[CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?

[Ward & Probst, Inc]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for the kind words- hope to live up to them. 

I am very encouraged by the dialogue on this list regarding the CAUT
endorsement. It is a great to have input from so many folks practicing in
the field. We are contract techs for one small university, a small college
and several institutions that cater to the musical arts. Hearing from full
and half time techs is valuable information for the board and council to
consider in this matter. I know at least half of the board is on the list so
your opinions are being heard. 

I might quibble with the phrase "beyond the current RPT level" because I see
these endorsements not as a general credential (RPT) but as specialties for
a specific area (CAUT). RPT is and will remain the registered mark of PTG
and is our brand. Endorsements will show specialized training in areas of
piano technology that are not covered by the RPT tests. As to testing, I am
sure that will be an area to be discussed.

The question has been debated as to whether this endorsement will have an
effect on the marketplace and the discussion has been absorbing. In our
experience at Ward & Probst, the RPT mark plus continuing education has had
a noticeable positive impact on our pricing and income. We do promote
ourselves as RPTs and our ongoing commitment to education. I am a proud to
say that I recently completed my training as a Precision Touch Designer for
Stanwood Piano Innovations- though I was probably at the bottom of a highly
skilled class and the Baldwin action I brought received first prize in the
heavyweight division with its lovely cast iron rails. The action was
delivered last night and we'll see if the students notice that touchweight
has come down from the 80s to the low 50s. If so, I expect the university
will order more work done on problem pianos. I expect the word of mouth will
filter through the community to others with similar problems and more work
will result. That will be what changes our marketplace- quality work and
accurate marketing. 

Keep up the great discussions,
DP
Dale Probst, RPT
Midwestern State University

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred
Sturm
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 9:47 PM
To: caut
Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT credential vs. academic program?


On 11/14/07 8:03 AM, "rwest1 at unl.edu" <rwest1 at unl.edu> wrote:

>>     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.

Hi Richard,
    I wasn't very clear in the way I expressed myself. What I meant to say
was that the credential itself needed to be based on a measurement of skill
and knowledge, not on "having attended 'training'." I really don't think a
credential based on having attended X classes at regionals and nationals
would have a whole lot of credibility, other than showing that the person
had at least gone to some effort to gain additional knowledge. It would be
like a college degree based on classes one had audited.
    OTOH, I strongly agree with your idea that our major focus needs to be
on training, on education. We establish the skill set and knowledge range,
and then we offer a way to gain those. We (the caut committee) have been
working in that direction for several years, and I think we have made steady
if not dramatic progress. This coming year's institute will be a pretty big
step forward.  
    Should cautcom be working on a skills testing program? Well, if you had
asked me a few months ago, I would have said no. I would have said that I
would strongly support efforts to test skills beyond the current RPT level,
but that should be done by the organization as a whole. But we were charged
with doing just that by the president and the board. "It's Dale's fault!"
    And I have come to think that Dale is a pretty clever and pragmatic
person. He is impatient and wants to get things done, accomplished while he
is in office. A top priority for him, in the context of the long range plan,
is development of specialized certifications. How to jump start the process?
Appoint a committee to look into it and report to council? That would lead
to a delay of probably many years down the pike.
    No, I think Dale figured he had a group within PTG that was committed
(or ought to be <G>), dedicated and energetic. A group of people who had
goals, and who had shown that they would work toward goals and accomplish
things. So he gave us a challenge, or dumped something in our laps,
depending how you want to look at it.
    Whether or not it comes to fruition in a practical way, IOW passed by
council and implemented, I think the process will be a good one. Within the
caut community, it forces us to be specific, to discuss and decide what
skills we need, how we can obtain and/or teach those skills, how we can
communicate better within the organization and within academia about this
skill/knowledge set. Within PTG as a whole, it allows the possibility of
discussion of testing "skills beyond RPT" in a less threatening context:
"It's only for cauts." For the moment, anyway. An experiment that allows us
to explore alternative ways of testing and certifying without the usual
shouting match about the political morass of membership categories and
standards and so forth. Not that it won't be controversial - it's
controversial within the caut community. But maybe it has a little better
chance of getting past the initial discussion stage.
    At any rate, for better or for worse, we are undertaking the task we
were given. It's an interesting one. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New
Mexico