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

[Fred Sturm]

On Oct 12, 2007, at 3:49 PM, Richard Brekne wrote:

>  Yet a one page document that describes what the tech should  
> actually be capable of... that might get read seriously... might  
> set a standard for all these job listings... and might be a place  
> to start all this.
>
> Just a thought.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
Hi Ric,
	Ask, and you shall receive <G>. Here is a piece of literature  
written specifically for our outreach at College Music Society, but  
aimed long term as a mailer to music administrators.

Hiring a Piano Technician

      A music department in a college or university, especially a  
relatively large or busy one, requires a piano technician with a  
specialized set of skills. The ability to produce quality tunings and  
to perform routine repairs and maintenance is a given, and these  
skills are shared by a large number of piano technicians. But a music  
department needs more than this. It needs pianos that are not only in  
reasonable tune and functioning adequately. The pianos need to be  
made into musical instruments.
      We often call that final, detailed work which transforms a  
piano from adequate to beautiful "concert prep." This meticulous work  
includes fine regulation and voicing, but also a large number of very  
finicky steps involving cleaning, brushing, lubricating, aligning,  
leveling, shimming, twisting, filing, etc. Concert prep skills are  
not nearly as common as tuning and basic maintenance skills.
      In addition, a music department's piano technician should have  
specialized skills in organization, scheduling, and inventory  
assessment and management; efficient techniques for tuning and  
maintenance under high use conditions; experience and knowledge in  
the area of humidity change and how to deal with it; possibly the  
ability to service harpsichords and/or fortepianos; and others.
      So how can a music department find the right piano technician?  
It may be possible to hire someone with experience from a previous  
job in higher education. But in many cases, the best course of action  
may be to hire or contract with someone who is available and has good  
basic skills, and work together with that person to develop his or  
her skills.
      A good starting point is a Registered Piano Technician (RPT)  
member of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG). The RPT designation is  
based on skills testing in the areas of tuning, regulation and basic  
repairs, and is the only accreditation in the field currently  
available in North America. If your present technician is not already  
an RPT member of PTG, he or she should be encouraged to join and to  
take the tests.
      Beyond RPT, the piano technician should be encouraged and  
helped to obtain additional training, by attending regional and  
national seminars sponsored by PTG, and by taking advantage of  
factory training opportunities. Steinway, Yamaha, and Kawai all offer  
intensive training programs in the United States, and others are  
available in Europe and Asia.
      There are many resources available from the PTG specifically  
aimed at the college and university piano technician. The college and  
university technicians (CAUT) committee of PTG has prepared and  
published a comprehensive Guidelines for Effective Institutional  
Piano Maintenance. There is a listserv discussion group devoted  
specifically to CAUT concerns, and its discussions are archived and  
available for research. Classes aimed specifically at skills needed  
in higher education are offered each year at the PTG Annual  
Institute. There is a CAUT web page, www.ptg.org/caut, devoted to  
resources for college and university piano technicians.
      The CAUT committee is currently working toward some form of  
certification or credential, which would demonstrate a commitment to  
on-going training in areas pertinent to work in a college or  
university environment. As a first step in this process, a  
"Continuing Education Log" has been developed, allowing a technician  
to document classes and training sessions.
      In short, the ideal piano technician for a music department is  
an RPT member of PTG who is actively taking advantage of training  
opportunities, is subscribed to the CAUT listserv, and is dedicated  
to transforming pianos into wonderful musical instruments.


Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



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