This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment take this job and shove it (was let's cut..)My! My! Reality is harsh = isn't it?! :-) Just when I thought we were going to all bleed to death = as part of the ubiquitous, all-american victim class, from the searing = heat of Arizona (do I have the proper asu.edu, Rick?), you come to = CAUTerize the wound. It was beginning to sound like the morning bitch = sessions at the union hall before the guys all go file for unemployment = and another round of coffee, smokes & griping at the local greasy spoon. = How quickly we leave behind (if we ever had it) the drive & creativity = that kept us alive out in the real world, and take on the mentality of = academia. Bringing that sort of entrepreneurial approach to an academic = setting is not always appreciated -- it tends to rock the boat. Timing = and tact will be critical as well. I doubt that you'd have had the same = success 5-7 years ago, Rolf. However, you've been able to achieve a = lot, as have many others across the country, and all are to be = congratulated. CAUT is the forum to share that success, as well as the = attempts that fail, and learn together in the process. As you said, = Rick, the faculty (and music admin.) are the key to future & funding. = If we can develope a real rapport where they recognize that we help them = succeed, they will "sing our praise in the city gates". Otto ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Rick Florence=20 To: College and University Technicians=20 Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 11:50 AM Subject: take this job and shove it (was let's cut..) >From the "if your job is so bad, why don't you get a new one" = department: I have to admit, I tire easily following this type of discussion. I'm = sick of hearing about what a lousy life we have as piano technicians. = It's like we are the Rodney Dangerfields of the service industry. The = way I see it, we have three choices: 1. Change nothing and keep complaining about it. 2. Be creative and find a way to make our individual situations work = for us. 3. Take all the time wasted whining, writing about how important we = are, and proposing new and improved guidelines, and use it to upgrade = our education and find a new job! That way we will all be better off. = Some will no doubt have a better job and, according to the laws of = economics (supply and demand), those of us who remain can expect to see = higher wages:-) It seems to me that real job security (and a decent salary) in our = profession comes from two sources: =20 1. Making ourselves indispensable. Administrators (bean counters, or = whatever else you want to call them) tend to listen to one voice - = faculty. Charts mean nothing - I find it rather ironic that though we = despise the bean counter mentality, we would want to become such = ourselves ("If I could draw your attention to chart 3b, you will see = that an increase in funding of 25% will lead to an overall instrument = longevity factor of 32.6% a net increase of 7.2% without taking into = account inflation. To do so please refer to chart 37c" - GAG!). = Faculty is concerned about the performance hall, the studio, and = sometimes the practice rooms. They don't care how long a piano will = last, they want it performing now. If they really cared about longevity = we would never have to harp about limited practice time on teaching and = performance instruments or putting covers back on pianos. If we can = convince faculty, by demonstration of our skills, how much better their = teaching and performing lives are with us around, they will do most of = our bidding. =20 2. Comparing our program to peer institutions. Someone else has = briefly mentioned this, but it needs to be included in our discussions = with administrators. Nothing gets faculty or administration hotter than = showing them how much better off one of their peer institutions is. = Academia is kind of silly that way, but it thrives on this constant = comparison and "keeping up with the Jones" mentality. We need to use it = to our advantage. Funds in the arts will always be scarce. We can either whine about it = or be creative and find new revenue streams - good ideas Rolf! Gotta get back to work, Rick on 6/18/03 7:50 AM, Wimblees@aol.com at Wimblees@aol.com wrote: In a message dated 6/17/03 9:03:23 PM Central Daylight Time, = pianos@traverse.net writes: We need to think creatively not only about ways to spend money but ways to raise it as well. To that end Interlochen = Center for the Arts recently created what I think may be the first endowed chair = of piano technology in the country. =20 While on the one hand this is a great idea, what bothers me about = this is that not only do we have to work for a living, if this trend = continues, it looks like we will also have to work to find the money to = pay us.=20 Unfortunately, this is not just a minor problem with finding funds = to pay the piano technician. This falls under the larger umbrella of = funding the arts. In the United States, funding for the arts has always = been a problem. While people will pay hundreds of dollars to attend = athletic events, and think nothing of plunking down $20,000 to buy a = fishing boat, which they use twice a year, asking them to give $50, much = less $5000, to help pay for the arts, falls on deaf ears.=20 If we are going to have to raise our own salary, it become even more = imperative that we can show how the money is going to be used, and used = judiciously. That is why we need to have in place charts showing how = properly maintained instruments will not only play and sound better, but = last longer.=20 Wim=20 _____________ Rick Florence Piano Technician Arizona State University, School of Music ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/40/87/8d/c4/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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