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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Del:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I wonder if the =
problems you
eloquently addressed would be diminished by having conventions every =
other
year. Heresy? Blasphemy? Maybe not. It might
mean half the effort for the national office and those hard working =
souls
who work their volunteer hearts out, and possibly more exhibitors, =
better
classes, more attendees, etc. Should we skip a year and give it a =
try
? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Absence makes the heart........</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Mike Kurta, =
RPT</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=pianobuilders@olynet.com
href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">Delwin D Fandrich</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 23, 2002 =
2:45
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: no comp. was Re: =
Saying "No"
(was Convention is focused)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 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=Wimblees@AOL.COM
href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> July 21, 2002 1:42 =
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: no comp. was Re: =
Saying
"No" (was Convention is focused)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a =
message dated
7/21/02 4:32:53 PM !!!First Boot!!!, <A
href="mailto:BobDavis88@AOL.COM">BobDavis88@AOL.COM</A> writes: =
<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff =
2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
TYPE="CITE">Instructors teach at the most two classes. That's two =
periods
out of a <BR>> possible 20. That 10%. ....Why should =
instructors
get free registration, <BR>plus a >stipend of some sorts,
<BR><BR>Because the attendees are getting the benefit of MUCH more =
than
1.5 hours <BR>(*2) of the instructor's time. The instructor =
doesn't just
walk in and start <BR>talking. Even after teaching at many =
conventions, I
still spend NUMEROUS <BR>hours revising the material to make it as =
clear
and efficient as possible, <BR>and I can't count the hours before =
the
first one I taught at. Knowing the <BR>subject is one thing, but =
preparing
it to be useful to 100 people, with <BR>differing levels of =
experience and
different learning styles, is quite <BR>another. <BR></FONT><FONT =
lang=0
face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 =
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Bob <BR><BR>Everything you say is true. =
But everyone
who teaches a class has spent time prior to coming
to a convention to prepare for it. That is what we =
all do.
But how do we get compensated for that? Is free registration enough? =
Is one
night's lodging enough? No, it is not. If we truly wanted to get =
paid back,
it would cost the PTG too much. And how do we compensate for someone =
who has
taught the same class five or six times? There are =
classes
I teach where I just have to get out my notes, and I'm ready to go.
</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>You're
contradicting yourself here, Wim. You either spend time preparing for =
a
convention or you don't. If you don't, you should be. Don't you see =
any
problem with presenting exactly the same class five or six =
times? How
many times is that class going to help attract me--or anyone else, for =
that?--back to a convention? I'll go to most classes once. Some, =
I'll go
to twice. But, Lew Herwig's classes were the only ones I've gone to =
more than
that and they were never the same twice running. Nowadays, when the =
upcoming
convention class schedule arrives in the mail and I look down
the list and see the same class offered by the same instructor =
that I
went to last year or five years ago--sorry--been there, done
that.</FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>When I hear
someone going on about how wonderful all of the great classes are =
at the
conventions, I have to wonder how many conventions they have attended. =
Usually, it's not many. There are too many of our members who no =
longer attend
conventions regularly--if at all--because they've been to most of =
classes that
are offered on a regular basis and they don't see enough new and =
interesting
in the lineup whet the appetite. These folks are simply not willing to =
invest
the time and spend the money each year for those few classes that are =
new
enough or different enough or advanced enough. So, they =
start
skipping a year or two here and there until finally they just don't =
bother at
all. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>There is only room for so much at each =
convention and
with so much aimed toward drawing in relatively new and inexperienced =
bodies,
they are going to increasingly leave out the very people who have =
worked hard
to raise them to the level they have now achieved. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Now this may
be an ideal scenario for you and Richard. It is not for me, nor is it =
for many
others. The last I heard, PTG, and its annual convention, is =
supposed to
be serving all of the membership, not just those who are beginners and =
those
who find themselves at some intermediate skill level. But that is what =
is
gradually happening.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>I would
suggest that most instructors who are presenting classes much beyond =
the
elementary level have been attending conventions somewhat longer than =
average.
