North Bennet Street School

An amazing school with an amazing faculty. As a graduate, I know that all the faculty is completely dedicated to helping students succeed and thrive. Thanks to NBSS, I have a fantastic career and life-long passion for pianos. Love this school!

I’ve been in the Locksmithing program since September 2020 and have had an awesome experience thus far. Rob Dwyer is very personable and was extremely helpful throughout my entire application process. Bob at the front desk and Kristen at the gift shop are super nice people and I look forward to coming in every morning and greeting them. The program head, Barbara Baker, is an amazing teacher and has taught me so much in so little time. She takes the training very seriously and not only expects you to put out the best work that you possibly can, but she will motivate you to do so. Through her instruction, I have gained a large amount of confidence in myself and my abilities both in and out of locksmithing. My time at the school has gone so well that I made the choice to apply for their carpentry program and continue growing my skillset here.

I can’t speak to the quality of their woodworking programs. Yet, I can speak at LENGTH about the Locksmith and Security Technology program offered under instructor Barbera Baker.. I endured. This class should be called "Locksmithing: a History from 1800-1980" Barbara Baker knows her history, and that's about it. She knows almost nothing about modern locks that are the current industry standard. I am employed in the field not because of her but in spite of her. Rob O is a handful of gimmie and a mouth full of much obliged. Claire Fruitman is there to protect her instructors, not help students. Avoid this place like the plague.

We leave unmolested those who set the fire to the house, and prosecute those who sound the alarm. --Sebastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort I would gladly submit to a lie-detector test to support all statements in this review. North Bennet Street School has now had more than five years to offer a peaceful truce to this dispute. They have chosen instead to sit silently or offer weak excuses. As a result, their unwillingness to resolve this issue has fostered hatred, rancor, and malice against me on the part of their "happy" and "successful" graduates and clientele. One has to look no further than the rebuttals to my reviews to see how this reviewer has been portrayed (by people who are ignorant of the facts of this dispute) as stupid, unreasonable, incapable, and possessing a host of other undesirable traits. As I continue my training and form relationships with colleagues and with skilled, award-winning and highly respected artisans and craftsmen in the field, they are impressed by my work ethic, enthusiasm, determination, ability and dedication to this craft. When I share with them my bitter experiences with NBSS, they are shocked and appalled that an institution with "such a good reputation" would behave in such a shameful manner. This "charitable", "philanthropic", tax-exempt, non-profit corporation, whose mandate is to benefit the community and stand out as a beacon for what is just and what is right, has failed miserably in this regard. Proof of one's character is in one's deeds. Their hurtful words and deeds will stand in perpetuity as a witness against them. NBSS's own actions will forever point an accusatory finger at its self. Quoting someone who has completed a similar course, he/she stated, "Any school worth anything will know that to achieve perfection in a jewelry piece is to work long hours after the teaching is over. The fact that they did not allow you to take the work home is ridiculous." I was not allowed to take the work home, not allowed to stay adequate after-hours to work in the studio, and not allowed to hire even a school-approved tutor (even at my own expense) to complete my projects. This commenter goes on to state, "One of the first lessons in jewelry school was that you will be painfully slow at first, and that speed will only increase with practice and repetition." This is a concept NBSS' instructors and administrators simply could not seem to grasp. I don't doubt that others have had wonderful experiences with NBSS. I too have read about the stellar successes of others after the completion of their courses there. I wrote this review to speak of MY experience. MY complete disillusionment and betrayal.

If college isn't for you, like it wasn't for myself, check out this trade school!! Everyone here is very helpful, knowledgeable, and patient.

Such a great experience to go here. The best time of my life.

This place is so good... if they will take you, go.

Excellent

Incredible resource for keeping the artistic trades live and well. Thrilled to have taken the tour, learning about locksmithing and bookbinding and stonesetting and piano/violin building. Just wish they still had a watch-making course.

