Dear Evan, Congratulations upon the completion of your training, and for seeking more information about the non-technical skills required for the new profession that you are about to enter. I feel so grateful for my 42 year career in piano technology, for all that I have learned and experienced, for all the wonderful music I have heard, and for all wonderful friends and acquaintances I have made. I have many colleagues who have or have had satisfying and rewarding careers in this field, and I encourage you to pursue this career whole-heartedly if this is your true passion. My feeling is that this list is intended to provide support and encouragement for those of us pursuing institutional careers as piano technicians. Much of that support is technical and informational, and for that you will find a gold mine of information here. Sometimes we need other kinds of support and encouragement, and there is plenty of that here as well. Pursuant to that end, I feel that is important to provide accurate and realistic information, while basically promoting a positive attitude toward our profession in general, and well as toward music schools, music education, musicians, and piano manufacturers and dealers. There are many skills that will serve you well and here are a few that occur to me: --A sense of joy and gratitude toward life in general, and towards other people in particular --A passion for pianos and, at least, some crucial aspects of piano technology --A passion for music --A positive attitude toward young people and towards their education --A positive attitude toward musicians and music educators --Skill and perception in being aware of and successfully navigating institutional politics Regarding the final point, there is often a negative connotation attached to the word "politics". I see politics as the skilled navigation (or sometimes not so skilled!) of the complex relationships and interactions of individuals and groups of individuals, with competing interests. Success is contingent upon your wisdom, awareness, sensitivity to others, and your ability to promote your interests and the interests of your area. I cannot judge the difficulties that others have expressed on this list. I know that there are situations that are just not acceptable, and that some faculty, administrators, students, working situations, inventories, budgets, salaries, benefits, etc., bear within them the seeds that lead to conflicts and failure. Yet, I would caution against generalizing that all music faculty or administrators are unappreciative, unreasonable, technically ignorant, etc. When that is the case, sometimes the only remedy is to leave. I also know that what we bring to the situation in terms of job skills, attitude, tact, sensitivity, self-awareness, work habits, political savvy, etc., has a huge impact. Personally, I believe that it is quite possible to be a happy and positive person, and one who promotes peace and happiness among those we touch, whatever our external circumstances. One could quote many examples, such as Ann Frank, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela (who just turned 90), MLK, and on and on. An excellent book I could recommend is called, What Happy People Know, by Dan Baker. If you feel trapped by circumstances beyond your control, it is important to know that you do have some control over how you respond to those circumstances, so that you do not internalize the unhappiness of others, and then pass that on to your family and friends, like a contagious disease. As for musicians and music faculty, they definitely can bring to the workplace their own issues. For 24 years I worked very closely with a piano faculty member who was severely troubled emotionally, and, eventually, with debilitating physical problems as well. She tended to be harshly critical of others, and to promote drama and conflict in the workplace. She also possessed other, very admirable qualities, besides her musical and teaching skills, and could be extraordinarily kind and generous. This contributed to a conflicted response to her behavior. Ultimately, and most dramatically, she was brutally murdered by a grad student who was also very bipolar. When I first came here in 1980, with limited job skills, and also very lacking in some of the other qualities that I listed above, I quickly found myself a target of her criticism and outright meanness. For many years I harbored a sense of victimhood, resentment, and bitterness; yet, somehow we both got through that and wound up with a somewhat distant appreciation for one another. I have also dealt with major prima donnas among concert artists and visiting faculty. When you are young and not sure of your skills and abilities, this can be very unsettling. The most important thing is to be able to honestly assure yourself that you did the best that you could reasonably do in each situation with the circumstances at hand, and to work with letting go of the rest. Finally, as for the comments about freelancing in addition to a full- time job, my attitude has shifted over the years. When I was younger I sometimes resented that I felt that I had to work some evenings and most weekends to make ends meet. Not long ago, my niece, who is a public school teacher (here is another prime example of an important job that is traditionally underpaid and overly stressful) commented to me that she had always felt some envy because I never had to live on a fixed paycheck, and could always scare up another tuning or two to pay the mortgage or buy groceries. Having tuned pianos since I was sixteen, I have always taken this for granted, and her comment surprised me somewhat and has lead me to feel gratitude that I had this ability and opportunity. There are worse fates in life... Like just about any profession that you might examine carefully, being a piano technician for a music school, either on contract or on salary, has advantages and disadvantages, but if you keep your eyes open and take advantage of your opportunities and abilities, you can have a very satisfying career. All of the potential problems that you listed might have to be addressed at one time or another, and you may not be able to fully resolve every issue to your satisfaction, but it really has so much to do with what you bring to the situation, and the kinds of relationships that you are able to cultivate. Sincerely, Charles On Jun 26, 2008, at 3:04 PM, Evan Bingham wrote: > Hello fellow techs, > > My name is Evan Bingham and I'm finishing up my classes at the > Chicago School for Piano Technology. I've been reading this debate > on institutional work vs. business, and it is definitely intriguing > to me. I've been working on a project about institutional > management, reading debates like these for a while and decided to > finally post. I have it set in my mind that I want to work in an > institution, when I haven't even really experienced it first hand. > I've just experienced it through interviews and campus visitations > and so far it seems like a career I can easily spend the rest of my > life dedicated to. > > Anyways, my research is primarily just about institutional > management and NOT a comparison between starting your own business > or working for an institution. I have been trying to cover as much > as possible, from the negatives like vandalism, to the positives > like benefits, and it is just to show the other students in my > school this particular career path. I have come to a bump in the > road to my project, and I'm trying to figure out what exactly > entails school politics (in a negative sense). > > So Far I am hearing things like, > > conflicting orders from above > lack of appreciation > not enough of a budget to work with > administration's lack of understanding > scheduling conflicts > > Is there anything I'm missing? Can anyone sum up the politics of > institutional management for me? > > Any help would be appreciated. I'm pretty much finished my project, > just trying to polish up some of the grey (market) areas. > > Thanks in advance everyone, > Evan Bingham > > P.S. > I actually applied to the LSU job so I hope they get back to me. > Wish me luck! Charles Ball ckball at mail.utexas.edu 512-923-2311 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20080628/5347e978/attachment.html
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