Music is said to be an art form, and for Nick Kovacic, that’s especially true. The Clarksville native has been a musician since childhood, where he developed his ear for music as a member of a Croatian junior group in Mather. The group met for five years before Nick transitioned to become a part of Cokeburg Junior Tamburitzans from age 12-18.
The Tamburitza refers to an entire family of flat-backed instruments in a few different forms originating in the region formerly known as Yugoslavia. These instruments became immensely popular in Croatian folk music, and the musicianship needed to play them is a tradition handed down through generations.
Nick decided to further his education at Waynesburg College, where he earned his B.A. in History in 1974. After college, Nick took a position with the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation in Monessen, PA, in order to work off his student loans and save up enough money to pursue another degree. Eventually, he was able to attend Indiana University of PA, where he earned a B.S. in Education, and pursued many other certifications in the fields of engineering, design, and technology. All the while, music continued to be a pastime and interest in the mid-80s, when Nick played guitar, mandolin, and–of course–the Tamburitza. His love of Croatian folk music, and music of all kinds, has carried him through the decades.
Nick describes his career as one with a non-traditional timeline. He began his teaching career in 1987 as the drafting and design teacher at the Greene County Career and Technology Center. Nick based his classroom on the interests of his students, and useful ways to apply them. “I taught theory but also taught practical application. [It’s a] line of progression,” he says. “Some of the students liked guitars and things,” he continues. “You get them some wood and let them design.”
If a student wanted to try something out, he would provide them with materials and guidance, but let them make the artistic decisions. In this way, creativity blossomed, and both student and teacher learned something new. “I learned by showing them,” recalls Nick. “It’s a lot easier to teach geometry not in theory, but hands-on. Everything is a learning experience, especially when you can make it fun for them,” he says.
Nick retired from teaching in 2012, but for him, the learning is just beginning with his adoption of a new artistic hobby–instrument making. The lifelong musician is now making his own music, literally. Since retirement, Nick has crafted one handmade instrument every summer. “I’ve made a variety of instruments over the years,” Nick reminisces. Some of his pieces include dulcimers, mandolins, tamburitzas, ukuleles, guitars (both acoustic and electric) and even electric violins. “Every year it’s a learning process. There’s a little bit of plus or minus.” And it’s no surprise that the work is slow-going; the process is lengthy and extremely detailed.
First, Nick makes the instrument molds. Then comes the shaping. “You have to heat and bend the wood,” he explains. Moving forward, “you add braces to the back and top, shape the neck, fit the neck to the body, drill holes for the tuning machines and then [sand] the instrument and finally [put] a finish on it.” Regarding the steps of his process, Nick says, “You don’t consciously think about it. I just kind of do it.”
When asked if his work is ever for sale, Nick responds: “It’s a hobby, I don’t do it to make money. There’s enough out there. I wouldn’t want to compete.” He continues, laughing, “I only make one a summer, so it’s not like I’m cranking [them] out!”
Although Nick no longer plays music formally with a band, he still “fiddles around” in private from time to time. “At home I’ll pick up an instrument,” he says. Nick’s creativity has inspired his pupils, too. “My students have carried it on,” he shares. “One made an upright bass!”
The music man has certainly taken a symphonic journey, from playing instruments to building them, and there’s no telling what projects are in store for him next. “I don’t know what I’ll design and make this summer,” he says. But whatever it is, it’s sure to be a harmonious success.
