Updated Bylaws Report for those of you who are delegates

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

Amen David,
I might add that if licensing is given over to the states that it 
will have a chilling effect on the Guild.  It will also start a 
separate and practically independent system where people may be 
licensed but not guild members or guild members and licensed.  Which 
will be more important? Why state licensing of-course!

If the Philadelphia Chapter continues hurtling down that road it may 
eventually succeed in marginalizing itself.  After all, who needs 
Guild association if they can just get a government license.  Don't 
kid yourselves, the government license will be even more ridiculously 
easy to obtain.  It will only take a few trips to court to ensure 
that.  The Guild does not have sufficient resources to control the 
political process that will develop around licensing like a medical 
association can.  This means that the license will eventually 
degenerate into a revenue item in the eyes of a state.  A state 
license will naturally carry more influence than a Guild designation 
with the general public and the last nail will be driven home to the 
proverbial coffin.  The resort to force of law to achieve an 
organization's goals is always a sign of fatal weakness (growing 
irrelevance) within that organization.  The push to make the 
organization irrelevant is sadly amusing.  Sad because it is not 
necessary and there is plenty of strength within the Guild as it is 
now constituted.

I was brought into the Guild by my late mentor Guy Nichols.  I've 
been intending to pass the testing regime simply to put arrogant 
naysayers in their place.  Problem is, it is hard to arrange for 
testing regionally and my store has kept me locked-down here in south 
Texas.  I enjoy the camaraderie of like minded individuals I 
encounter in the guild and the push to attack that is one I hope 
faces resounding defeat.  We don't build the guild up by cutting 
people off.  It really is that simple.

Bemused in Texas,
Andrew Anderson  (no relation of David's)

At 12:43 PM 6/13/2007, you wrote:

>On Jun 13, 2007, at 7:53 AM, Ron Berry wrote:
>
>>I received an updated Bylaws report which I have posted on the web. There
>>is a directory of late and updated submissions at
>><http://www.ptg.org/members/docs/2007/Council/>http://www.ptg.org/members/docs/2007/Council/
>>
>>ron
>
>As an apparently endangered and, in some quarters, reviled 
>"associate," I'm not sure if I can post to, or go on, PTG-L.
>
>Let's see: 4,300 members of PTG; less than 400 at the National 
>Convention; to me, if I was active and "owned-in" to  an 
>organization's well-being, those numbers suck. And reveal some deep 
>disconnect between leadership and membership. And now a portion of 
>our membership is actively pursuing more judgement, more exclusion.
>
>Makes me feel respected and appreciated. (Irony alert.)
>
>The RPT test standards, IMO, are ridiculously low. I have followed 
>RPTs and their work for 25 years. The good ones are awesome, and 
>deeply inspirational to me---but that's several.  The others---the 
>majority---are just tune & run guys, with no real interest in piano service.
>
>Inspiration feels vastly different than exclusion and judgement.
>
>This is offered with humility; I am one of a big (relative to our 
>discussion---in the hundreds) number of gifted and hard-working men 
>and women who work on some of the greatest pianos in the world on a 
>daily basis, for some of the greatest artists that ever lived---and 
>have made a decision, for whatever considered and no doubt 
>intentional reason, to either not use or not pursue the RPT 
>designation. If I was leading a non-profit service organization 
>based on a highly personalized, difficult, and prized 
>skillset---maintaining great pianos at their highest level---I would 
>literally fall over myself extending hands to those of our 
>profession who have risen to the top of their game, whether members 
>or not. I would welcome and treasure their real-world, hard-won 
>input. I would ask them, in an atmosphere of collegiality, equality, 
>and respect, why they have chosen not to support our fantastic PTG 
>and its best-in-the-world continuing education programs. I would ask 
>them what we can do as a Guild to feel like and be an organization 
>that attracts more than 6 or 7% of its total membership to its 
>national conference.
>
>This is written and sent with respect and gratitude that PTG exists 
>and that it provides me with an excellent teaching platform, among 
>many other tangible and ethereal benefits; we have a sacred 
>obligation to pass on our hard-won skills to the next generation. I 
>write this because I love our work and our Guild, and as a positive 
>force, willing to work towards understanding and unafraid of 
>genuine, authentic, and respectful communication, confrontation, and 
>resolution---another " highly personalized, difficult, and prized skillset...."
>
>My best to you----and see some of you in Kansas City. Please feel 
>free to buttonhole me about this subject.
>
>David Andersen
>Malibu, CA

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