To all re PTG (long)

[Vince Mrykalo]

  Regarding Richard West's message re PTG:
  Of course PTG has always welcomed new members to its ranks, and
  always will.  And sure, PTG has had education of its members as a top
  priority, and will always have that as a priority.  But to suggest
  that Ernie Juhn is against that, is to show ignorance of the stands
  he takes.  Now, education for the green beginner was never
  the goal of PTG for its first 20 or so years of its existence, but it was
  always a priority for members who already have a basic understanding
  of piano technology.
  Richard, are the pot shots you have taken mean you also have a narrow
  viewpoint, a grudge, or are just a meany? :/)
  What follows are a few facts and one man's opinion.  It deserves our scrutiny and
  consideration.

  >           THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
  >          A NEWSLETTER FOR PTG MEMBERS WHO WANT TO KNOW THE FACTS.
  >        Edited, written, paid for and distributed by Ernie Juhn, RPT.
  >
  > In  recent years a lot has happened in our organization. Some will say to the
  > better, others will say to the worse. One thing is sure, a lot less factual
  > information has been distributed to the membership. Members have rarely been
  > given the chance to express their feelings since the regular distribution of the
  > "Gray pages" has been discontinued under the presidency of Fern Henry.
  > This little paper is not brought into life for the purpose of convincing anyone
  > to think like I do. My opinions are widely known and often misunderstood.
  > Occasionally I have been also misquoted and that is what disturbs me a little. I
  > pledge that whatever I write will be as close to facts as humanly possible. If I
  > express my own opinions, I will clearly state so. Why am I doing this? Simply
  > because I honestly believe that those who make major decisions are not informed
  > well enough and consequently not equipped well enough to make these decisions.
  > Our system is set up in a most democratic and ideal way. In fact, the slogan for
  > many past PTG conventions was "See Democracy In Action". I feel that it is
  > crucial for our delegates to be well informed. It is also crucial for our Board
  > members to be well informed and be responsible for their actions. There is no
  > room for slanted statistics, misleading statements or double talk. No, we are
  > not professional politicians. We should not have to worry about being outsmarted
  > by another member who is a better "amateur politician". It should not be a
  > question of who can "manipulate" people better.
  >
  > The development of a "curriculum" by PTG. It seems that this is something that
  > was presented by Board, voted on by council and the result is that we now have a
  > "Vertical Regulation Curriculum". It was reported that "..The number of schools
  > is shrinking, while small enrollments put others in jeopardy..." (Resolution on
  > educational goals by Leon Speir, delegates book 1995). Facts: I made it my
  > business to speak with proprietors of some major schools in the USA and Canada.
  > The Randy Potter School is doing well but Randy fears that in the long run, PTG
  > is going to hurt not only his school, but the industry as well. He said that he
  > regularly has technicians come up to him at conventions, or call him on the
  > phone and whenever he suggests they take a course, they say "Oh, I don't need to
  > take a course, I am taking the PACE program". But the biggest problem in his
  > opinion, is what this attitude is doing to PTG's reputation. "We are becoming an
  > organization of part-time hobbyists who think it is okay to do sub-standard
  > work. They are spoon-fed some sort of pseudo-education in one -and two-hour bits
  > a month, instead of studying diligently to become professional piano
  > technicians. And why, (he asks) is PTG spending our dues money to develop
  > training programs when competent, tried and proven programs already exist? It
  > doesn't make sense."
  > Anne Fleming-Read, the coordinator of the Piano Technology Program at George
  > Brown College in Toronto, Canada, tells me that the program is full. The maximum
  > they accept is 30 students and that is what they have. Their concern is the
  > purpose, need and validity of PTG's involvement in basic piano technician
  > education when independent technical schools are experienced in training
  > beginners. The statistics presented by PTG are incorrect, says Anne, as George
  > Brown statistics have not even been included in any of the information presented
  > by PTG.
  > Dave Betts of the North Bennet Street School (Boston) said that this year the
  > registration is ok, but he too feels that in the long run PTG's plans will hurt
  > the school. Dave tells me that he spoke with Fern Henry in 1993 and told her
  > that he was not interested in writing such a curriculum, and he questioned the
  > need for it. As we have CTE's, Dave continued, are we now going to have
  > Certified Upright Regulation Examiners? Or why not put the material on the
  > Internet, which may be the next step. We at North Bennet Street School feel that
  > it would be a mistake for the PTG to be identified as an organization for
  > part-time anyone-can-learn technicians. Formal training should be insisted on
  > for those who are to be professionals.-- Everyone interviewed expressed the
  > opinion that they certainly have no need for such "curriculum" in fact, at the
  > time none of those interviewed had even seen it and consequently were not in a
  > position to evaluate it. As far as I was able to find out, they are not planning
  > on using it. I also spoke with Bill Garlick, a long time educator of
  > tuner-technicians, and he too expressed concern about the purpose, need and
  > validity of PTG's involvement in basic piano technology education.
  > My own opinion: Council was misinformed and, as a result of it voted for the
  > program. I am convinced that if council would have been properly informed, no
  > such decision could have passed.
  >
  > Statistics.  In the 1995 Membership Directory the first few pages are occupied
  > by the President's and Vice President's articles. On page 6 Leon Speir
  > writes"..Rough estimates show that these pages represent from 40 to 60 percent
  > of the total technicians who work on pianos in the US and Canada..". I wonder
  > where Leon got this rough estimate. I called up the New York City public library
  > and they have no information on the subject. I then called Bob Mair of Dampp
  > Chaser and was told that his mailing list is about 9.000 strong. His estimate is
  > that there are about 9,000 to 12,000 tuners in the US.
  > My own opinion: At no time since I have been a member (30 years), did PTG
  > membership even approach 1/2 of the tuning population of the US and Canada. Not
  > even at a time when we had more members than we have now.
  > (Circulated to all 1995 Delegates and interested parties)
  >



---
vince mrykalo  rpt

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If you are not enjoying your work, you are not charging enough.
-Vic Benvenuto
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