Hi Fred
Wow !! that was fast :)... almost like that scene at Rockefeller square
in Home Alone II.
What I had in mind tho was more of a pre-made job description for
universities. Complete in every detail except they have to fill in the
salary and bennies they are willing to pay. We could supply suggestions
for minimums we think are exceptable for a person fitting the
job-description.
I'm off to work... and may give this a wing just for fun this evening
when I get back... but a couple quick replies to David I and Jim B.
Yes.. there still is the Meister school in Germany... tho given the
present direction things are taking in Europe I am unsure how long this
will continue to exist. I'll ask around. Jim, my past echos yours... I
was very early scared off from the PTG having attending a good ol
fashioned western shoot-out under the guise of a PTG meeting long ago.
It wasnt until running into a very fine gang of fellows and gals in
Seattle that got me to thinking about changing my mind. In particular I
would like to thank Doug Wood and Susan Willanger, tho perhaps they are
un-aware of the influence they exerted on me. A deep bow of gratitude is
in between these lines I here write. There are others too from that
group... Ed McMorrow in particular who lived close by to where I was
located. Indeed it was in Seattle that I was allowed 6 years later on
after moving back to Bergen that I was given my first test segment.. the
regulation and repairs bit. That same chapter went out of their way to
set up the exam for me and get the ball rolling. My experience in
general is that this is how the bulk of the PTG is the greatest majority
of time. Indeed, these little spats that pop up on the lists fade very
quickly with that in mind... and nearly always altogether upon meeting
folks in person.
But I digress... Jim mentions that highly qualified techs that are
non-ptg members do not see a need to join. This underwrites both some
of the points against the need for a CAUT certification and suggests
clearly that if we are to be interesting to these folks... then we have
to have something of interest to offer beyond what we at present have.
And that clearly is something that will give the possessor a clear
advantage in a lucrative market... be it CAUT or other institutional.
Something on the nature of the kind of credibility Steinways staff techs
at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall have.... If a tech can lay something
like that on the table... and if it is well published/marketed... then
possessors will get the jobs, they will be better payed then today, and
non-alligned techs will find a motivation for getting on board.
Cheers
RicB
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
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC