Teaching son

[Jon Page]

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At 07:18 PM 07/24/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Help,
>I may be totally crazy, but my 21 year old son has expressed a desire to
>work in my store/shop and become a piano technician.  (And I am seriously
>considering it!)
>
>My thought is to have him spend 3 months tuning nothing but unisons
>before advancing on to the simpler intervals.  At the same time, begin
>studying repair and reconditioning of the pianos I have here.  (I have a
>good project piano in mind already.)
>
>I would only take him on this endeavor if he were willing to really do
>the work and I would expect him to be able to handle some of the outside
>tunings in 6 months.
>
>My goal is to get him to become an RPT within 1 year.
>
>Am I crazy? (Yes I probably am but to what level.)
>
>Larry Messerly, RPT WRVP
>Prescott/Phoenix

Larry,
Three months of unisons will certainly make you_son_crazy. Let him work 
around the shop
performing elementary tasks. While he is occupied with this he will be 
watching and listening.
Watching other tasks being performed and listening to pianos being tuned. 
Watching other's work
habits and listening to unisons, intervals and octaves being pulled in to 
tune. This way he will
have a sense of order.

I started by setting chipped pianos with rough temperaments and octaves and 
unisons of course.
As my perception developed, my tuning grew as a whole rather than 
compartmentalized. Given a new
car, I'm sure he'd rather turn the key and take off rather than sit in the 
driveway for three weeks to
get a feel for the gas pedal.

Within six months he might be ready for floor tunings, but I would think it 
would take over a year
for outside tunings (at least it did with me but then I didn't practice 
tuning everyday).

My 15 yr old son started working part-time with me a few weeks ago. Mostly 
out of not liking other
jobs available to him. So far he's doing well enjoying the extremely 
flexible hours and coming to realize
that: no work, no pay, means just that. He's showing up on time more often. 
If he's going to be self
employed he has to learn sooner or later that. "You snooze, you loose".
I'm not pushing him, I'd like him to get into the business but hey, it's 
summer on Cape Cod;
there are things to do but they also require money. At least he 
doesn't_have_to work, there'll
be plenty of time for that. . .cars, girls . . . I'll let him enjoy his 
freedom while he still has it :-)

It can be a rewarding experience for you both, good luck,


Jon Page,   piano technician
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
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