[CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?

[Fred S Sturm]

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:42:32 +0100
  Richard Brekne <ricb at pianostemmer.no> wrote:
> Ah, a post what puts a finger closer to the core of the 
>present tangent to this debate.  It has been amazing to 
>see how so many have dodged around the more holistic 
>pictures here to bang through individual points which 
>regardless of their validity or not are rather 
>meaningless in themselves.  We do need to keep it 
>friendly tho .. :)
Hi Ric,
     You are right, I did get a little carried away in the 
“emphasis” department. Apologies to the list for 
“flaming.” OTOH, there are occasionally times when a 
little “yelling” is justified, IMO. Nothing personal 
towards Jeff, whom I respect and consider a friend (and 
hope the feeling is mutual), but a blatant falsehood needs 
to be challenged or we can’t have a productive 
conversation. I view the statement I quoted as equivalent 
to a claim that someone who passed the RPT tuning exam has 
merely shown the ability to sit in a room with a piano for 
an hour and a half and make a slight improvement in its 
tuning, and furthermore tuning ability is something you 
are born with – can’t be taught or tested. Maybe we are 
all “entitled to our own opinion,” but if we are to 
contribute in a positive way to a conversation we have to 
think at least a little bit about what we say, and keep it 
within the boundaries of “reality.”
     I know that Jeff has a tendency to overstate his 
case, to use hyperbole in argument. I can live with that, 
but there are limits. I still can’t stand by and let a 
statement like this pass unchallenged:

“Someone who holds a music degree has merely demonstrated 
that they can absorb material long enough to regurgitate 
it on an exam, and that they have shown some degree of 
incremental improvement in musical ability over a 2 or 4 
year period, that they have attended a certain number of 
performances per term and have been present and accounted 
for in at least one performing ensemble each term.”

     I have my own healthy share of cynicism towards 
degrees and educational programs, but I also have decades 
of experience watching freshmen become graduates (and my 
own experience as a college student, both undergraduate 
and masters). I know with absolute certainty they did more 
than that. At least in my institution, and I don’t think 
UNM is among the top music schools in the country.
     Now as to whether a music degree is necessary or 
desirable for a caut, that is another question. I like 
Alan Eder’s attitude:
“I have found the value of my own years studying music vis 
a vis working in a conservatory environment is 
understanding the language (which one can get on one's 
own) but, moreover, having a high degree of empathy for 
what the the students and faculty are experiencing as 
performers and composers in a school setting.”
     The empathy and understanding of what is going on in 
the school or department is extremely valuable. Necessary, 
maybe not, but helpful, yes. Should a PTG CAUT endorsement 
include requiring a college degree of any sort? I’d say 
no. Let the institution require it if they choose. We 
should focus on technical chops in working on pianos, and 
knowledge in appropriate areas (organization, etc).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico