for use after breaks
- Identifying common damage, particularly in woodwind and string instruments
- Brass repairs, including stuck slides and valves, broken braces, and water key cork replacement
- Woodwind adjustments, testing for leaky pads, re-springing keys, bent octave keys, missing key corks, and other common issues
- Routine maintenance educators can teach students
- Recommended tools and additional repair resources
Brass Student Masterclasses
The afternoon masterclasses give young musicians the opportunity to learn directly from professional performers and educators in a supportive group setting.
These sessions are a great opportunity for students preparing for All-State auditions or anyone looking for feedback, practice strategies and new ways to strengthen their playing.
Students should bring their instruments.
Tuba and Euphonium Masterclass
Led by Sam Boswell
Tuba students will work with Sam Boswell in an interactive masterclass focused on performance, musicianship and practical strategies for stronger playing.
Students are encouraged to bring All-State music, solos, etudes or other material they are working on and should come prepared to play and participate.
Trombone Masterclass
Led by Gillian Kearney
All low brass students are welcome. Gillian will open with a short performance followed by a group warm-up. Students may then volunteer to perform their All-State selections or other music and receive individual feedback.
Students who prefer not to perform individually will still have opportunities to participate through group playing, followed by a Q&A.
French Horn and Trumpet Masterclass
Led by Noah Silverman
French horn students will explore performance, listening and constructive feedback in an interactive masterclass.
Noah will begin by performing for the group and inviting students to offer feedback, helping participants think about how musicians listen to and learn from one another. Students will then have opportunities to perform solos, excerpts, etudes or All-State material and receive individual coaching.
Depending on the group, the session may also include ensemble arrangements of familiar movie music.
About the Professionals
About Sam Boswell
Sam Boswell is a tubist, and Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music, teaching instrument repair. He studied tuba performance at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and completed his Master’s degree in performance at McGill University in 2021. He is currently a freelance musician, who has played with the Worcester Symphony, Boston Civic Symphony, and Fall River Symphony orchestras. He studied instrument repair as an apprentice with Paul Chadborne starting in 2015, and has since worked in several New England music stores, including Rayburn Music, Rick’s Musical Instruments, Gerry’s Music Inc., and Needham Music. He started teaching brass instrument repair classes at Berklee in 2024, and later expanded to both brass and woodwind repair classes in 2025. He enjoys playing video games like Pokemon and Pikmin, as well as playing Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
About Gillian Kearney
Gillian is an active freelance trombonist and teacher in the Boston area. She has performed with orchestras and chamber groups such as the Albany Symphony, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Long Island and The Brooklyn Brass Quintet. She also has a love for pit orchestras, playing with theaters around Boston including The Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham, Taunton Performing Arts Center, Hackmatack Playhouse, and The Actorsingers. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Boston University, and holds degrees from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and UMass Amherst. In her spare time, she loves to play video games, and cuddle with her cats.
About Noah Silverman
A native New Yorker, Noah Silverman is a performer and educator based in the Northeast. As a performer, he has appeared with ensembles throughout the region, including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, among others. As an educator, Noah has presented masterclasses at the University of Delaware and maintains an active private teaching studio, working with students of all ages throughout the Boston and Rhode Island areas.
Noah earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware, where he studied with Dr. John David Smith, and a Master of Music in French Horn Performance from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Michael Winter. He is currently a second-year Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Boston University, where he studies with Hazel Dean Davis.
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