Excellent instructors and fun learning environment. I am an amateur crafter who has taken 2 continuing education classes at NBSS: Spoon Carving and Shaker Wooden Boxes. I really enjoyed the format and pace of these classes. In both cases, the first day focused on technique and included step by step demonstrations of the crafting process. Day two was more unstructured, where students could create something of their own design, at their own pace. The instructors are incredibly patient and excited to answer the endless questions students have. They take time to ensure each student understands the basics, or has exposure to next level techniques depending on their pace. Classes are pricey, but the quality of the product is fantastic. If I were living in Boston longer, I would consider one of their intensive programs.

It's time to up your lumbersexual game. No you don't need to travel up to the northern woods of Vermont to a week long retreat, of all places you can learn the master crafts right in the North End. It sounds like a joke heading people to the land of pasta and cannolis to learn joinery, spoon carving, and woodturning and I would hardly believe it either but the other students in my classes had traveled to North Bennet Street School from all over the east coast (oh that's another thing too, the new building is no longer on North Bennet street so don't get lost!). I ended up doing a bit of a sampler of the different continuing ed classes with Bowl Turning, Relief Carving, and Spoon Carving. Each one of them was fantastic for different reasons. Bowl Turning is almost like a form of meditation. I had gotten my start over at Artisans Asylum and I wanted to learn some more advanced techniques. This class got me moving around the piece that I was working on and learning some great ways to add finishing touches to my pieces. The drawback to this class is that you'll want to buy a lathe right away, and yes they even let you know how to go lathe shopping like a pro. With Relief Carving I wanted to be able to create some more ornate detail on the woodwork that I'm doing. I thought that it was going to be mostly just copying images of leaves and plants but you'll learn techniques from chip carving to pattern making to yes, carving leaves. This class does require a little bit more of an investment in personal tools so it's good to keep that in mind but if you're planning on carving you'll be needing those tools to do your work. Spoon Carving may seem to be the least glamorous of the classes that I took but don't let the name fool you. You'll be working on a shaving horse using a pull knife. Take a look at this video for a quick teaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTDeGKvgM2A&t=5s On top of that this is the most outdoorsy of all the classes that I took. You'll have an idea of how to take a rough piece of green wood all the way to a finished product using even without the use of specialized tools. Now that I've got you all excited about taking a class you're probably thinking "sounds great I'll swing by next weekend to start learning!". While that's great enthusiasm there are a couple of things to be aware of. Classes are small and fill up fast, you'll probably be booking your class a month or two out. The classes that I took were over the weekend and ran from about 8:30 to 4:00 Saturday and Sunday. Not only will you want to be well rested but you'll also want to show up early so you have enough time to learn how to use all the tools safely. Still in? Awesome! Go out and learn how to be woodsy AF!

Absolutely the best. Took a woodworking course led by Ryan and it really provided a great new perspective on the work I do. Immediately registered for two more, might go for the big intensive program next year. Facilities are well designed, school equipment is high quality, they go through great efforts to make sure the materials you have to buy are kept as reasonable as possible. My only minor thing on that is some of the recommended tools or tool types didn't seem to exist (but the descriptions were clear enough to buy an acceptable equivalent). Be warned that the continuing ed classes will attract a certain type of person who will incessantly ask questions that were either previously addressed or completely irrelevant. Sounds like the jewelry making classes know how to keep a lid on this ;)

I've taken a few continuing education classes in their woodworking program over the past 4 years based off the reputation of their full-time programs. Although many of the teachers seem knowledgeable, and couple were great teachers, I can't recommend this place to other students, especially as person of color. I am a black woman, and when I first begin taking classes here, their program director made a show of being cold and rude to me when she came around to meet our 101 class. My teachers at the time, Dan and Andy-two really nice guys did their best to smooth things over, which I appreciated, but it wasn't a good first impression and it wasn't the last of many awkward/rude encounters I've had while taking courses here. I've been pulled over and asked where I was headed in the hallways out of suspicion; one older staff lady who used to work the front desk thought I was a person off the street trying to rob the place; and many of the teachers and students I've had class with would seemed startled when I would show up and say hello on the first day of class and others would be noticeably uncomfortable and sometimes rude towards me. The classes I've paid for have ranged between $300 and $1200, and had I not initially been interested in their combined program at Mass Art I probably would not have taken their more expensive foundation courses.

