[CAUT] CAUT pay, was Job Opening...

[Michael Magness]

On 10/16/07, Scott E. Thile <scott.thile at murraystate.edu> wrote:
>
> > BUT!!!
> >
> > You're forgetting one of our best perks of us Cauterized
> > folks.  We get to carry KEYS!!!
>
> Ah yes, good point Conrad, we do carry power and influence! But you're
> forgetting... The guy with the most "key power" on campus has two keys
> that
> do everything my 30 or 40 keys do! Of course I'd hate to know what would
> happen if he lost one!
>
> Jeff, I still question the notion you have that private sector work is
> some
> how less necessary. What about piano teachers and their more serious
> students, concert venues, concert artists, accompanists, and in my case,
> churches where I tuned several times a year to coincide with major
> services,
> etc.. Lots of high level, very critical work is needed and done in the
> private sector.
>
> When my private clientele was at it's peak in the San Diego area at least
> 1/2 of my work was for people or venues that made it a priority. Some had
> to, some wanted to. The other 1/2 was like you describe, But that's true
> in
> our CAUT work as well. I spend lots of time tuning practice rooms where
> anything I do will be blasted out of tune in days by 11+ hours a day of
> practice and a virtually non-existence HVAC system. I also have a couple
> of
> studios I tune from time to time where I'm sure I'm the only one who plays
> the piano!
>
> For private sector work I think it just depends on how you structure your
> clientele. I'd hate to be depending on the low end these days. The guys I
> know that do are starting to see a huge drop off.
>
> Scott E. Thile, RPT
> Piano/Instrument Technician
> ---------------------------
> Dept. of Music, Murray State University
> 504 Fine Arts Building, Murray, KY 42071
> Office Phone: 270-809-4396
> http://campus.murraystate.edu/staff/scott.thile/index.html


Ok Jeff,
When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong and I got some things wrong. Your initial
letter with the 2 statements;


[Tuning spinets and old uprights pays better if you're willing to take that
kind of work on.]

[We have such people making very good money in the private sector, where the
work isn't nearly as necessary.]
reeked with snobbery and seemed to denigrate both those who would (lower
themselves to)tune spinets and uprights and generally us private sector
folks as doing "unnecessary" work.

Having read your further comments, I understand what you were trying to say
and we are much closer to agreeing than you would believe. You speak in
quixotic terms of things that I have accepted as a given many years ago. The
new cars, fine homes, flat screen TV's, guns, ammo, sporting goods, etc.
Although we live in different regions of the country, I can assure you the
mentality of the citizenry isn't all that far apart. I'm a 40 minute drive
from the Deer hunting capitol of Wisconsin and just a few miles from the
Mississippi where bass tournaments abound. Our differences lie in the fact
that I have accepted that I/we will not change a public that grew up
acquiring the newest, shiniest toy regardless of it's cost but will balk at
simply maintaining a piano at a basic level. I fight this battle in a
personal way one on one with customer education, enthusiasm about my subject
and a customer list that is notified when next due. I have been in this
business for 38 years and come to it not from a musical perspective but
rather as a woodworker. I am not saying I have no musical training but I am
not a pianist, I play guitar, I sing and I took wood shop. I have often made
the point that I am a right-brained person working in a left-brained world!
<grin>I am well aware of the demands of the institutional piano, the
inherent problems associated with the HVAC systems, not to mention climate
and location, I have one high school that was built on land that was
previously a swamp! With a few exceptions, you are correct I see my
institutional pianos much more often than most of the home pianos. I do have
a few exceptional pianists, with an exceptional ear that have me back often.
I also have some piano teachers that don't have me in as often as they
should!
So as I said, I really don't believe we are that far apart, I tend to work
10 to 12 hour days, not including the office time when I get home. The funny
thing about being a self-employed tech is you find it hard to say no to
things and the next thing you know you're overbooked for the day, the week,
the month!

Regarding my comments about employee vs self-employment, I had more than a
little wrong, I have not been an employee but rather a private contractor. I
was unaware of your private work which of course puts you and your comments
in a different light. I guess the only thing you missed and it seems to be
our own little unique Wisconsin tax is the doomage tax. A yearly tax on
the value of my tools, business vehicle, office furniture, computer, etc.
levied once a year in March. It's kind of like a second sales tax, paid each
year after the fact.

I guess we have much more we agree on than disagree on, I just, like many on
both lists, jumped on a couple of your statements which were unfortunately
worded. Life goes on and I now can say I know a very smart tech in South
Carolina should I have the opportunity to travel there or should any of my
customers end up moving to that part of the world.
Peace Brother,
Mike
-- 
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing
is to not stop questioning.-- Albert Einstein



Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20071016/b01ac00e/attachment-0001.html