Certainly they have been by the time they have gained much experience =
at
teaching. That means they have already had the opportunity to attend =
your
classes--you know, those you can repeat each year without any =
preparation by
using the same old handouts--at least once or twice. Maybe five or six =
times
if they didn't get it right the first few times. And they've probably =
managed
to attend most of the other standards at least once or twice as well. =
Couple
this history with the inevitable and unavoidable scheduling conflicts =
and as
each year goes by there are fewer and fewer classes of interest to =
choose
from. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>This year
there were four classes listed in the class schedule I found of =
interest that
I haven't already taken. Combined, these four may have been enough to =
get me
to Chicago. Probably not, but at least I'd have considered making the =
trip.
And this was a good year--there have been some years when there =
haven't been
that many. Now, in Chicago this year I taught a total of 9 hours =
(every hour
of which required more preparation time than my partner or my family =
wants to
even think about) and all but one of those four classes was scheduled =
for a
period during which I also was =
teaching. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>So, with that
class schedule you and Richard would have happily pay for my own air =
fare to
Chicago, pay a full (or only slightly reduced) registration fee, pay =
for four
or five nights at an overpriced hotel eating overpriced (but otherwise =
exceptionally forgettable) meals and lose a weeks work, not to mention =
the
work and family time I gave up to prepare for the thing. Oh, yes, I =
was able
to pick up a 'free' drink at the Steinway
reception.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Now, with
respect to Ron Nossaman, his class on bridges--while very good--was =
simply not
worth all that. It would have been cheaper and taken far less time to =
simply
have flown directly to Wichita and had him give it to me
personally.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Much like the
1980s, our conventions seem to have reached something of a plateau. =
(We can
forgive Richard who, in spite of his rhetoric, wasn't around PTG then =
and so
can't really be expected to know much about those days. But you were.) =
They
are losing their attraction to an unacceptable--and, I think, =
growing--number
of long-term and highly experienced members. And they are losing an
unacceptable number of capable and experienced instructors. These are =
some of
the best people we have. These are people who don't just grab last =
year's
outline and hop on a plane. True, there will always a fresh supply of
newcomers willing to be exploited, but unless we make begin now to =
make some
fundamental changes we are going to find ourselves locked into a =
continually
repeating downhill cycle.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>If the
membership ultimately decides this cycle is actually desirable, then =
so be
it--I'll not be around all that much longer anyway. It won't affect me =
all
that much. However, don't you then be surprised as you watch the =
vitality that
has fueled and driven our organization and its conventions toward =
excellence
dwindle and ultimately slid into mediocrity. Or will you even notice?
Presenting the same class year after year after year is mediocrity and =
I know
you are capable of more than that. Mediocrity is never acceptable, and =
we
can't afford it. Especially when the rest of our industry is already
struggling under its own ponderous mass of stagnation. And yet =
mediocrity
seems to be just what you are presenting as not only acceptable, but
desirable.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Our
conventions do not offer much to the relatively advanced technician. =
They
can't really--there are no longer many instructors at that level who =
are
willing to bear the financial and personal cost themselves and we've =
been
letting them fade into the sunset. Sure, there are always some bright =
folks
coming up through the ranks, but we'll soon burned them out just =
as those
who have gone before. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3><FONT
face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080
size=3></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial =
color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3><FONT
face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>We claim to
value the kind of experience and knowledge these people are working =
hard to
attain--until it comes time to pay for it. And then we say we =
don't need
to. Our convention are great just the way they are. And, yes,
o</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT>ur conventions <FONT
face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3><FONT
face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>are a good
educational value for some. Less so, however, for a growing =
number of
those who have worked and struggled hard to raise themselves above the =
average. You may be willing to write these folks off; I am
not.</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>At this point I'm not suggesting that PTG actually pay
instructors--that will have to wait for another day and probably =
another
generation. A day when we are willing go beyond just talking about =
being
professionals and become willing to pay whatever price is =
necessary to
actually become professionals. In the meantime this we can do: we can =
make it
less difficult for those who are willing to keep coming back each year =
to
educate us in the manner to which we've become accustomed. It is =
neither
reasonable nor fair for those who expect to profit from the =
experience,
knowledge, time and work of convention "volunteers" (of all varieties) =
and
instructors to demand that it be given to them free of charge. There =
ain't no
free lunch, folks. Especially at the hotels PTG typically chooses for =
its
convention sites.</DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080 =
size=3>Del</FONT></DIV>
<DIV></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2
=
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></FONT></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML=
>