Wanna learn how to woodwork? bookbind? make jewelry? reupholster furniture? Or perhaps you want to expand upon your already excellent locksmithing techniques? NBS is where you can do all that and more. Me? I'm a bookbinder. I was doing okay learning on my own, but I was quite sure my techniques were amateurish and could be improved upon. Turns out I was right. During my first class I finally learned how to properly sew a signature (signatures are the sections of paper that make up a book). It seemed so simple once the instructor just showed me (why do illustrations in instructional books suck so bad?). The second class? Proper backing. My half-assed way worked perfectly good, but now I can be assured my journals won't fall apart with continued use. By the end of my third class I had completed two books and was 3/4 the way done with my third. With two weeks to go I want to bang out two more books- and one will even have words. Fancy. The workshops are pricey, but you are getting very good instruction in well-equipped studios (with small class sizes so if you have questions your instructor can actually help you). And, if you are even more adventurous or need a career change, you can go for a full blown "degree" in a variety of trade crafts: violin making, cabinet and furniture making, piano technology, amongst others. If you aren't the handy/artsy type you should at least stop by their storefront- they sell works completed by students, past & present. Everything from blank journals to violins to exquisitely crafted furniture (there's a chair in there right now that I must have).

I took a machine woodworking class with Grant Burger and it was amazing! Grant was patient, knowledgeable, and fun to learn from. I highly recommend taking a class at North Bennet and taking a class with Grant.

Highly recommend this school. I spent the last few years building furniture on my own, but felt I needed the fine tuning and expertise of a master craftsman. I enrolled in the 3-month furniture course and was blown away by the knowledge of our instructor Jamey. I now feel confident to pursue this craft professionally with the skills they passed on to us students. The school is in a great location, the facilities are top notch and the staff does everything to make the experience run smoothly. The small class size allowed the instructor to help us individually whenever we needed. I really enjoyed the schools traditional but current approach to furniture construction. Thank you NBSS

I took jewelry classes here a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it, it was very comprehensive and fun, until the teacher pulled me aside after class one day, and told me that if I kept asking questions during class time I wouldn't be welcome anymore. She said that I was interrupting everyone else's learning, and if it wasn't covered during class, I could look up the answers at home. I was shocked. I'd spent a lot of money on these classes, and I've never had a teacher tell me to stop asking questions. Ever. I was pretty upset, and needless to say, I didn't go back.

This school has a great reputation and I wanted to try out a class before applying. I used to go to Mass Art and a few of my teachers went there and are the best of the best. I showed up to my class a little late because I live far from the school. I was only 45 minutes late for my 3+ hour class and I rang the door bell and no one answered. Being a young woman I didn't feel comfortable going to this class so late at night not knowing if someone would open the door for me so I tried to withdraw. Which I did, but because of some crap policy they won't refund my tuition of almost 700 dollars. And on top of that they won't put it towards an earlier class, or call me back, or email me back. I'm pissed at the lack of professionalism. I just want my money back.

My experience with the jewelry making and repair course was similar to Kami F.'s, in that often my questions were ignored or dismissed. Many times, when they were answered, they were answered through the clenched teeth of the head instructor. I hung in there almost to the end of the first semester, but toward the end of the semester I was not allowed to go to the assistant instructors for help, but was told by the head instructor that I would be allowed to see only her. There were often long lines to see her, however, but I was required to wait, even if the assistant instructors were free. When I fell a few days behind the other class members I was called into the head instructor's office. She told me I "would not be welcome" to come back the following semester because I "was struggling" to keep up. Later, after I began to write a number of bad reviews, I was told the school had also wrongfully accused me of "verbally abusing" my fellow classmates--something I would NEVER have done! This accusation was new to me as I had not been charged with such misconduct during my attendance there!

Since my last post, the school has returned my money to me. The instructor stated that it was not fair to take payment for work I am unhappy with. So, I give them one more star!