Mentoring Program

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
In a message dated 4/9/01 6:46:19 PM Central Daylight Time, 
joegarrett@earthlink.net (Joseph Garrett) writes:


> List,
> Last week, I posted a propsal to you all, regarding starting a program of 
> mentoring advanced students of less than adequate means. I was hoping to 
> get some feedback, but alas you all were involved in other persutes. So, 
> I'd like to try again.
> I am sure that there are many young musicians, in your area, that are 
> sorely lacking of adequate instruments and music programs. We, as 
> Technicians can do something about it. (see my previous posting). It would 
> behoove us to try to get our local Chapters involved. Please consider it 
> and give with some comments.
> Regards,
> Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)

It's not too surprising, Joe.  Most of the "regulars" that write on this list 
aren't interested in such altruism, they'd rather tell dumb jokes and other 
one liners.

Here in Madison, Wisconsin, there is a "Friends of the Piano" group that is 
an alliance of technicians and dealers which sponsors public piano playing 
activities.  But more along the lines of what you are suggesting, I've been 
quietly doing for years.

The school system has any number of studio type uprights (a few consoles) 
which were "justooned" to death, pushed into a corner in favor of new piano 
to suffer the same fate.  Finally one year came along when there was just no 
more money to buy any new pianos.  Somehow, an administrator called me and 
asked what I could do.

I said that most of those pianos need only basic maintenance and if they got 
it, they'd serve well in some capacity or another.  Amazingly, when the 
school system said it had "no money", they were sending me checks for 
thousands at a time.  They were cleaned out, tightened up, voiced, regulated 
repaired, etc., so that today, many more classrooms have a piano in them than 
before.

Some of the poorer instruments were relegated to practice rooms.  Still 
others were put into after school programs where a child who haws no piano at 
home could sign up for practice time to learn on a real piano.  Some teachers 
gave free time for lessons.  Still others, which were battered and needed 
more repairs than the school wanted to pay for were offered as giveaways.  I 
have repaired many of these at the lowest cost I could for families who could 
not really afford a piano but who could spare a few hundred dollars for 
enough repairs to make the piano play well again.  The families themselves 
often cleaned them up, sanded them down and put some nice color polyurethane 
varnish on those old blond beasts.  It's amazing how good they look and sound.

You're right, Joe, it is worth while.

  Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/ef/13/60/d9/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--