CAUT in KC: Pianotechnology in colleges

[Jeff Tanner]

Dear Ed (regarding your letter below),
	I understood that the #1 type class would involve the history of
the piano and how it works, but that tuning, voicing and regulating would
fall into the #2 and #3 type of class.  I was not referring to piano
performance graduates but the professor who specializes in the historic
keyboards such as harpsichords, clavichords, and early pianos.  I've worked
at two different major schools of music and each faculty has this type of
member.  These guys seem to study nothing but the evolution of keyboard
instruments and early music theory and their relationship.  At the two
schools where I've been, we're talking about the harpsichord teacher.  They
usually know more on the subject of the evolution than we do.  Hand them an
action model, show 'em how to press the key and that would show the
students how the piano action works.  (the Steinway also has sostenuto and
sustain pedals)  How much do you actually want to teach in this class (#1)
if you don't want the students coming out thinking they are authorities on
the subject, anyway?

I don't know how it is where you are, but our position in our schools is
NOT on the same level with faculty.  I am hourly staff, with more to do
than we have time for, and am regarded in the same vein as the heat and air
folks, with a little more respect coming from the piano faculty and the
administration.  Here, we would probably not be deemed qualified to teach a
music history class, as I understand the #1 class to be, unless we have at
least a masters in music (which I do not).  You know how those academic
types are...

Regards,
Jeff

>Dear Jeff,
>	I can't agree with your comment about #1 type classes.  My
>impression is
>that very few piano professors could teach such a class.  There are
>exceptions,
>but most piano performance graduates (in my narrow experience, anyway) know
>sadly little about where pianos come from or how they work. Trying to
>communicate with them about tuning, voicing and regulating can be quite a
>"twilight zone" experience.
>   	 If we are the professional keyboard technologist of the department,
>then it's our job to teach the course.  We should do a professional job of it,
>and get paid properly for it.  This means we need to know how to teach a
>college level course, whatever that means...such as preparing course outlines,
>syllabi, texts, exams, etc.  If anyone wants to share, I've got a copier...
>This would help me, because I've got to teach such a course in a year or two.
>
>         Concerning #3, one of the problems with residency programs, such as
>the now defunct programs in Charlotte, NC and Sioux City, IA is that they
>require large investments of space and instructor time (=$$), so that there is
>constant pressure to keep the enrollment up to justify the expense.
>         It has occurred to me that a B.Mus. could be structured with a
>major in
>Piano Technology. The technician would be paid on a "lesson" basis like some
>instrumental teachers are paid, and there would be less pressure to maintain a
>big class/shop. If there is a location where a community college/technical
>college is near a large university with music school, something similar could
>be arranged with an Associate Degree as the goal. (People studying for a
>career
>change generally don't want to spend 4 years in school.)
>	Speaking as a person who has spent far too much of his life in schools,
>I can say that the existence of traditional curricula in various fields is
>quite important in getting anything done.  Trying to decide what a person
>needs
>to know to be a competant Piano Technician is quite an adventure.  We might
>improve ourselves along the way.
>
>	Happy Turkey.
>        Ed Sutton
>        musutton@alpha.nlu.edu


Jeff Tanner, Piano Technician
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803)-777-4392 (phone)
(803)-777-6508 (fax)