[CAUT] assistant position

[Willem Blees]

Don

It comes down to a time vs money thing. If you can show them that by 
hiring an assistant to help with tuning, etc, you can spend time 
saving the unversity money rebuilding instruments. 
(which will then last longer). 

Kind of like the old Fram Oil filter commercial. "You can pay me now, 
(holding up an oil filter), or you can pay me later, (pointing to a 
disaasembled car engine). 

Perhaps a chart showing how much time is required to keep the pianos 
maintainted during the year, tuning, voicing, regualting, and a chart 
how much time you need to spend to do major repairs. If the two charts 
show you have to work 70 - 80 hours per week, it warrents an 
assistant. Without the assistant, some of the work will not get done. 
Work not getting done means instruments wear out faster, which means 
they need to be replaced more often. 

Wim  


Quoting Donald McKechnie <dmckech at ithaca.edu>:

> All,
> 
> I have been charged with the task of showing how adding an assistant 
> 
> piano tech position here at IC would save the college money. Over the
>  
> last 6 years I have presented all sorts of information to show how  
> this addition to staff is necessary. While the information is taken 
> 
> in as all well and good, the bottom line for this administration is 
> 
> saving money. (Yes, it is a big political game too but I am the minor
>  
> player. I have to rely on the deans to play the big game as I cannot 
> 
> get my foot in any further. They simply won't let me in.) All this  
> means is that I must give the deans the best argument possible.
> 
> In essence, the information I have given in the past (Guidelines,  
> etc.) is considered qualitative. This administration wants to see a 
> 
> quantitative argument. In other words, "Show Me the Money Savings!" 
> 
> At this point I have come up with zip in the way of a good argument. 
> 
> Has anyone out there used a dollars and cents approach that helped or
>  
> actually worked in your favor?
> 
> I have managed to come up with words that dance around the basic  
> argument requested. Getting to the actual dollars saved still eludes 
> 
> me. The only approach so far has been to look at the inventory in  
> terms of years of service. The longevity of the piano in the  
> inventory is increased if the piano is maintained regularly. (Meaning
>  
> reconditioning of some sort and regular repairs.) This is easy enough
>  
> for the administration to understand but unless I can get my head to 
> 
> wrap around how dollars fit into this tact, I'm afraid it just as  
> useless as my other arguments. Of course a regular replacement  
> program is still needed and that is something a have a better handle 
> 
> on. Any help with the savings?
> 
> Thanks,
> Don
> 
> Don McKechnie
> Piano Technician
> Ithaca College
> dmckech at ithaca.edu
> 607-274-3908
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


Willem Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
School of Music
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL USA