Dear Otto, Thanks for your thoughts and concerns about the new Master of Arts in Piano Technology here at the Florida State University School of Music. I designed this program to counteract the very "inbreeding" that you describe. I have planned guest lecturer visits for every semester to ensure that the material offered is varied, multi-faceted, and current. My students just enjoyed a two day visit with Don Bennett from Atlanta. He took them through both pinblock installation and bridge capping with tremendous amounts of hands-on. Bob Marinelli is slated to be here in December to do a three day seminar on actions and keyboards, and Susan Graham has signed on for a visit in the spring. John Foy has committed to fall 2005 and David Stanwood will visit in 2006. The students have had access to many of our resident faculty and have worked with musicologists, historians, and performers. They've discussed research projects concerning temperament practice and philosophy with both faculty and doctoral candidates and have gained more experience servicing clavichords, harpsichords, fortepianos, and a portative organ in one semester than most piano technicians get in a lifetime. These students have direct contact with piano majors, piano faculty artists and the numerous guest pianists and keyboardists from all over the world that we host every year. Through these experiences, they are able to improve their communication skills and are exposed to many different ideas. We're developing a mini-chemistry course that will encompass the full array of poisons we all work with, and our Museum Studies program affords these students access to curatorial and conservation opportunities. The vibrant arts administration program here has enabled them to seek ways to fund tangential training opportunities by helping them through the grant writing process. We just welcomed our 6th Nobel prize winning faculty member to campus. Sir Harold Kroto of "bucky balls" fame joined the chemistry department this fall. He, along with every other professor on campus, hosts office hours where students have direct access to these great minds. As you can see, the university setting eschews "myopic vision", and cross-pollination is an every-day occurance. I have learned so much from these students in the first eight weeks of this program and I'll be the fortunate beneficiary of much more learning in semesters to come. I look forward to talking with you and many others in Kansas City about this new program. Anne Garee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Otto Keyes" <okeyes@uidaho.edu> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org> Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 4:37 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Rice University > According to the Journal article, the only candidates considered for the > Florida program are ones who have gone through the London, Ont. course. > Unfortunately, this can lend itself to technical in-breeding & the ills > associated therewith, ie: myopic vision, hardening of the cranial cavity > to > exclude the entrance of any external ideas, elevation of the septum & > associated olfactory tissue, etc., etc. However, when re-printing your > cards, it does afford the opportunity to pile a few more letters on the > other B.S. behind your name. > :-) > > Seriously though, I do think it's a point of weakness. Sometimes the > ignorant greenhorn can come up with some of the most innovative solutions > to > long-time problems. Not that you want a novice in a grad program, but a > variety of view-points is essential. If everyone is looking from the same > angle they may all miss a very simple, yet important fact. > > Otto > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)" <WOLFLEEL@UCMAIL.UC.EDU> > To: <dporritt@mail.smu.edu>; "'College and University Technicians'" > <caut@ptg.org> > Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 9:50 AM > Subject: RE: [CAUT] Rice University > > >> David, >> >> Thanks for the info on Rice. It sounds like Dean Shank is training other >> crossover pianist/technicians. Anne Garee created the Masters degree > program >> in Piano Technology at Florida State University in Tallahassee and I > believe >> it just started this year. Here's a link: >> http://www.music.fsu.edu/garee.htm >> >> Eric >> >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> Eric Wolfley >> Head Piano Technician >> Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music >> University of Cincinnati >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: David M. Porritt [mailto:dporritt@mail.smu.edu] >> Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 12:36 PM >> To: caut@ptg.org >> Subject: RE: [CAUT] Rice University >> >> Eric: >> >> Dean Shank, DMA is the technician/piano faculty member. Years ago he was >> half-time piano technician and half-time teacher I believe. Now he has >> another working with him. Avery Todd at U of Houston probably knows more >> about their program. >> >> dave >> >> PS I wasn't aware of the Florida program. Which school? Is there more > info >> on the web? >> >> >> __________________________________________ >> David M. Porritt, RPT >> Meadows School of the Arts >> Southern Methodist University >> Dallas, TX 75275 >> dporritt@mail.smu.edu >> >> >> ----- Original message ----------------------------------------> >> From: Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel) <WOLFLEEL@UCMAIL.UC.EDU> >> To: 'College and University Technicians' <caut@ptg.org> >> Received: Fri, 29 Oct 2004 11:22:54 -0400 >> Subject: [CAUT] Rice University >> >> >Does anybody know who the technicians at Rice University are? A visiting >> >pianist here for a concert told us he earned a Masters degree in Piano >> >Technolgy (along with a Masters in Piano Performance) from Rice. He >> >tuned >> >and serviced the piano he performed on (an off-site piano not under our >> >jurisdiction). I'm just curious about this because I have not heard of > any >> >graduate programs in piano technology other than the one in Florida. >> >> >Thanks. >> >> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >Eric Wolfley >> >Head Piano Technician >> >Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music >> >University of Cincinnati >> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> >_______________________________________________ >> >caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> >> _______________________________________________ >> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> _______________________________________________ >> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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