Kansas City

[David Andersen]

On Apr 24, 2007, at 8:50 AM, Conrad Hoffsommer wrote:
> Dave, et al,
> It may be time to shift this very interesting discussion to PTG-L.  
> I'm not saying it shouldn't be discussed, just that this general  
> list may not be the most appropriate venue.
> My 2¢...

Thank you, Conrad, for your respectful suggestion. Because I know the  
kind of man you are from reading your posts for five years, I take  
anything you say humbly and seriously.

At the same time, I don't know if relegating, if that's the word,  
this very interesting and important dialog that, in my view, speaks  
to an issue which is crucially relevant  to the organization as a  
whole and the atmosphere in which it operates.

Take, for instance, this list. It has incredibly, massively, enriched  
the professional and personal lives of many hundreds of people, and  
it has been a profound change agent for what corporate America is now  
trumpeting as "radical transparency," which is simply telling the  
truth about what you produce, how you produce it, who helps you, and  
being open and flexible to feedback and constructive criticism--- 
something that list heroes like Ron Overs, Dale Erwin, Ron Nossaman,  
P.R.Jones, David Hughes and many others have been practicing for  
years. Most, if not all, of the active list participants are in the  
Guild. Is there acknowledgement, affirmation, recognition, collegial  
conversation, collaborative visioning, hanging out----any of that  
taking place on the part of leadership of PTG vis a vis the Pianotech  
list?

Our list contributes an important part of the Journal every month--- 
at least. It's an immense public piano resource, and has, I believe,  
raised the bar of piano service some, and will continue to do so as  
cyberspace becomes more and more omnipresent. If a good friend of  
yours was doing something really good and worthwhile, and that helped  
you as well, wouldn't it feel good to praise and recognize that  
person---tell them "good job?" Why don't we as an organization simply  
practice the Golden Rule?

Small exhibitors, most of them Guild members, should be deeply  
encouraged to come, and be subsidized, through lower fees, by the  
higher fees of the big boys. This is just wise leadership; every good  
niche market knows how to make it easy for the "custom" guys to sell  
their stuff---because their stuff serves the quality, the high end,  
and that's what serves and drives the whole piano business.

This is not rocket science; it's common sense. There are people in  
our Guild who know without question how to operate from this  
sensibility---I understand that both the northeast and the northwest  
regional conferences are consistently successful in every realm, and  
exhibitors feel respected and treated with the true regard they  
deserve. Why can't we replicate that on the national level, at our  
biggest, and best, and most memorable conference?

I am sad. Really. I'm proud of the PTG; I think it's the highest  
quality continuing education in the world. I want to feel good about  
my participation; I will teach and exhibit at conventions for the  
rest of my life, and plan to become involved with the Foundation  
(more than just monetarily) in the near future. I want only the best  
for the Guild. Part of that pride and desire compels me to ask  
sometimes difficult and public questions.

If nobody reads the PTG-L, then the effectiveness and impact of my  
posting there is zero. This is sent with humility and respect.

David Andersen
Malibu, California


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