[CAUT] School Politics (Re: LSU SOM position)

Willem Blees wimblees at aol.com
Sat Jun 28 11:48:18 MDT 2008



Rick Florence wrote:?
"Evan, I can sum up institutional politics in one sentence. Keep the faculty happy, especially the keyboard folks. If they are not happy, you're life will be miserable, if they appreciate you, they will be strong advocates for everything from budgets to travel for continued education."?
?

While this is true when you've got a faculty that knows and understands the demands of the piano, when the?piano faculty does not understand those needs, there is nothing you can do.?The?head of the piano area at UA, who has?been teaching for over 50 years, didn't even know what a wippen was. She also thought that I should know?what was wrong with her piano without her telling me. She could not understand?why I couldn't detect every little problem with her piano just by?tuning it. When?I first?got to the school, one of the two B's in her?studio was dead sounding.?I voiced?up the hammers, but?she never said anything to me bout it.?One of the other professors was?getting physical therapy for sore forearms when i first got there.?His B played like a Mack truck and had absolutely no after touch. I regulated and voiced the piano,?but the first thing he complained about?was the uneven voicing. When asked him how the action felts, he said, "It's OK." ?Four weeks later?he announced that miraculously his arms?had gotten better, and credited the physical therapist.?

When you've got faculty members like that, you'll never satisfy them, and as a result, my funding was cut off, and I was eventually let go.?

Wim 

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