<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1479" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bottomMargin=0 leftMargin=3 topMargin=0 rightMargin=3> <DIV>>Having read these posts about piano replacement I'm curious, how = big a part of these programs is piano rebuilding?  In our inventory of 46<BR>>grand pianos 35 of them are Steinways, 7 are Yamahas, 3 are = Baldwins, 1 is a Mason & Hamlin.  While I'd like to replace the Baldwins, = and the<BR>>future will tell us what to do with the Yamahas, the rest I'd = like to just keep and rebuild.  So far the rebuilds have come up better than the<BR>>new with Steinways.  <BR>> <BR>>This past year = we did buy 4 new Steinways trading off 3 Baldwins (netting a 1 piano increase).&= nbsp; Two of the new pianos went into practice<BR>>rooms.  Logic would = say that students would rush to the new ones first and that the rooms with the = new ones would be the most heavily used.<BR>>I've not found that to be the case.  Since we can rebuild what we have for just a fraction of the = cost of trading I plan to emphasize that<BR>>route over the new purchases. = <BR>> <BR>>Does anyone else plan something similar?<BR>> <BR>>dave</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>----------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>dave & list:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Well, let's talk about a few things and all of you on the list come up= with your   OWN  "plan."</DIV> <DIV>This is ALL just  " Food for Thought"  and I  "thought"  you'd like to  "think" about it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think one of the reasons  " moneys "   get = lost in the bureaucracy of administrators is that it  ALL  goes into a= general fund</DIV> <DIV>and  "someone"  forgets to make an accounting list of WHERE = that money taken up really goes.   There are a number</DIV> <DIV>of  Schools of Music(s)  that  "charge" that fee  = ( whatever you feel it will take to build up to your goal )  and make = the student</DIV> <DIV>write a  <STRONG><U>SEPARATE</U></STRONG>  check  <U>PAID  TO  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC</U>  that= the  school of music has designated as  "theirs"</DIV> <DIV>with the approval of the college / university.   This is = overseen by the university's accountant, but is NOT touched by ANY one</DIV> <DIV>else in the whole college system except by the school of music whose committee ( including the piano technician ) can then</DIV> <DIV>use to replace pianos with NEW pianos over time.   However,&= nbsp; EVEN IN  the school of music system,  this account MUST </DIV> <DIV>have strict accounting and audit spreadsheets made public to anyone = wanting to see where the money is and where it is going.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>NOW,  on the  "other hand",  a college or university = can contact one of those piano dealers that deal in the  yearly new-piano<= /DIV> <DIV>rotation (sale) in order to get NEW pianos each and every year  AT  NO  CHARGE  TO THE  COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY.  = That's the</DIV> <DIV>cheaper way out   "IF"  a piano tech wants and needs = work practicing his/her  "dealer prep"  skills for the dealer each = year (free) at the</DIV> <DIV>university's expense of paying the tech's salary.   There's = pros and cons in every situation.  What best fits yours ??  Keep the Steinways</DIV> <DIV>and Mason Hamlin GRANDS for the concert stage(s) and put those Yamaha's and Kawai's [studio consoles] in the class rooms and studios.   </DIV> <DIV>They are excellent pianos for the purpose, and NOT so dang hard to = tune as those Steinway 45's (1098's).   GEE !!!   ( why ANY = school of </DIV> <DIV>music "thinks" those are "outstanding" pianos for practise rooms and/= or studios  IS  beyond me ... )</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Still, on another hand,  the Dean's office of each School of = Music can make it "public" to each and every music major that  NOTHING</DIV> <DIV>in this world is FREE  ( or, especially cheap )  and that "= cost" of  "higher education"  must and HAS to come with a price if one<= /DIV> <DIV>is willing to accomplish in life their goals set straight out of high= school.   In other words,  "College ain't no free ride like= public schools."</DIV> <DIV>{ yeah, and most states think kids need to play the lottery starting = at the 10th grade so the state will have enough money to fund</DIV> <DIV>"college scholarships" when that child graduates 12 grade.  ..........  Hello ??  -- what's wrong with THAT picture ?? }   </DIV> <DIV>[ yeah, yeah, I know one must be 18 to buy a lottery ticket.  It's  "tongue and cheek" description of college funding on the state level.]</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So, to each and every student =</DIV> <DIV>who studies, plays on a piano, and/or takes ANY music class where a = piano is located,  NEEDS to understand the</DIV> <DIV>politics of the university's policy of piano replacement (in a = tactfully nice way, of course) and WHY they must and need to pay an</DIV> <DIV>extra "fee"  in order to register and attend the fine, wonderful= school of THEIR choice to study and become the Professional</DIV> <DIV>Musician  (they)  are wanting to become.   Because= , my friend, out in the REAL world,  that piano or other instruments one = plays and</DIV> <DIV>performs on is going to cost them  TOTALLY  all of the price= to buy, own, and maintain to THEIR level of expertise.</DIV> <DIV>           &= nbsp;           &= nbsp;      [  ... train up a child when he is young, and when he is old, he will = NOT depart from it  ...  ]  ???    </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Hummmm, now WHERE have we read that before ....  ???  &= nbsp; </DIV> <DIV>Education starts at "home,"  but  " TRAINING "  = starts at College.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The fees charge to the student can be explained to the student that is= works  "like"  social security ...  PAY that fee NOW so the= next</DIV> <DIV>student in the future will have the benefit of the NEW piano when they= study at the school YOU graduated from ...  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Unfortunately, my friends and colleagues,  MONEY is the  "= root of all evil"  IF the college or university administrators sees  "fit"  to direct </DIV> <DIV>their spending into "other" important areas,  like  football= and basketball ??   Oh, yes, the  "other"   ' school of  (arts) '  in skills of physical</DIV> <DIV>attributes.    ( go figure ).    But, = that's why it will take the Schools of Music across this country to assess fees (= and dues) to the attributes</DIV> <DIV>of learning in the field of music.   MAYBE  if music = were taken OUT of churches, off the radio and TV,  OUT of movies,  OFF= the stages</DIV> <DIV>of rock concerts, NO D.J.s allowed at parties, NO record albums ( aka = = CD's, cassettes ) sold in stores, etc., etc., etc., on & on I could go,</DIV> <DIV>and   >>>>  THEN  <<<<&= nbsp; see how the public reacts to  HOW important music is in our society,&= nbsp; and  THEN  they will start directing the</DIV> <DIV>funding to the students and the Schools of Music.   TAKE&= nbsp; AWAY  WHAT'S  IMPORTANT  in one's life, and their attention = to "needs"</DIV> <DIV>increase.    THIS is going to be the piano technician's= and music professor's  political  STAND  to get what they need.<= /DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>However,  NONE of this is going to happen anytime soon,  so,  tarry on with what you've got....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>{  ALL of this and  95 cents  "might"  buy you a = cup of coffee, if that's what you want .... }</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So, this is  ALL  something to "think" about while pacing = the halls of your college or university.</DIV> <DIV>Talk is "cheap" , but  ACTION is where the "heart" is.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Dan</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Definition :  "TRAINING"  =  Being  "rail-roaded= " into believing you are on the right "track" in life.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <HR> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <HR> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>