This is a long response. I'd like to relay my own experience. I only ask that members of CAUT read the entire post before commenting, because some of my opinions are not popular. I've been reading the digests daily. I have hesitated to weigh in on a topic, even on topics I have experience with (i.e., voicing Steinways, action regulation, etc.), but this is a topic I've mulled over ever since I got into the business 3 years ago. This is a complex issue. I'm 30 years old and have practiced piano tuning since 2001. I learned the trade at the North Bennet Street School. I completed the two year program in 2003. It's important to note here that my situation is unusual. I am single, have no responsibilities vis-a-vis heavy debt load, health issues, family demands, mortgage, car payments, etc. This means I have more choice to pick where I want to work geographically. After graduating, I immediately moved to New York City to work at Steinway Hall as a retail piano technician, where I worked from June 2003 to June 2004. At this time I no longer work at Steinway Hall. I took a sabbatical in order to rest and reflect before starting the next phase of my career, since I knew that after three years of constant, hard work without a break, I felt overloaded, and needed a break to avoid burn-out. I'm sharing this information because it's another way of illustrating the importance of self-criticism and self-judgment. I am highly motivated, driven, and career-oriented. I am a person who thrives on hard work and a job well done, and I am a bit of a perfectionist. I am confident and upbeat, but I can be extremely self-critical. I made the decision to center my life and my decisions around my career in piano technology. I'm not saying that everyone needs to do that; every person's decision-making process is complex, and every person has their own reasons behind their choices. Also, I had the benefit of learning critical thinking in prep school, where I also learned good study habits, time management and organization. Those habits were developed at a young age, 13-18. I don't have spouse/partner/children/family/financial issues that influence my decisions. I have the luxury of being able to say, "I want to move to New York for a while, work at Steinway to gain experience, whatever it takes, because I want to become a more qualified and more knowledgable technician". My goal since the beginning has simply been to never stop learning, and to seek out the best people to learn from. I do feel strongly that there is a difference between those who do this work just as a job, and those who believe it's more than just a job. Also, I don't do this work just for the money. The financial stability is nice, but it's more important to me to derive personal satisfaction from my daily work. I have strived to live a simple, low-maintenance lifestyle, and have a relatively low-stress job. I was extremely fortunate in that I was hired at Steinway before I finished my studies at NBSS. My year at Steinway Hall was like going to graduate school for piano technology, especially Steinways. Instead of paying for more schooling, I was paid to learn while I worked. I had a mentor there who influenced my approach and my style, and that helped improve my skills tremendously. He is one of the most qualified and experienced Steinway technicians in the industry, with decades of experience. He also became a close friend and advisor. I had the chance to work on every model, including Model B's and Model D's, extensively, from new pianos to factory-restored. I also worked a little for C&A from time to time and had people like Ron Connors and Eric Schandall literally around the corner from my work room. I could walk over to C&A any time and ask for advice. This kind of experience can't be taught or learned in a school environment. There is no substitute for one-on-one learning, master to apprentice. That is the way our trade was taught for many years, before there were piano technology schools. The master-apprentice vs. school argument can be another topic for discussion, because it's also a complex one. However I couldn't easily find a master when I was a novice. I decided to go to NBSS because I wanted a foundation, a knowledge base. It also had the reputation as being the best school in the business. I have never felt entitled to my achievements (receiving a scholarship, becoming an RPT, working at Steinway, doing concert work, etc.) because I worked extremely hard. I tried to keep humble while at Steinway because I knew that most of the people around me knew more than I did. Also, between the first and second year at NBSS, I worked as a field service technician for a local technician in Boston, and within weeks I was not only keeping up with 4 to 5 service calls daily, but also concert work at night and on weekends. I kept working in that capacity 20-30 hours a week while attending NBSS full-time during the day 40 hours a week, from September to May. Working 60-70 hours a week, in the shop and on the road, balancing school and work responsibilities, completing over 500 service calls in less than one year, while going to school, is arduous, but paid off tenfold. I gained much more experience that way and really jump-started my career. It also humbled me in its own way. The essential argument is that to be "good" at this, you have to be willing to work late, put in the hours, and focus. You have to be able to concentrate for hours at a stretch. