Given a choice, I'd rather be average than mean! Dale Erwin wrote: > You saying we're average?...Dude? > > > *Dale S. Erwin > www.Erwinspiano.com > 209-577-8397* > > > -----Original Message----- > From: PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com > To: pianotech at ptg.org > Sent: Thu, Jul 8, 2010 2:13 am > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Are we fading? > > Median, or average? > > Paul > > In a message dated 7/7/2010 9:14:14 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > erwinspiano at aol.com <mailto:erwinspiano at aol.com> writes: > > *My** Sons are 23 and 25. Does that lower the median age? grin* > > > *Dale S. Erwin > www.Erwinspiano.com <http://www.Erwinspiano.com> > 209-577-8397* > > > -----Original Message----- > From: PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com <mailto:PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com> > To: pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> > Sent: Wed, Jul 7, 2010 5:58 pm > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Are we fading? > > I agree wholeheartedly with Israel's comments, and in answer to > his question about CSPT's experience, yes, the general population > of students is in the 20-30 year old range, with the usual extremes. > > I would also add that, having been around the PTG for 25+ years > now, I began hearing this same issue raised from almost day one. > The _average_ age (entering or otherwise) of membership hasn't > dramatically changed since I came around. I'm not sure that > there's much information in the datum. > > Paul > > In a message dated 7/7/2010 6:53:35 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > custos3 at comcast.net <mailto:custos3 at comcast.net> writes: > > On Jul 07/07/10 2:00 PM Paul T. Williams wrote: > > Hi Ed, > > >I think our profession, on the big scale, is slowly dwindling > like the piano industry as a whole. My chapter here in > >Nebraska, is probably about an average of my age (nearing 50) > or better (at least those who come to the > >meetings), but we have two budding students who are charged > up about the future possibilities! > > Paul, I really don't see things as pessimistically as you do. > It may be true that because our profession consists to a large > part of "retreads" - it's typically a second or third career > choice - the average age will be a bit higher than typical in > other professions. But, a PTG convention - especially in a > difficult economy - is not the best sample of age > distribution, as we of the gray hair, spreading midriff and > suspenders crowd (thanks Joe) are more likely to have the cash > and the leisure to go. You know, kids out of the house, > mortgage almost paid, business well established... > > I come across plenty young people in our ranks - in their > twenties and thirties. At our San Francisco Chapter meetings > you will typically find a pretty wide age distribution. The > trick is to develop interesting and varied programming with > appeal to all levels of competence and not to allow a chapter > to become a narrow homogenous "clique" that ages together over > the years - which then becomes not particularly attractive to > younger people to spend time with a bunch of geezers... It's > sort of a chicken and egg thing, I suppose... > > Then again, a large proportion of the RPT candidates I have > tested over the years tend to be in their 30's and even 20's. > The same goes for the students from North Bennet Street School > and Western Ontario I meet - and I would bet that Paul Revenko > Jones could probably say the same about his students in > Chicago (though I can't vouch for that personally). > > >We need to recruit more young folks who want to continue in > our footsteps. > > Can't argue with this. But then there are people who are doing > just that - and have been doing it all along. Joe Garret in > Oregon has trained some crackerjack young technicians over the > years, and Lance LaFargue in New Orleans keeps cranking out > these fuzzy-cheeked youths who can run circles with their > technical skills around many of us graybeards. John Callahan > here in the SF Bay area has launched many youths' careers in > his rebuilding shop and so has Margie Williams while her shop > was active - one of them is now chief technician at the > University of Denver. I am sure there are more such everywhere... > > >I wish I had the time to properly train some new blood as I > have 110 pianos to care for, so lots to learn from. The > >university is always willing to get free "help", at least on > the upright practice room pianos. The down side for me is > >that I have to immediately go and correct all the mistakes > :>( as they learn; so the 2 sided coin....heads I win, tails > >you lose. or the other way around, I should say. > > >We only offer a one semester class on the basics of piano > mechanics in which I have an average of 3 or 4 students just > >looking for a small bit of education to learn of the > instruments they play. Most of my students are not even piano > majors, > >but filling up an elective as it's a cool class. They're > always very enthusiastic in class, but at the end of the semester, > >that's all they do. Sadly, and I think it should be > manditory, that all piano majors take my class; but, then again, > >I don't have the time to teach that many students. > > I don't know how feasible it is to do much training in an > institutional setting (though I have some ideas that I might > pitch to the appropriate people given the opportunity) but > those of us with their own private shops are in a much better > position to do this. So we should make the effort... > > >It may be a problem in the next 10 years, however, the income > possibilities may be huge for the new blood entering this field. > > At least here in Northern California there are plenty younger > folk of both genders who are well positioned to take > advantage - and more show up from time to time... And - by the > way - the fly-by-nights of all ages have always been with us, > and will continue to be with us - as long as the ignorance > about pianos among those who make a living playing them > continues to be as widespread as it has always been. And the > good thing about recessions is that they knock out a fair > number of them out of business - because they don't have the > skill set or the equipment to survive in difficult