<html> <head> <style> P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } </style> </head> <body>I completed the American School of Piano Tuning course in 2004 and upon completion at the school's recommendation, I joined the Houston PTG chapter and found a wonderful group of RPT's and associates who are always willing to help out and encourage the new as well as the experienced.  Although I've read a lot of negative comments on this list about The American School of Piano Tuning, there was never more than a 2 week turn around once I mailed in a test.  I received graded tests back very quickly and after the final test I received my diploma in a very reasonable amount of time.  For me, this course was an excellent foundation for understanding concepts once I started attending PACE classes and regional and national conventions.  Taken as a whole, all of these have helped contribute to my growing business. For me, with a husband and three children, I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to leave the state to attend a school of piano technology, so the path I chose was very reasonably priced and support from the school was just a phone call away.  My point is that there are other avenues one can take.<BR> <BR><FONT face="" color=#ff3300 size=3>Madilene Loosier</FONT><FONT face="" color=#ff3300 size=3> <BR></FONT>Huntsville, TX<BR> <META content="Microsoft SafeHTML" name=Generator> <STYLE> </STYLE> <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Matthew,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Not too long ago, I received my diploma 7 years, 7 months after having sent the final tuning tape.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>On the plus side, I became an RPT 7 years, 2 months before the diploma came.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As far as I'm concerned, the course was just an expensive book that could have been a lot shorter.  It has good information though (plus some tools and other touchy feelys) and is probably the best way to get started if you can't go to a residence school.  Forget the correspondence.  It's just a nuisance unless you have a lot of patience and are very young.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cliff Lesher</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>WInfield, PA</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=toddpianoworks@yahoo.com href="mailto:toddpianoworks@yahoo.com">Matthew Todd</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 02, 2007 6:56 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: Piano Training Question</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Since we are on the subject of the Potter course, can someone please tell me they have had better luck with him than I have.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I really have an honest desire to learn this trade, and I need to at least finish this course before I can think about getting apprenticed, but it seems that response time has been an issue of the school.  In fact, I have been waiting for my video tape to be returned to me containing tuning critiques and it has been three years.  That is where I have left off.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I want to give this another chance, and I just want to start from the beginning, and I have e-mailed Randy several times to ask about starting over, but I have not gotten a response.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What to do?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Matthew<BR><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></body> </html>