Hi Tim, You got that right! After being in the private world for 15 years, it's a whole other level to come to the CAUT thing. I've only been here at UNL for 5 years, but the demands are certainly different and more demanding. Especially with concert tech work and piano faculty. Practice room pianos are more similar to the everyday home tuning, although the poor pianos are tortured to no end, so no such thing as the yearly or every 6 month service! You'll repair them and tune them monthly. (or more!) Get aquainted with harpsichords, clavichords, piano-fortes, etc that will give you an "edge" in the interview process. Also, be ready to MOVE! Doubtful you'll find something "in your neighborhood". I moved from Seattle to Nebraska!! One must have patience (still learning that one), abilities to adapt to ever changing environments, political science between authorities, faculty, peers, the public, and students, and a really good sense of "what might happen" sort of thing. Expect the unexpected, plan ahead, be frugal not only with any budget you might have, but with your own energy. I can see how one might burn out quickly if trying to do everything. At the end of the day, go home, leave the problems behind, and live to fight another day. It's really nice to drive 6 miles to and from work everyday instead of 40-50K I used to put on my car every year!! The best thing is the CAUT list!! :>) They have helped me out of more jams than I can list here. (THANKS AGAIN FOLKS!!) Between us all, there is over 5,000 years of experience, and we've probably seen just about everything that can happen! I think your hardest thing, besides a bit more experience, is FINDING the position. Have a great resume and cover letter ready as well as a curriculum vitae (a more expanded resume) that universities will request. Get solid letters of recommendation from reputable folks who can vouch for your great work. Check out the PTG-CAUT site for openings, and good luck! Hope this helps a bit. Paul T. Williams RPT Piano Technician School of Music 5 Westbrook Bldg. University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE 68588-0100 pwilliams4 at unl.edu From: Tim Kuipers <tk8664 at gmail.com> To: caut at ptg.org Date: 02/25/2011 12:19 PM Subject: Re: [CAUT] beginning luck Wim, Thanks for your reply- I'm based in central Michigan. I've been tuning for 5 years, have done work for numerous college and universities, but mostly through Alex Kapteyn, Central Michigan Pianos. If I'm correct, there seems to be a higher level of versatility & requirements for a university technician due to (among others) the frequent practicing & performances. On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 11:38 AM, <tnrwim at aol.com> wrote: Hi Tim I've been in the business for almost 35 years, and sometimes I feel like a beginner. In other words. yes you're in the right place to ask questions. There will be lots, and sometimes variable, answers. Tell us where you work and live. Do you have any university experience? Wim Blees, RPT Hawaii -----Original Message----- From: Tim Kuipers <tk8664 at gmail.com> To: caut <caut at ptg.org> Sent: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 5:59 am Subject: [CAUT] beginning luck Hello everyone, I've been receiving emails from CAUT and also Pianotech for awhile, and I'm impressed by the wealth that there is in shared information. My name is Tim Kuipers, and I'm looking to learn the honorable trade of CAUT technicians. I've been in the piano rebuilding field since 2005 tuning, regulating, some voicing, and complete action restoration under a very reputable rebuilder. What I'm wondering is if I'm asking a legitimate question in the right place... or not. Experienced advice for beginning work in this field, I would greatly appreciate. Thanks -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20110225/518e9c42/attachment.htm>
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