[CAUT] Piano Techs as Piano Movers?

[Christopher Purdy]

I am very interested to read the responses to this question.  I'm 
hesitating, but I'm going to come clean here.  I personally do all of 
our piano moving myself.  For one, I am one of those people that has to 
do everything myself and in my own way.  For every "professional" piano 
mover I have ever seen, I have seen a different method.  I have moved 
so many pianos over the years that I have taken the best of everyone's 
style and do it my way.  I have also seen so many professionals do the 
stupidest things.  I don't trust anyone else.

I also move up to seven foot grands by myself on a regular basis.  I 
use a set of blocks that elevates the skid so the center of gravity is 
higher, I am never lifting with my back.  I also (cringe) tilt on the 
lyre.  I am the one responsible for them and if I ever damaged one, I 
would be the one to fix it.  (I haven't)

I have saved the school thousands of dollars over the past fifteen 
years and this has, with everything else I do around here, made me a 
more valuable employee.  In these times of budget cuts and layoffs, I 
am convinced that this willingness to go above and beyond has made me 
more indispensable.  Just this year, in the midst of draconian budget 
cuts, my director defended my position here as essential.  She simply 
showed the dean what it would cost the school if they had to contract 
all this work out to an independent contractor.

The one downside to this attitude is that if is becoming more expected 
of me.  They think I'm strong but I just know all the tricks.

Chris

(I am leaving for the weekend so you all can flame away!)


On Jun 2, 2006, at 12:14 PM, Brian Yankee wrote:

> Greetings.
>  
> I am the Director of Performance Services at New England Conservatory 
> in Boston. A member of our administration wants to have our Piano 
> Technicians (whom I supervise) move our pianos (mostly a mix of 
> Steinway B's, L's and M's) out of studios, into and out of the piano 
> shop, etc. when the need arises. We have always hired an outside piano 
> moving company to do all of our moves except for occasionally 
> rolling an upright piano down a hallway from one room to another. 
>  
> What prompted this is a proposal to recarpet and paint seven faculty 
> studios this summer. The proposal included an estimate of the cost 
> to hire our movers to remove the pianos from the rooms, bring them to 
> our piano shop for storage on their sides and then to return them to 
> the studios once the work is done. Needless to say, the piano moving 
> costs are considerable.
>  
> Personally, I think it's inappropriate for piano techs to double as 
> piano movers, but what do I know? I need a reality check: Is this 
> something that piano techs at other colleges and universities do? If 
> not, can you give me some good arguments why they shouldn't?
>  
> Thanks.
>  
> Brian Yankee
> Director of Performance Services
> New England Conservatory
>  
>
> *******************************************************************
> Brian S. Yankee
> Director of Performance Services
> New England Conservatory
> 290 Huntington Ave.
> Boston, MA 02115
> Tel: 617-585-1271
> Fax: 617-585-1270
>  
Christopher D. Purdy R.P.T.
School of Music, Ohio University
Rm. 311, Robt. Glidden Hall
Athens, OH  45701
Office (740) 593-1656
Cell    (740) 590-3842
fax      (740) 593-1429
http://www.ohiou.edu/music
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