<div dir="ltr"><br><br> <div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Aug 22, 2008 at 12:18 PM, Conrad Hoffsommer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hoffsoco@luther.edu">hoffsoco@luther.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"> <div class="Ih2E3d">Paul T Williams wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><br>Conrad,<br><br>I'd sure put a lock on it and when they come crying to you have a good teaching session with them.  Does the faculty member in charge of these people know about this?  Keep us up to date on this one.  Last year we had some problems with students damaging dampers and rapping the plate with a mallet.<br> <br>Paul<br><br><br></blockquote><br></div>Hallelujah! I stirred the pot and something already floated up to the surface!<br><br>I just was visited by two students and we had what I think was a good discussion re: piano preparations.<br> <br>Thyme will tell, but I'm encouraged by what I saw and heard during the conversation. <div> <div></div> <div class="Wj3C7c"><br><br><br>-- <br>Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT - Keyboard Technician<br>Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045<br>1-(563)-387-1204 // Fax 1-(563)-387-1076<br><br><br>Remember that, while money talks,  CHOCOLATE SINGS!<br> </div></div></blockquote></div> <div><br>Hi Conrad,</div> <div> </div> <div>Be grateful you are at the collegiate level and can have good discussions with students regarding piano prep.</div> <div> </div> <div>I had a director, he has since earned his masters degree and is now an administrator(I could comment here but withold it) who, refused to care for or unplug the Dampp-Chaser system when moving the piano a Yamaha C3, when I finally removed it the cord was 2 feet long. </div> <div> </div> <div>Felt the new crack in the sound board gave the piano "character"!</div> <div> </div> <div>Occasionally, Yes I caught him, used the Yamaha C3 grand to steady 2x4's as he sawed through them.</div> <div> </div> <div>Often sent his students, mostly male, unsupervised, out on the stage to clean/clear it off while I was tuning for a concert to be held that evening. Mnay times not his concert but guest artists for the concert association.</div> <div> </div> <div>Frequently told me of his plans to take the summer tuning course at Shell Lake, WI so he could tune the pianos whenever he wanted to without having to budget money for it. I encouraged him to do so every time he said it!</div> <div> </div> <div>Given this environment, respect for my work was non-existant except for some students who were smarter than the director!</div> <div> </div> <div><br clear="all">Mike<br>-- <br>I feel sorry for the person who can't get genuinely excited about his work. Not only will he never be satisfied, but he will never achieve anything worthwhile. <br>Walter Chrysler <br> <br><br><br>Michael Magness<br>Magness Piano Service<br>608-786-4404<br><a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</a><br>email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</a><br></div></div>