[CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?

[rwest1 at unl.edu]

There comes a time to get past the philosophical discussions and  
ideas that are tangential, and get to a plan and a way to implement  
that plan.  Can we get down to specifics?  Talking about grand ideas  
is fun as far as it goes, but I think we've beat that horse to  
death.  Perhaps the internet isn't the best place to work out the  
details and so we need to move on and let the committee work.  But if  
anyone wants specifics, here are some that are at the top of my list:

1.  Identify who we are:  There are two big groups we already know  
about, contract techs and staff techs.  But there are subgroups.  As  
Ric B pointed out there are beginners and there are head techs.
2.  How can we meet the needs of the various groups?  What technical  
materials does a beginner need?  What does a head tech need?  What  
universities have training programs and how can those programs be  
translated into something that other universities can use?
3.  What can we do on the local level?  Chapters are always looking  
for programs.  Many have the money to pay for travel and expenses.   
If a head tech from a large school teaches at a distant small school,  
there should be some interaction with the administration and the  
local tech.
4. Could we develop ideas about what a realistic standard of piano  
service would be for various sized schools.  Perhaps that could be  
picked up by NASM and used in their accreditation activities.   
Steinway has been trying to work with its Steinway schools to  
encourage ongoing piano care.  Could we work with them?
5.  Regional seminars should be used by CAUT much more.  Technicians  
can't always get to the national, but can get to regional meetings.   
CAUT should be there.
6.  A certificate program could be implemented.  I would prefer we  
had some core curriculum but even if the piece of paper could be  
given for attending a CAUT class, that would be a beginning.
7.  Salary = "Get Real"  Let's face it, we have no control; we have  
no powers of enforcement.  Very little of what CAUT does will affect  
our salaries and if that's our prime motivation, we will be perceived  
as self serving. The fact is there are two choices to present to the  
university:  Do you want my  loyalty and service by paying a  
competitive wage or do you want me to compromise my work by earning  
most of my living outside the university?   Personnel costs are among  
the biggest parts of university budgets.  They're going to do all  
they can to keep the low wage system that is characteristic of  
university pay scales for staff.  Perhaps the most we can expect is  
to educate technicians to be wary and actually turn down jobs.  Maybe  
we need to call a strike.

Also, I'd like to respond to one of Fred Sturm's posts:


On Nov 12, 2007, at 1:51 PM, Fred S Sturm wrote:
>  it is very difficult to measure what training most of us have had.  
> Most of us probably consider ourselves "largely self-taught,"  
> however accurate or inaccurate that statement is on close examination.

I agree with this.  Therefore we need to have some sort of core  
curriculum on which to base testing.  Otherwise we're testing people  
on information they may know nothing about or setting a standard  
without providing some means to reach that standard.

>     If this credential is to become a reality, we need to measure  
> skill and knowledge in some way, rather than focusing on training.

I will have to respectfully disagree with your statement.  This is  
like testing a student at the start of a semester and wondering that  
they get stressed out and fail.  A successful test depends on quality  
teaching and teaching materials.

>     It would be lovely to have an actual educational program for cauts

Then let's do it.  Is it difficult?  Yes.

>      In many ways, what we have before us is "an impossible task."  
> Whatever we come up with will not be "ideal." Still, I firmly  
> believe that we can come up with something meaningful and useful.
>

No argument there.


Richard West