Kevin Bean has always been a passionate fan of legendary rock star Jimi Hendrix.
“What many people forget is that his band was called The Jimi Hendrix Experience,” said the 72-year-old craftsman.
So when he launched a woodworking course at Paget Primary three years ago, he gave it a fitting name—The Kevin Bean Experience. Blending creativity, craftsmanship, and a love for artistry, his woodworking program offers an immersive journey into the world of woodworking mastery, much like Hendrix revolutionized music.
Join The Kevin Bean Experience and carve your own legacy—one masterpiece at a time. 🎸🔨✨
In The Kevin Bean Woodworking Experience, students aged 9 to 12 develop essential skills such as sawing, chiseling, and workshop safety. By the end of the program, each participant proudly walks away with a handcrafted box, bench, or another unique project, showcasing their hard work and craftsmanship.
During a Thursday morning visit to the Primary 4 woodworking class at Paget Primary, The Royal Gazette observed students mastering the art of sawing—an activity they claimed was both the best and most challenging part of the course.
To an outsider, sawing might seem simple—just push the saw back and forth, right? But as this Royal Gazette reporter quickly discovered, there’s far more skill and technique involved than meets the eye.
Through The Kevin Bean Experience, young woodworkers don’t just learn to cut wood—they gain patience, precision, and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship. 🔨✨
Woodworking isn’t just about cutting wood—it’s about technique, control, and persistence. As the boys in The Kevin Bean Woodworking Experience sawed away, sweat dripped from their foreheads, and frustration set in.
“You’re fighting the wood,” Mr. Bean observed, watching one student struggle. Gathering the group of five, he explained a key principle: keeping the saw level.
“Imagine there is air underneath the saw,” the retired Bermuda College professor advised. The boys listened intently, then returned to their workstations, this time achieving smoother, more controlled cuts.
The woodworking class is part of the Hamilton Rotary Club’s adopt-a-school programme, supporting hands-on learning at Paget Primary.
“This school was chosen because one of our past presidents, Rick Richardson, attended it,” Mr. Bean explained. “Back then, he had to travel to another school just to take what was called manual training.”
Now, thanks to The Kevin Bean Experience, young students get to develop real-world woodworking skills right in their own school—learning patience, craftsmanship, and the satisfaction of creating something with their own hands. 🔨✨
Zhi Jennings, 9, left, and Alario Faries, 9, work together on a project in Paget Primary’s woodworking class (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy)
The Kevin Bean Experience: Crafting Skills, Confidence & Discipline
For Kevin Bean, the ultimate dream is to expand woodworking education to more schools, giving even more students the opportunity to develop hands-on skills and craftsmanship.
While he teaches both boys and girls, the classes are held separately.
“With girls, I don’t have to break any bad habits,” he said with a smile. “They listen, follow instructions, and stay focused. The boys, on the other hand, think they already know everything.”
But The Kevin Bean Experience is about more than just learning to saw or chisel safely—it’s a lesson in patience, discipline, and listening skills. Students also sharpen their math abilities, tackling fractions, measurements, and spatial awareness as they craft their projects.
Encouraging messages line the classroom walls, reinforcing the core values of the class. One stands out as a guiding principle:
“If it is to be, it is up to me.”
Through The Kevin Bean Experience, young woodworkers aren’t just learning a trade—they’re building confidence, problem-solving skills, and a mindset for success. 🔨📏✨
Amir Ellison focuses on his piece of wood in the Paget Primary woodworking class (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy)
The Kevin Bean Experience: Inspiring the Next Generation of Woodworkers
For students in The Kevin Bean Woodworking Experience, the thrill isn’t just about learning—it’s about getting hands-on with real tools.
“The fun thing about this class is that you get to make stuff,” said 9-year-old Alario Faries, beaming with excitement.
While the goal isn’t necessarily to turn students into professional carpenters, woodworkers in Bermuda are in high demand. According to Salary Expert, a carpenter shop machine master earns an average of $60,526 per year.
Mr. Bean explained that unlike in other places where carpenters specialize, Bermudian woodworkers must master a wide range of skills, from cabinetry to crown molding.
His own passion for woodworking began at just five years old. At 12, he had the incredible opportunity to assist his carpenter uncle, Carl Pringle, on a project. By 14, he was unofficially apprenticing with his woodworking teacher on weekends—an experience that shaped his lifelong dedication to the craft.
Now, through The Kevin Bean Experience, he hopes to inspire young minds to discover the same joy, precision, and craftsmanship that have defined his own journey. 🔨✨
Alario Faries marks a piece of wood before sawing it (Photograph by Jessie Moniz Hardy)
The Kevin Bean Experience: A Journey Fueled by Passion & Perseverance
From a young age, Kevin Bean knew exactly where he wanted to go—the Bermuda Technical Institute.
“The only school I wanted to go to was the Bermuda Technical Institute,” he recalled. “My older cousin went there, my older brother went there—I was next in line.”
But fate had other plans. His primary school principal never submitted his name, believing he was better suited for Berkeley Institute. Though disappointed, Mr. Bean never let go of his passion for woodworking.
At the time, working with your hands wasn’t always respected, but that didn’t deter him. He even admired (and envied) his older brother, who, despite being a better carpenter, disliked the dust and mess of the trade.
Determined to master both carpentry and teaching, Mr. Bean pursued his education abroad. He trained at Shoreditch College of Education in London, a school specializing in woodwork, metalworking, and silversmithing. Later, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Through The Kevin Bean Experience, he now shares his skills, knowledge, and passion—ensuring that young Bermudians embrace craftsmanship with pride, skill, and confidence. 🔨📚✨
For decades, the Bermuda Technical Institute produced some of the island’s most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. However, its controversial closure in 1972 remains a topic of debate. Some believe it was shut down to make way for Bermuda College, while others claim it was simply too successful, outshining more academically focused secondary schools.
Despite its closure, Kevin Bean never forgot the power of its applied learning model. During university, he researched what made the school so effective and concluded:
“Everything they did was relevant to the next class,” he explained. “In English, students wrote about their workshop projects—so if they didn’t pay attention in the workshop, they wouldn’t pass English.”
Mr. Bean began teaching at 23 years old and later became a senior lecturer at Bermuda College. Though he retired in 2020, he continues to take on short-term projects at the college, ensuring that practical education remains a priority.
At Paget Primary, his woodworking class begins with students crafting their own foot-long ruler, reinforcing measurement skills and workshop safety—from wearing goggles to avoiding dangerous movements. But beyond just woodworking, his goal is to teach them how to manipulate wood, understand precision, and apply academic concepts in real life.
“They’re learning how to measure. They’re working on focus. They’re even learning how to align their bodies because you have to hold yourself in a certain way to saw,” he explained.
Last month, Mr. Bean was honored by the Rotary Club for his dedication to the program.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like that, but it was great to be recognized,” he said.
He takes pride in having mentored many Bermudians who later became supervisors, foremen, and business owners. Some have even expanded into facilities management, proving that the skills learned in his class go far beyond woodworking—they shape careers and futures. 🔨📏✨
