Dear Newton, At 10:42 PM 1/28/97 -0500, you wrote: >Dear Friends and Colleagues > >This is the finale. > >I am no longer working at Rutgers. > >I have been on sick leave since 12/23/96. > Having now somewhat recovered from shock, I want to add my voice to those of others in expressing my sense of loss at the way in which your situation has developed. I want to go farther than that, however. Your sense of pain and loss are thing with which I can most deeply empathize. I experienced quite parallel treatment and end result during 1991 and 1992 when I had the dubious honor of being the head technician for the school of music at USC. The gory details are now ancient history which, in a sense no longer matter. The end result was a 6 month period of enforced quietude on the one hand, and battle with USC and the state of CA over was I, or was I not, materially disabled by the stress of the workplace on the other. You may fill in the blanks as to the outcome. My point here, for ourselves as well as our colleagues, is that however dedicated we are to the art of our profession, our first responsibilities lie to ourselves and to our family and loved ones. I have been able to achieve something of a compromise, balancing limited amounts of concert and institutional work along with some consulting with new professional goals and horizons. There is no question in my mind but what you will be able to do the same; just be patient with yourself. For those others who follow this list, it is my hope that you will each be able to avoid at least some of these kinds of problems. We can, and, in a sense must, use forums like this list to air these kinds of issues in what seem timely and appropriate ways. This is, like most of the rest of performance art, a very introverted, anal retentive, almost clandestine work. What we do is, for many folks, inexplicable. Why we do it is almost unimaginably difficult to individually comprehend, let alone communicate. So is the movement of a painter's brush, a dancer's hand, or a sculptor's chisel. The results, when we are, if you will, "on", have a direct impact on the ineffable experience of music. There is a percentage of folks, inside and outside the profession, who understand this. These are the ones who understand the limitations of a given situation, and express appreciation for work well done within those bounds. There are, of course, others, who wouldn't know a good piano if it ran up and bit them on the butt. (Well, that's not exactly what Frank Zappa told Congress...) This latter group makes up most of the folks with whom we all deal. If you're still with me, and I hope that you are, this is why this forum is so important for each of us. We are constantly in the position of needing the professional and personal support which can only be gained through direct association. The open exchange of problems, solutions, philosophy can only be of positive value. We each are constantly educating ourselves and our clients. Part of that educational process is helping each other learn how to be good custodians of our personal capital (if you will), in an institutional setting. The Guidelines occasionally referred to on the list are a good place to start. Hearing about the problems and solutions worked through by others and healthy discussion of those issues is very important. Before I wax too much more maudlin, are crawl out on the limb that begins with observations like: "There's no point being the best Dixieland Band in the world if no one wants to hear Dixieland music...", let me race back to the relative security of pianos. Newton, if we are all very lucky, you will find the time to turn your prodigious skills, knowledge and experience to the training of others. >From my own experience, I know that these things will evolve in ways not now forseeable. I am quite certain that Rutgers will eventually acquire the services of a technician whose combination of intelligence, training, experience and ability are fully commensurate with their committment to quality piano service. It's happened before. My very best to you and yours. Whatever the problem, the answer is love. Horace Horace Greeley "I believe I'd go with the pliers." - Bill Brandom Stanford University email: hgreeley@leland.stanford.edu voice mail: 415.725.9062 LiNCS help line: 415.725.4627
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