NE Conservatory program

[Colin McCullough]

Thanks everyone for the public and private messages concerning the New
England Conservatory program taught by Frank Hanson.  I was suprised to
see most of them not recommending the school, due to it's seemingly good
reputation as a tuning school.  I was sent a letter by a former student,
which I was encouraged to print here in order to shed a positive light on
the subject.  This is the only letter I got from a former student of the
course.

"I have been disappointed to see such a negative response by those in
this mailing list concerning the tuning program at New England
Conservatory.  Mr. Hanson has, for many years, been one of New England's
most prominent tuners in the business.  His program has consistently
graduated some of the most successful piano tuner/technicians in the
country.

Any claims that his program no longer continues or that he is no longer
graduating successful students are purely false.  Quite the contrary, his
program is still going strong.  For two years in a row, two of his
students were hired by Steinway to work at the Manhattan showroom right
out of school!  If this is not a testament to his program, I dont know
what is!

As to your comparison with the program to the North Bennet program, I can
attest that the Conservatory program is every bit as qualified in giving
students the necessary experience to be graduate a professional
tuner/tech, in ONE year, no less.  Of course, schooling can only prepare
a tuner so much, it is the real experience and constant tuning which
really solidify the proficiency of any tuner.

Finally, to the accusations that the Conservatory program is not
"hands-on" enough, let me reassure you this is quite untrue.  How does a
course get more "hands-on" than this?  Mr. Hanson stands by the first
semester to teach and aid in tuning, and Vincent Derrico demonstrates and
aids in each student's project of rebuilding a Steinway grand the second
semester.

Please reprint this letter on the mailing list for those who criticized
the Conservatory program.  As a former student of the course, I can
assure you I am quite qualified to recommend this program for a thorough
education in piano tuning/technology.  I am very curious to know how
these others came to speak against the program, and to what they are
basing their opinions on.  I suspect that some of these people let
personal differences interfere."

colinm@chelsea.ios.com