<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Nov 1, 2007, at 6:12 PM, Paul T Williams wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><FONT size="2" face="sans-serif"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; ">Jeff,</SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><BR><BR><FONT size="2" face="sans-serif"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; ">Since we don't have a time machine to test that, then yes, it</SPAN><I style="font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; "> is</SPAN></I><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; "> "impossible to measure" How do you know what to do if the pianist says " it's difficult to control the pedaling during the pianissimo section of the development in the second movement" or "the presto section of so and so's piece is nearly impossible to acheive"? This kind of musical knowledge is crucial to make the artist happy.<BR></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Umm, I'm not hearing anything that requires musical knowledge. I'm hearing a description of mechanical problems that require no knowledge of the music. Even though I do understand the musical references, I'd still have to ask the artist to demonstrate exactly the problem she's having.</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><FONT size="2" face="sans-serif"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; "> Some musicians attempt to put things in layman's terms, but many don't. They do a lot of assuming that we understand their speak. On the other side, some musicians try to understand our lingo and many do, but most don't. The more education on both sides of the coin, the better the end result will be.</SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><BR><BR><FONT size="2" face="sans-serif"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; ">At the very least, we should understand musical nomenclature even if we can only play chopsticks. Diversity of learning involves both education </SPAN><I style="font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; ">and </SPAN></I><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; ">life experiences. Where do you/we draw the line? There is no "formula" to do this... Do you want a clear-cut solution? That too, is "impossible". What is your "perfect solution" , then? There is none, but we have to start with something. If an RPT/ CAUT is to be something "more desireable" than an RPT status, then different standards should be established. So, how would you determine what that is? Or, should we just go with the status-quo for universities to mearly know that RPT's have reached a great level of piano technology and leave the education learned elsewhere by the wayside?</SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><BR><FONT size="2" face="sans-serif"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; ">Paul</SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN><BR></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>Look, I haven't said that having some musical knowledge doesn't help. Sure it does. But it doesn't require a degree in music. Basic music terms are taught in high school band and chorus or in church choir, or in private lessons. You can teach yourself enough about music by checking out a book from the library and listening to some recordings to do what we do.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Jeff</DIV><BR><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Jeff Tanner, RPT</DIV><DIV>University of South Carolina</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>