CAUT in KC

[Ron Nossaman]

Comments interspersed, for what it's worth.

   - Incoming rant -

>One of the important issues facing PTG (and our profession) is where the
>next generation of piano technicians is going to come from.  Some think PTG
>should take the lead in developing and implementing a formal curriculum
>geared towards training members to pass the RPT exams.

* That will do for the PTG, and piano techniciandom (et al) just what it's
done for the "educational system" in this country. Certification for the
incapable has become a national obsession in the spirit of equal
opportunities, and credentials, for all, regardless of the color of logo on
the pockets of their team blazers or the ability of the officially
credentialed to hit their collective gluteus maximi with either hand. Better
to qualify them on such sterling merits as who their parents are, and their
political affiliations and land holdings. When the DNA testing guidelines
are compiled, perhaps we can dispense with all but the chemical testing
procedures altogether. This profession surely needs all the people, trained
to pass the RPT exams at the expense of accumulated practical education,
experience, and field survival skills, that it can get. I expect the
test-prep practice CD will be released soon. Operators are standing by.


>  Others point out
>that the materials for this already exist (PACE manuals, Exam Source Books,
>the newer vertical regulation and upcoming in-home repairs curricula, and
>Journal reprint books) and should be viewed as an aid for students and
>their mentors/teachers to be adapted to different situations, personalities
>and teaching styles.

* This, apparently, would make me an "other". The intended point of RPT
certification is presumed familiarity with the processes, requirements, and
limitations of piano service, rather than rote disgorgement of the required
answer to the rehearsed and expected question, or physically performing the
memorized process with little understanding of how it fits into the whole of
piano service, as would be the case in training for the test. 



>I think it would be great for PTG (and good for the industry) if we took
>the lead in incorporating these materials into a more formal curriculum at
>some point, but in the meantime what we CAN do is support in every way
>possible the development of courses such as the one Jeff mentions.  These
>"intro" courses not only educate pianists, teachers and others about their
>instrument but become the feeders for interested students (already with
>music backgrounds!) to pursue careers in piano technology.  

* I emphatically disagree that a musical background is, necessarily, a
positive attribute for interest in piano technology. A mechanical background
will, in the long run, be of infinitely greater value. A musician who can
run a screwdriver is a relatively rare and wonderful thing, though not as
much so as a lawyer with similar skills... but that's another post. 


The second, and
>even more interesting, concept then is to develop either a formal degree
>program or informal "apprenticeship" program for these interested students.
>There are models for these at various institutions around the country, most
>of which are tremendously successful in yielding competently trained
>technicians who are ready to step into entry-level positions with dealers,
>manufacturers and educational institutions.   I am currently in the process
>of researching the types of institutional training programs available, with
>the goal of developing a training curriculum that could be adapted to any
>number of various college and university settings.  I then envision
>offering on-site evaluations of current institutional maintenance programs
>to see how the program might be reorganized or adapted to accommodate a
>piano technology training program, writing an outline report of
>justification to be submitted the administration, and following-up with a
>residency of some sort to help get the program started.  Organized and run
>in the right way, programs like this can be a win-win situation for
>everyone.

* The problem I see here is that such courses tend to give the impression
that piano technology is something that can be taken up as a Thursday
afternoon (when there's nothing else more interesting to do) activity that
requires very little training and dedication beyond the desire to amuse
one's self with a bit of tuning and light action regulation as the mood
strikes. I've cleaned up after too much of this nonsense to be able to work
up much enthusiastic support for the concept. This is, again, much like the
rest of the educational system that works so much harder at generating
certificates of qualification than practical training.


>I think that opportunities abound along these lines for CAUT members to
>pursue, and am encouraged to see the level interest among members in
>starting or continuing to offer some type of piano technology program at
>their institution.  Our future depends on it!
>
>thanks for listening,
>Rolf von Walthausen, CERVP,
>"retired" 15-year veteran of the trenches, now self-employed and living in
>the great white north....:)
>
>NEW ADDRESS (pianos@traverse.net)
>

* Rolf - This isn't an attack on you, specifically, it's just that your post
exceded the "critical mass" of personal sore points necessary to trigger the
reaction. I hope you understand.

The preceding rant was entirely of my own devising, reflecting no other
opinion than my own, and answerable to none other than myself.

 Ron