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Some young people don't have the maturity, stamina, attention span, or desire to make those kinds of sacrifices. Some just aren't interested. Some just want to learn how to tune a piano, make a few bucks, and go home without thinking about their day too much, and that's OK, too. There are those who want to primarily tune (the bread-and-butter of the private practice), and do the "as-needed" voicing, repair, and regulation; and then there are those who feel that a prepped piano is a balanced combination of tuning, voicing and regulation. It comes down to a question of philosophy, i.e., "there's tuning, and then there's everything else when I can get to it, or when I go to a conference" or the other view (my own view), that it's all related and connected together, and that tuning is just a part of maintaining the musical instrument. I'm not criticizing or judging here. It's about motivation and drive. Some people really see the piano as a machine, a complex product, a sum of its parts, and that they are its master. Others, myself included, see it it as a musical instrument first and a piece of engineering second, and that the real mastery is in the performer, not the technician. Don't get me wrong though - a technician can make or break a piano's performance, and there's not much a pianist can do about it. One decision can destroy a set of hammers. This dichotomy is the main reason why training is so important. It's not that I'm "better" than technicians who "just get by"...I just have a different philosophy. I don't need to have a lot of letters after my name on my business card; "piano tuner" is enough. However the question of ego is a topic for a different forum! You have to be willing to take criticism. You cannot be fragile. You cannot take criticism personally. Without criticism, you can't progress or learn from your mistakes. Some young people can't deal with this concept. Some young people struggle with their own identity and self-esteem. When those personal issues are tied to work and criticism, it becomes the law of diminishing returns. You also have stick up for yourself from time to time, and be able to argue and debate. You have to have a point of view. Without a point of view, you have no reference to learn judgment. Another point which I think needs to be raised is that with few exceptions, you really need to play an instrument (preferably piano but not required). It also helps to have music training (especially in music history, repertoire, and music theory) in order to become a really qualified technician. To hear how a piano sounds and how it is balanced (of course I am referring to quality grands and uprights here), you have to play it in a musical way, not in just a technical way. There is a difference. You have to learn to at least recognize how different repertoire sounds on different pianos; you have to hear how a concert grand sounds in a concert hall, and not in a small room. The other skills that I think are needed to be successful are manual dexterity, experience using hand tools, woodworking and/or metalworking, and business experience, especially in a service industry. Some people may be looking for a quick fix for their career and job issues, but just might not have the aptitude and skills to carry out the demands of piano work. There is no such thing as luck or winging it; either you know what you're doing or you just wasting your time. In my case, I attended the New England Conservatory of Music and the College of Music at McGill University, plus private music lessons throughout middle school and high school. In addition, I had prior woodworking, technical, acoustics, and engineering experience (in cabinetry/boatbuilding, film projection, sound reinforcement, and audio engineering, respectively). I also helped run several small businesses and managed people. Finally, I think there is one indispensable tool no one likes talking about or admitting. You need it in order to judge a quality aural tuning, to make voicing decisions, and especially to do concert work (where the most important decision is not WHAT to tune, but what NOT to tune, in order to maintain stability). You need it to know the difference between pleasing and harsh, glassy and smooth, focused and diffuse....all words we use to try to describe the voice of a piano. You need it to know when to stop working and take a break. You need it to be flexible, adaptable, and ready for any situation. You need it to know whether or not a job has been done to your satisfaction. That tool is a great pair of ears. You have to have above-average hearing. Any prospective serious apprentice needs to have a full hearing test performed by an audiologist first. You simply cannot become more than a "just a job" piano tuner if you don't have excellent hearing. An ETD has no judgment. It cannot perform a 15 minute concert tuning, and it cannot listen to the voicing for you. You can read as many articles as you want and attend as many conferences as you want, but you will not develop your hearing without hours and weeks of practice on good quality pianos. You can't learn to tune and voice on bad instruments. You can only begin to learn, and then keep striving. Some technicians may think that sounds patronizing or arrogant. It's not personal so don't personalize it. My opinion has very little to do with emotions and has more to do with the business at hand. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that's what this forum is for. I hope to hear comments about this post, I welcome debate and always enjoy talking about this topic ad nauseam. Boaz Kirschenbaum, RPT
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