<!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 6.00.6000.16711" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial" bottomMargin=7 bgColor=#ffffff leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7> <DIV><FONT size=2>Very good idea!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Suppose, for example, that PTG produced a rating of schools, or established a standard for music school piano maintenance. A positive rating, and a brochure to explain it, could become part of the marketing that the school would use to gain students. Once a rating system was established, schools that rated well would be come promoters of the rating system, and of quality piano maintenance. The project could begin by focusing on those schools that have good maintenance programs. Knowing that they could expect a good rating would encourage them to be co-operative in getting a project going.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The terminology would need to be carefully crafted to communicate quickly and positively. (Whoever invented "All-Steinway School" knows how to control language.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Ed Sutton</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=DCyr141833@aol.com href="mailto:DCyr141833@aol.com">DCyr141833@aol.com</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, August 24, 2008 11:04 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] position announcements, etc</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=3> <DIV>Well, here's my 2 cents......</DIV> <DIV>When Larry Fine came out with The Piano Book, he, in effect, was looking to educate the consumer, who then would know what to look for, and what questions to ask, which then put the manufacturers on notice, and in the end made the manufacturers more responsible for their end product.  Why can't something similar be done with schools of music?  I put this to Larry, asking if this was something he'd be interested in adding to his book.  He thought it was an excellent idea, but probably should be undertaken as a separate project, by CAUT.  His thoughts... <DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>My suggestion would be that CAUT should come up with -- to the extent reasonably possible -- precise, objective criteria for piano condition, maintenance, budget, etc. that music schools should ideally have, and then give each school a numerical rating based on those criteria.  These ratings, along with comments, could then be published and offered to music educators and others who influence student and parental decisions concerning choice of school to attend.  It could be updated every few years.  I would be interested in publishing such a book, or perhaps PTG would like to.</FONT></DIV> <DIV>I truly believe that the educated consumer - the music degree seeking  student and their parents - knowing what questions to ask, knowing what to look for, guided by some sort of "Handbook on Music Schools" in which could be "ratings" of schools according to CAUT guidelines - they will demand and cause more change among music schools, more quickly, than all of our foot-stomping, rants, and emails could ever do.</DIV> <DIV>All we need is someone willing to do the leg-work. </DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2></FONT> </DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10" FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Debbie Cyr<BR>Registered Piano Technician<BR>508-202-2862 cell</FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR> <DIV><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black"> <HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"> It's only a deal if it's where <I>you</I> want to go. Find your travel deal <A title=http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047 href="http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047" target=_blank><B>here</B></A>.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>