[CAUT] Piano Techs as Piano Movers?

[Alan McCoy]

Hello Brian,

Here at EWU I supervise all piano moves in the music department. Within the
building I will often move uprights and harpsichords myself, but I always
have transportation provide the brawn for the grands. I actively discourage
piano moving "on whimsy," typically by enlisting the aid of the person whose
whimsy it is. 

The other pianos on campus are not in my jurisdiction so that's up to the
transport guys. I don't want to know about those moves! Don't really want to
ever see those pianos either for that matter. :-)

Your technicians no doubt have enough on their plate already given the
activity there (my daughter is in grad school there). Using your techs as
movers is a waste of their expertise, IMHO.

Alan

-- Alan McCoy, RPT
Eastern Washington University
amccoy at mail.ewu.edu
509-359-4627


> From: Brian Yankee <BYankee at newenglandconservatory.edu>
> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>" <caut at ptg.org>
> Date: Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:14:38 -0400
> To: <caut at ptg.org>
> Conversation: Piano Techs as Piano Movers?
> Subject: [CAUT] Piano Techs as Piano Movers?
> 
> Greetings.
>  
> I am the Director of Performance Services at New England Conservatory in
> Boston. A member of our administration wants to have our Piano
> Technicians (whom I supervise) move our pianos (mostly a mix of Steinway
> B's, L's and M's) out of studios, into and out of the piano shop, etc.
> when the need arises. We have always hired an outside piano moving
> company to do all of our moves except for occasionally rolling an
> upright piano down a hallway from one room to another.
>  
> What prompted this is a proposal to recarpet and paint seven faculty
> studios this summer. The proposal included an estimate of the cost to
> hire our movers to remove the pianos from the rooms, bring them to our
> piano shop for storage on their sides and then to return them to the
> studios once the work is done. Needless to say, the piano moving costs
> are considerable.
>  
> Personally, I think it's inappropriate for piano techs to double as
> piano movers, but what do I know? I need a reality check: Is this
> something that piano techs at other colleges and universities do? If
> not, can you give me some good arguments why they shouldn't?
>  
> Thanks.
>  
> Brian Yankee
> Director of Performance Services
> New England Conservatory
>  
> 
> *******************************************************************
> Brian S. Yankee 
> Director of Performance Services
> New England Conservatory
> 290 Huntington Ave.
> Boston, MA 02115 
> Tel: 617-585-1271
> Fax: 617-585-1270
> 
>