times and > expand into a greater variety of work when the tunings dry > up. But then again, I have seen enough of those "quick buck" > types actually develop an interest in the profession after a > year or two and eventually become fine technicians. So let's > not get all gloom-and-doomy about a preponderance of gray hair > and spreading midriffs at Las Vegas - it means little, as far > as I am concerned... > > Israel Stein, RPT > > > > > > > > > From: Ed Foote <a440a at aol.com <mailto:a440a at aol.com>> > To: pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: 07/07/2010 03:31 PM > Subject: [pianotech] Are we fading? > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > Greetings, > In this months Journal, Clarence Zeches mentions that the > average age of "our technicians", (I take that to mean Guild > membership), is in the 50's or later. Judging by the gray > hair and wrinkles at the conventions, (mine too!) I will not > dispute that. This was in response to the question of "Where > are the techs going to be coming from in 20 or 30 years"? > My personal observation is that the average age of tuners is > much lower, but that includes the non-Guild tuners, many of > whom have an ETD, hammer, mute and maybe a screwdriver but no > more. It is easy money, and many of the bread and butter > tunings are being done, (poorly), by part-timers. > Is the Guild slowly representing fewer and fewer of the > people that are actually doing the tuning out there? > Ed Foote RPT > http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Avery <ptuner1 at gmail.com <mailto:ptuner1 at gmail.com>> > To: "pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>" > <pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>> > Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 12:05:16 -0500 > Subject: Re: [pianotech] how's everyone hold'n up? > > > Only about 81 in Houston right now. Thanks to the clouds & > rain moving in from the Gulf. A sister in PA has been hotter > than Houston for the last several days! Rare! > > On Jul 7, 2010, at 11:36 AM, Zeno Wood <zeno.wood at gmail.com > <mailto:zeno.wood at gmail.com>> wrote: > > > It's hot. > > > > Really hot. > > > > Wow, it's hot. > > > > I think it got to 103 yesterday, and humid. Vegas was hot > but this is wretched. My family camped out on the dining room > floor last night, huddled around the AC. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: <pianolady50 at peoplepc.com <mailto:pianolady50 at peoplepc.com>> > To: <pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>> > Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 16:12:16 -0400 > Subject: Re: [pianotech] how's everyone hold'n up? > > > Try tuning in a south facing room with no AC! Should have had > a bucket to stand in...settled for a big towel under me. Came > home and tried shop work. Lights bright, flip switch for > bench sander, lights brown. Took it as a sign that I needed a > break. Shop work happened super early this morning instead. > A bit better today with a sea breeze. > > Debbie L. > Rockport, MA > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Paul T Williams <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu > <mailto:pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>> > Cc: CAUTlist <caut at ptg.org <mailto:caut at ptg.org>> > To: pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2010 16:00:31 -0500 > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Are we fading? > > > Hi Ed, > > I think our profession, on the big scale, is slowly dwindling > like the piano industry as a whole. My chapter here in > Nebraska, is probably about an average of my age (nearing 50) > or better (at least those who come to the meetings), but we > have two budding students who are charged up about the future > possibilities! > > We need to recruit more young folks who want to continue in > our footsteps. I, for one, am going to teach my 13 year old to > rebush keys this summer so he can make some cash., but he > hasn't shown interest in doing what I do for a career. > > I wish I had the time to properly train some new blood as I > have 110 pianos to care for, so lots to learn from. The > university is always willing to get free "help", at least on > the upright practice room pianos. The down side for me is > that I have to immediately go and correct all the mistakes :>( > as they learn; so the 2 sided coin....heads I win, tails you > lose. or the other way around, I should say. > > We only offer a one semester class on the basics of piano > mechanics in which I have an average of 3 or 4 students just > looking for a small bit of education to learn of the > instruments they play. Most of my students are not even piano > majors, but filling up an elective as it's a cool class. > They're always very enthusiastic in class, but at the end of > the semester, that's all they do. Sadly, and I think it > should be manditory, that all piano majors take my class; but, > then again, I don't have the time to teach that many students. > > It may be a problem in the next 10 years, however, the income > possibilities may be huge for the new blood entering this field. > > Just my 2 cents. > > Paul > > > > > > > > From: Ed Foote <a440a at aol.com <mailto:a440a at aol.com>> > To: pianotech at ptg.org <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org> > Date: 07/07/2010 03:31 PM > Subject: [pianotech] Are we fading? > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > Greetings, > In this months Journal, Clarence Zeches mentions that the > average age of "our technicians", (I take that to mean Guild > membership), is in the 50's or later. Judging by the gray > hair and wrinkles at the conventions, (mine too!) I will not > dispute that. This was in response to the question of "Where > are the techs going to be coming from in 20 or 30 years"? > My personal observation is that the average age of tuners is > much lower, but that includes the non-Guild tuners, many of > whom have an ETD, hammer, mute and maybe a screwdriver but no > more. It is easy money, and many of the bread and butter > tunings are being done, (poorly), by part-timers. > Is the Guild slowly representing fewer and fewer of the > people that are actually doing the tuning out there? > Ed Foote RPT > http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html > >
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