<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3059" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 5/2/07 3:50:40 P.M. Central Daylight Time, jtanner@mozart.sc.edu writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV>Music can be like a drug.  It is habit forming.  Addictive.  Being addicted to music can cause one to be disconnected from reality in much the same way that addition to drugs or alcohol are.  I look at many of the people I work with and wonder how they could possibly survive in this world without academia.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Watch them.  They tend to be clueless about what has to happen around them to enable them to live their dreams.  And they expect everyone else to give up life and family to further their pursuits, because that is what they have done.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>I also sent Wim a private email, but will reiterate here, Wim, that you and your wife will be in mine and Paula's prayers.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Jeff</DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV>Jeff and everyone else</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You have a very good point, Jeff. The woman who is behind this is the head of the piano area of the School of Music. She is a native of Tuscaloosa, earned a BS at some small college in Virginia, came back to get her MS in piano from UA, and was hired as soon as she graduated, in 1954. She's been here ever since. She honestly thinks no pianos students will come to UA if she leaves. That is why she doesn't retire. (She can actually make money as a retired person, than she is making working). And she is, what Jeff described, addicted to piano playing and teaching. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>She teaches 25 students a week. Most of them are "grand students". (Students of students of students she taught when she first started). The problem is, she is not a good teacher, and her players are mediocre at best. So guess what, the students she get are the same, and so forth and so forth. She is also in charge of the piano scholarships, and she hands them out to only her student's students. As a result, really good player bypass UA, and go else where. And the cycle continues. But she still thinks she is the greatest teacher in the world.  She does have some very good Asian graduate students. I've talked with a few of them, and they are better players than her, and know more, but only stay because of the free ride to get their graduate degrees. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For some reason she doesn't like my tuning. She also told me I should know when there is a problem with a piano. Not like a broken string, or something obvious, but when she plays F6 at pp with the shift, and the hammer bobbles slightly, she thinks I should see that when I tune the piano, and fix it. And when she does tell me about a problem, it's usually the wrong note. (E2 sticks. When I try to see what the problem is, and can't find anything, she complains again, only to find out it's B3) </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As Elwood said, ( and as I said to the chairman of the department), the music department will suffer. But at this point, I really don't give a S#$%^. On the one hand, guys, (and galls), it's a bummer to get fired. On the other hand, maybe it's good riddance. Yes, I am very depressed right now, but I know something will come through. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks again,  everyone, for all you prayers and good wishes. I might be down, but I am certainly not out. Unless something terrific comes along that I can't refuse, I will be in KC. See you then.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim </DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>