[CAUT] CAUT Endorsement (was Re: Job Opening, U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor)

Jon Page jonpage at comcast.net
Fri Oct 12 08:37:07 MDT 2007


Well, if you need something to keep you busy.

Some of you old-timers may remember when I was on staff at Illinois 
Wesleyan.  When I started there I had been a tech for 8 years and was 
one of those "home" tuners.  Yet, I got the call and was told, "I 
hear you're the only game in town."  I started out on a contract. 
When I handed the director of music and piano faculty the Guidelines, 
the director's response was that it was a self-serving piece of 
propaganda. He wanted to know what other similar schools were doing. 
Well, that wasn't going to work, was it? To sell IWU's school of 
music on a full time position (90 instruments)  I had to write 
reports using "IWU's" numbers and data, explaining what in meant in 
terms for "IWU."  After 5 years and umpteen reports later, the 
position was made full time and the rebuilding and piano purchasing 
plans were approved.  I was there one semester with full benefits and 
then my husband accepted that job in Texas....

Anyway, the point is, they didn't give a you know what about my 
qualifications (RPT, assistant to God, whatever).  What counted was 
the work I did and that I could explain in terms that they would 
understand how they would benefit from the proposals I made.

If it were up to me, which it is not, I'd concentrate on upgrading 
skills and finding ways for individual techs to communicate  with 
their faculty and administration (including making reports & 
proposals specific to one's institution).

BTW, I know the story behind a former job ad from a major 
institution.  A faculty member, or some faculty members wanted a 
certain technician, but according to law, they had to advertise.  So, 
they wrote the qualifications to match that certain technician--RPT, 
Bachelor of Music, Master of Music.  It turned out that the "wanted" 
technician found something else he wanted more, the surprise was 
there was another tech out there interested in the job that had those 
qualifications.  What I do know, is that when a professor from that 
major institution came to visit at IWU, he told one of my faculty 
that he wished they had pianos like ours at his school....  I was 
sort of surprised because I was wrestling with mid 70's S&Ss.  It's 
crazy out there...

Man, I've got to get to work.
-- 

Regards,

Jon Page
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