[CAUT] Overlap of CAUT with churches?

[Bob Hull]

Overlapping?  
I would like to see guidelines developed for churches.
 They are a big part of my business.  It would be
beneficial if there was a  printed "official type"
document that could help us communicate with churches
concerning the needs of their pianos.  There are some
marked differences between colleges and churches,
however and I'm not sure that the two share enough in
common to share the CAUT list if that is being
considered.   Differences include: Usage frequency,
climate control, employment relationships, performance
level requirements (although I believe a church piano
should perform as well as any piano), just to name a
few.  

It would be good to have a forum in which we could
discuss some of the particular needs of churches. 


Bob Hull
-- Chris Solliday <solliday@ptd.net> wrote:

> My opinion and experience is that churches have
> similar (to schools) institutional maintenance needs
> and the "Guidelines" work very well. I know I'm
> treading on sacred ground here but we might have
> been better off with IT (Institutional Technicians)
> than CAUT. Hey we get certified then we'd be CITs
> and could get summer jobs easily.  But seriously,
> with the new revision of the Guidelines, which I use
> with churches, especially the contract and regular
> maintenance recommendations sections, I find the
> music director and the funding committee get
> educated and I get the work. I also sometimes use
> the "Special Care of the Teaching Piano"  brochure
> if someone is giving lessons there. Have a little
> faith in those Guidelines, they go before us and we
> and our clients reap the rewards. 
> Chris Solliday 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Elwood Doss 
>   To: Cy Shuster ; College and University
> Technicians 
>   Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 11:28 PM
>   Subject: RE: [CAUT] Overlap of CAUT with churches?
> 
> 
>   Good question!  I service a number of churches and
> try to get them to tune on a regular basis.  I'd be
> interested in some type of guideline for
> churches...something I could show the senior pastor
> or music minister/organ master/choir director.  At
> one church the lay person who arranged for me to
> come by and tune their pianos had passed along the
> message to have the air conditioning set at the
> temperature it is set when they worship.  While I
> was tuning, the lady minister walked in the
> sanctuary and asked me if I was comfortable.  It
> took me a minute or so to understand what she was
> talking about and I finally commented that the
> temperature needed to be set for the tuning, not for
> my comfort.  She exclaimed that she thought I just
> wanted to be comfortable when I tuned.  I assured
> her that it was a bit cool for me, but just right
> for the piano!
> 
>    
> 
>   I tuned a piano in a small rural church a couple
> of weeks before Christmas several years ago.  They
> turn their heating way down during the week and turn
> it back up for their service only on Sunday morning.
>  I received a call from the mother of the pianist in
> January that the piano was out of tune.  She said
> her son said it sounded terrible the previous
> Sunday.  I arranged to meet with him later in the
> week and when I walked in, the temperature was cool,
> but comfortable-about what it was when I tuned the
> piano-and the piano sounded great!  I thought either
> my hearing is going or that piano sounds just fine. 
> About halfway down the aisle the pianist heard me
> and exclaimed that the piano sounded great!  He said
> it sounded terrible Sunday.  I asked him what the
> temperature in the sanctuary was like on the
> previous Sunday and he said it was about like it was
> then, but when the "old folks" came in they turned
> the thermostat way up!  Problem solved!  It's
> amazing what a small increase/decrease in the
> temperature and resulting humidity makes as far as a
> piano being in tune.
> 
>    
> 
>   Joy!
> 
>   Elwood
> 
>    
> 
>   Elwood Doss, Jr., RPT
> 
>   Piano Technician/Technical Director
> 
>   Department of Music
> 
>   145 Fine Arts Building
> 
>   The University of Tennessee at Martin
> 
>   Martin, TN  38238
> 
>   731/881-1852
> 
>   FAX: 731/881-7415
> 
>   HOME: 731/587-5700
> 
> 
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>   From: caut-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Cy
> Shuster
>   Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 9:17 PM
>   To: CAUT
>   Subject: [CAUT] Overlap of CAUT with churches?
> 
>    
> 
>   It seems that the mission of CAUT overlaps
> substantially with the requirements of churches:
> maintaining pianos in an institutional setting
> (rather than individually owned) -- although I doubt
> many churches have a full-time tech.
> 
>    
> 
>   Churches have been a big part of my business. 
> They have performance and rehearsal pianos, and have
> unusual environmental problems, going through
> seasonal heating/cooling cycles twice a week or more
> rather than twice a year.
> 
>    
> 
>   Are there specific guidelines for churches?
> 
>    
> 
>   --Cy Shuster--
>   Boston, MA
> 
>   www.shusterpiano.com
>   North Bennet Street School
>   Class of '06
> 
>    
> 
>    
> 


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