<HTML>In a message dated 4/9/01 6:46:19 PM Central Daylight Time, joegarrett@earthlink.net (Joseph Garrett) writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">List, Last week, I posted a propsal to you all, regarding starting a program of mentoring advanced students of less than adequate means. I was hoping to get some feedback, but alas you all were involved in other persutes. So, I'd like to try again. I am sure that there are many young musicians, in your area, that are sorely lacking of adequate instruments and music programs. We, as Technicians can do something about it. (see my previous posting). It would behoove us to try to get our local Chapters involved. Please consider it and give with some comments. Regards, Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)</BLOCKQUOTE> It's not too surprising, Joe.  Most of the "regulars" that write on this list aren't interested in such altruism, they'd rather tell dumb jokes and other one liners. Here in Madison, Wisconsin, there is a "Friends of the Piano" group that is an alliance of technicians and dealers which sponsors public piano playing activities.  But more along the lines of what you are suggesting, I've been quietly doing for years. The school system has any number of studio type uprights (a few consoles) which were "justooned" to death, pushed into a corner in favor of new piano to suffer the same fate.  Finally one year came along when there was just no more money to buy any new pianos.  Somehow, an administrator called me and asked what I could do. I said that most of those pianos need only basic maintenance and if they got it, they'd serve well in some capacity or another.  Amazingly, when the school system said it had "no money", they were sending me checks for thousands at a time.  They were cleaned out, tightened up, voiced, regulated repaired, etc., so that today, many more classrooms have a piano in them than before. Some of the poorer instruments were relegated to practice rooms.  Still others were put into after school programs where a child who haws no piano at home could sign up for practice time to learn on a real piano.  Some teachers gave free time for lessons.  Still others, which were battered and needed more repairs than the school wanted to pay for were offered as giveaways.  I have repaired many of these at the lowest cost I could for families who could not really afford a piano but who could spare a few hundred dollars for enough repairs to make the piano play well again.  The families themselves often cleaned them up, sanded them down and put some nice color polyurethane varnish on those old blond beasts.  It's amazing how good they look and sound. You're right, Joe, it is worth while.  Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin</HTML>