<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Jun 13, 2007, at 7:53 AM, Ron Berry wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV align="left"><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><SPAN style=" font-size:10pt; font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; ">I received an updated Bylaws report which I have posted on the web. There</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN></DIV><DIV align="left"><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><SPAN style=" font-size:10pt; font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; ">is a directory of late and updated submissions at</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN></DIV><DIV align="left"><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" color="#008000" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><SPAN style=" font-size:10pt; color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><U style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><A href="http://www.ptg.org/members/docs/2007/Council/">http://www.ptg.org/members/docs/2007/Council/</A></SPAN></U></SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN></DIV><DIV align="left"><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><SPAN style=" font-size:10pt; font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><BR style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN></FONT><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN></DIV><DIV align="left"><FONT face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -khtml-left; "></SPAN><SPAN style=" font-size:10pt; font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: MS Sans Serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: -khtml-left; ">ron</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>As an apparently endangered and, in some quarters, reviled "associate," I'm not sure if I can post to, or go on, PTG-L.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">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 <B>suck. </B>And reveal some deep disconnect between leadership and membership.<B> </B>And now a portion of our membership is actively pursuing more judgement, more exclusion. </SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">Makes me feel respected and appreciated.<SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "> (Irony alert.)</SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>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.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Inspiration feels vastly different than exclusion and judgement.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">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 <B>feel like</B> and <B>be</B> an organization that attracts more than 6 or 7% of its total membership to its national conference.</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>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...."</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>My best to you----and see some of you in Kansas City. Please feel free to buttonhole me about this subject.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>David Andersen</DIV><DIV>Malibu, CA</DIV></BODY></HTML>